(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Paula Franco. HGTV meets the early-chapter-book set in this series starter featuring sisters Twig and Turtle. The girls' parents decide to move from their large home in Boston to Happy Trails, Colorado, and purchase a "tiny house" that will allow them to, in third grader Twig's words, save "money and...the earth at the same time." Their living conditions impose some limits: the girls must respect personal space; give others privacy; and reduce clothing to three pairs of pants, three shirts, and two pairs of shoes. But the biggest issue is that there is no room for Bo, a Great Dane whom Twig loves with all her heart but who had to be left with the girls' grandmother, creating a situation that forms the story's arc and demands some straightforward problem-solving. The solution is a creative but believable one, arrived at through Twig's resolve and the help of her classmates. Twig's adjustment to a new school rings true; half-page illustrations appear every five pages or so to nicely break up the reading; the language is natural; and Jacobson's repeated use of bulleted lists helps group multiple ideas. Twig's engaging narration introduces characters many newly independent readers will want to know better.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Paula Franco. Even though the titular sisters first seen in Twig and Turtle: Big Move to a Tiny House (rev. 7/20) have now settled into their home in Happy Trails, Colorado, they still have a couple of crises to solve. The owner of a new toy store initiates the story's action by announcing a naming contest. Twig is at first reluctant to reduce her chances of winning by telling her friends about the competition. Although the situation resolves itself, the idea of tension between what she wants to do and what she should do is born. Later, when Twig accepts a doll from a friend and thus breaks their household's five-toy rule, she lets a "big old mountain of want" dictate her actions. Jacobson again shows her strength in creating problems seemingly specific to one setting but experienced by many children; without a hint of didacticism, she allows Twig to reach a creative ­solution to the problem. Short chapters, generous use of dialogue, and text-­supporting spot art scaffold the reading for newly independent chapter book readers. This series ­reaffirms the old adage that good things come in small packages.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(4) 1-3 Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. New readers can enjoy Storm Cliff Stables (from Mullarkey's Pony Girls and Storm Cliff Stables series)--this time, from the barn animals' perspectives. The facile transitional-reader stories include tame conflict (e.g., Gaston the goat battles his fear of thunderstorms) and silly wordplay (pig Freckles channels artist "Pablo Pigasso" to spiff up the dark barn). The characters are energetically rendered in the slick color illustrations. Review covers these Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends titles: Daisy the Cow, Freckles the Pig, Gaston the Goat, and Golden Girl the Chicken.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. New readers can enjoy Storm Cliff Stables (from Mullarkey's Pony Girls and Storm Cliff Stables series)--this time, from the barn animals' perspectives. The facile transitional-reader stories include tame conflict (e.g., Gaston the goat battles his fear of thunderstorms) and silly wordplay (pig Freckles channels artist "Pablo Pigasso" to spiff up the dark barn). The characters are energetically rendered in the slick color illustrations. Review covers these Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends titles: Daisy the Cow, Freckles the Pig, Gaston the Goat, and Golden Girl the Chicken.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. New readers can enjoy Storm Cliff Stables (from Mullarkey's Pony Girls and Storm Cliff Stables series)--this time, from the barn animals' perspectives. The facile transitional-reader stories include tame conflict (e.g., Gaston the goat battles his fear of thunderstorms) and silly wordplay (pig Freckles channels artist "Pablo Pigasso" to spiff up the dark barn). The characters are energetically rendered in the slick color illustrations. Review covers these Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends titles: Daisy the Cow, Freckles the Pig, Gaston the Goat, and Golden Girl the Chicken.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. New readers can enjoy Storm Cliff Stables (from Mullarkey's Pony Girls and Storm Cliff Stables series)--this time, from the barn animals' perspectives. The facile transitional-reader stories include tame conflict (e.g., Gaston the goat battles his fear of thunderstorms) and silly wordplay (pig Freckles channels artist "Pablo Pigasso" to spiff up the dark barn). The characters are energetically rendered in the slick color illustrations. Review covers these Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends titles: Daisy the Cow, Freckles the Pig, Gaston the Goat, and Golden Girl the Chicken.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico: Pony Girls series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Four girls experience growing pains of friendship at Storm Cliff Stables camp. Dani, who's from Costa Rica, constantly feels one-upped by her overachiever cousin, Gabriela; Carly hates following rules; Kianna, still seven, faces challenges as the youngest. New readers will have fun horsing around with the girls in these high-interest if facile stories. Average-quality illustrations emphasize the cast's racial diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Pony Girls titles: Carly, Daniela, Gabriela, and Kianna.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico: Pony Girls series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Four girls experience growing pains of friendship at Storm Cliff Stables camp. Dani, who's from Costa Rica, constantly feels one-upped by her overachiever cousin, Gabriela; Carly hates following rules; Kianna, still seven, faces challenges as the youngest. New readers will have fun horsing around with the girls in these high-interest if facile stories. Average-quality illustrations emphasize the cast's racial diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Pony Girls titles: Carly, Daniela, Gabriela, and Kianna.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico: Pony Girls series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Four girls experience growing pains of friendship at Storm Cliff Stables camp. Dani, who's from Costa Rica, constantly feels one-upped by her overachiever cousin, Gabriela; Carly hates following rules; Kianna, still seven, faces challenges as the youngest. New readers will have fun horsing around with the girls in these high-interest if facile stories. Average-quality illustrations emphasize the cast's racial diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Pony Girls titles: Carly, Daniela, Gabriela, and Kianna.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico: Pony Girls series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Four girls experience growing pains of friendship at Storm Cliff Stables camp. Dani, who's from Costa Rica, constantly feels one-upped by her overachiever cousin, Gabriela; Carly hates following rules; Kianna, still seven, faces challenges as the youngest. New readers will have fun horsing around with the girls in these high-interest if facile stories. Average-quality illustrations emphasize the cast's racial diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Pony Girls titles: Carly, Daniela, Gabriela, and Kianna.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Calico: Storm Cliff Stables series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Storm Cliff Stables' "Four Horseketeers" Ainsley, Cassidy, Khadija, and Ryleigh partake in camp pranks and tantalizing secrets. Horsing around aside, the slight series tackles preteen friendship quandaries and the occasional timely topic. While the girls' angst can feel overly fraught, camp owner/mentor Aunt Jane's reliable guidance grounds them. Bland illustrations emphasize the cast's racial and ethnic diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Storm Cliff Stables titles: Battle of the Bunks, A Feast of Fun, A Filming Fiasco, and Hopes in Hiding.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Calico: Storm Cliff Stables series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Storm Cliff Stables' "Four Horseketeers" Ainsley, Cassidy, Khadija, and Ryleigh partake in camp pranks and tantalizing secrets. Horsing around aside, the slight series tackles preteen friendship quandaries and the occasional timely topic. While the girls' angst can feel overly fraught, camp owner/mentor Aunt Jane's reliable guidance grounds them. Bland illustrations emphasize the cast's racial and ethnic diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Storm Cliff Stables titles: Battle of the Bunks, A Feast of Fun, A Filming Fiasco, and Hopes in Hiding.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Calico: Storm Cliff Stables series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Storm Cliff Stables' "Four Horseketeers" Ainsley, Cassidy, Khadija, and Ryleigh partake in camp pranks and tantalizing secrets. Horsing around aside, the slight series tackles preteen friendship quandaries and the occasional timely topic. While the girls' angst can feel overly fraught, camp owner/mentor Aunt Jane's reliable guidance grounds them. Bland illustrations emphasize the cast's racial and ethnic diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Storm Cliff Stables titles: Battle of the Bunks, A Feast of Fun, A Filming Fiasco, and Hopes in Hiding.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Calico: Storm Cliff Stables series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Storm Cliff Stables' "Four Horseketeers" Ainsley, Cassidy, Khadija, and Ryleigh partake in camp pranks and tantalizing secrets. Horsing around aside, the slight series tackles preteen friendship quandaries and the occasional timely topic. While the girls' angst can feel overly fraught, camp owner/mentor Aunt Jane's reliable guidance grounds them. Bland illustrations emphasize the cast's racial and ethnic diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Storm Cliff Stables titles: Battle of the Bunks, A Feast of Fun, A Filming Fiasco, and Hopes in Hiding.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum