(3) K-3 Illustrated by Allan Eitzen. Aram, one of Noah's grandsons, looks after the birds on the ark. A white dove named Tara, the boy's special pet, appears plain amidst her colorful brethren. But tasked as a messenger after the flood, the dove becomes a symbol of peace. The mixed-media cut-paper illustrations add texture to this biblical reimagining with a message of world peace.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Allan Eitzen. This book describes the swift change in the idyllic life of a young Muslim boy in Bulgaria when the government forces his family to Christianize their names. While the simple language and dramatic illustrations will generate empathy, the situation is not given enough context to make it truly involving; the book's theme seems constrained by the limitations of the picture book form.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Allan Eitzen & Allan Eitzen. In this uneven collection of short rhyming poems for young children, Smith mixes old chestnuts with less well known pieces, producing a somewhat disarming mixture of novel and familiar verse. Like the poems themselves, some of the illustrations are animated and engaging, and some are rather humdrum.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) K-3 All Aboard Reading series. Illustrated by Allan Eitzen. Frantz's history includes brief information about the Haida people and native life in the Northwest and one legend to illustrate how totem poles may tell a story. The book ends in the present day with a carver carrying out the traditional art. Text and format are both acceptable for a young reader, and Eitzen uses a style reminiscent of Northwest Indian art to match the subject.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth