(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen. "We're going to see the Elephant...That's what people say when they head west." As her family travels to California, Lily Rose keeps alert for a pachyderm and helps her grandmother sew quilt squares. The joke goes on too long and the down-home dialogue can be grating, but the folk-style illustrations incorporating stitches and traditional quilt motifs nicely reflect the family's experiences. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen. In this smart, lively collection of fourteen poems, readers will find intriguing descriptions of mummies and dinosaurs, fine art and textiles. Factual tidbits within the poems may provide just enough information to whet readers' appetites and inspire them to seek out more details on a subject. The poems are complemented by bold mixed-media double-page spreads of museum artifacts and awestruck children.

Reviewer: Marika Hoe

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen. Little Kessy gets the important task of running to the island's tiny store for more laundry soap--"the biggest piece." On the way home his soap keeps coming in handy to help people, and he turns his mundane errand into a story of adventure. The book is set in the Truk Islands of Micronesia: the pictures feature lush tropical colors.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2004

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen & Stacey Dressen-McQueen. Katje, who lives in post-WWII Holland, receives a care package from an American girl. Katje writes a thank-you note to Rosie, who begins recruiting friends and neighbors to help send bigger and bigger packages to Katje, who shares the bounty with her friends and neighbors. The pictures matter-of-factly present Katje's poverty and Rosie's relative prosperity, while, like the carefully crafted text, emphasizing their similarities.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2003