(4) PS Illustrated by Barbara Firth. Bee is a little frog who imagines she's a fierce dragon. When no one seems to care about this transformation, Bee hops off on her own. Just as she starts to feel lonely, Mom and Dad Frog find her in her hiding place. Waddell's reassuring text is hard to follow at times, but it is well paired with Firth's gentle watercolors.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(1) PS Illustrated by Barbara Firth. "'I wish I had someone to play with,' thought Harry. 'Someone not quick who has time to play with a tortoise.'" Don't rush through this thoughtfully paced book--like Harry Tortoise, it's worth slowing down for. The uncluttered illustrations give Harry lots of personality and the good-natured story emotional depth. When Harry finally finds a friend who appreciates the slow life, even speed demons will put on the brakes to cheer him on.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2003

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Barbara Firth. Big Bear lights several lanterns to assuage Little Bear's fear of the dark, but nothing will do until Big Bear shows his small charge that the reassuring light of the moon is everywhere. The comfortable bedtime story has appealing illustrations. This tenth anniversary edition contains a limited edition print.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) PS Illustrated by Barbara Firth. One evening, Sammy leaves Tom Rabbit, his stuffed animal, on the wall by the back field. Tom Rabbit waits gamely, but as night falls, he becomes anxious and feels "all alone." Finally, at bedtime, an apologetic Sammy comes to fetch him. A few of the pastel-colored pencil and watercolor illustrations border on the sentimental, but they do depict the rural setting and the anxiety and comfort of being lost then found.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) PS Illustrated by Barbara Firth. Big Bear is always nearby to share self-reliant Little Bear's toddler-like exuberance as he explores the forest and to catch him when Little Bear slips off a stone into the stream. Firth's warm pencil and watercolor illustrations perfectly capture the bears' playful and loving relationship. Fans of the earlier books about Little Bear will rejoice to see another installment in this paean to familial love and security.

Reviewer: Ellen Fader | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Barbara Firth. Snowshoeing to the edge of the forest to see what made tracks by his family's farm, a young boy discovers a coyote. Later in the spring, when the coyote kills a lamb, the boy and his father, armed with a shotgun, follow the trail of blood into the forest. While the feel-good ending may be unrealistic, London's observations of the natural world and Firth's soft watercolors add substance to this gentle story.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey