(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Brief vignettes focus on a diverse selection of lesser-known women significant to American history. An opening timeline places the women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; each subsequent engaging micro-biography is aided by lively portraits with watercolor washes. Roberts and Goode's second collective biography for mid-elementary readers (Founding Mothers) once again effectively highlights the overlooked role of women in early American history.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) PS Illustrated by Diane Goode. "'Congratulations,' said the doctor...'You have a ninja baby.'" Baby Nina's ninja-like antics included escaping from her crib and side-kicking her applesauce. And when Mom and Dad bring home a newborn "Kung Fu Master," Nina's jealousy knows no bounds. Zeltser's matter-of-fact text and Goode's kicky, over-the-top pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations combine for a lively sibling-rivalry tale complete with an entertaining twist ending.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Diane Goode. In clear, energetic prose bristling with purpose, Roberts introduces ten women who made unique contributions to America's early years. An illustrated timeline precedes the parade of notables; the two-page mini-biographies provide solid information about these wives, mothers, sisters, and female friends. Pen and watercolor illustrations dance across creamy pages. Websites.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Wilson's mostly humorous poems cover the usual ground, touching on imagination, family relationships, and food preferences. The rhyme and meter are often forced, and the poems with messages are heavy-handed. In most cases, the concrete poems are stronger than those in rhyming verse. The calligraphic feel of Goode's line drawings distinguishes them from illustrations in similar collections. Ind.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Third grader Cinderella wants to keep her school project on ocelots a secret so she can "shock and amaze" the class. But the library books she's waiting for go missing, so she and her best friend must solve the mystery of who took them. Barden has a "vexylent" ("very, extremely excellent") understanding of her audience, and Goode's line drawings embody the tale's lightness.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Shoe-losing, adverb-using, word-creating Cinderella returns in this sequel to Cinderella Smith. This time, Cinderella prepares for a spelling bee, makes pancakes with her cool aunt, and stands up to classmate Rosemary T., who is "very, extremely mean" to Cinderella and her friends. Without condescension, Barden sensitively and gracefully handles the topic of bullying; Goode's line drawings add levity.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Rosie always loved to dance at home with Bear, but her love falters when she struggles in her new ballet class. A gift of special ballet slippers from her encouraging teacher gives Rosie the confidence to dance her best. The message isn't subtle; but the spare, delicately colored brush, pen-and-ink, and pastel illustrations, set on plentiful white space, allow the movement of dancing to dominate.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Louise's new friend, a girl who claims to be from Paris (she’s from Paris, Maine), invites Louise to attend her Ooh-la-la Charm School. Charm School is a flop, but Louise learns a lesson in friendship. This book will please Louise's fans, who won't mind all the pink in the busy cartoon art or the heavy-handed moralizing in the story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Jacqueline-Kathryn "Cinderella" Smith helps new girl Erin investigate her stepsisters to see if they’re wicked. Shoe-losing Cinderella is also looking for her special ruby-red tap shoe for her dance recital. Cinderella's bouncy energy, captured expertly in Goode's emotive line drawings, is infectious; readers will delight in her expressions (e.g., dribbly-spit for Seattle drizzle) and enthusiastic use of adverbs ("very, extremely mad").

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. As the school year starts, Louise hopes for As from her new teacher. Mrs. Pearl, however, has high expectations: "You can do better, Miss Cheese." A substitute takes over for a day; she has no expectations and makes no demands, and Louise realizes she misses Mrs. Pearl. Pink-tastic watercolor illustrations humorously capture Louise's wild imagination and her energetic mood swings.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Oliver intends to trade his baby sister for a brother, or purchase one from a classified ad, but ultimately, the other babies just don't measure up. The story meanders a bit, but its winking probe of gender stereotypes will keep readers hooked until the surprise ending. Goode's watercolors capture Oliver's vacillating opinion of the blissfully oblivious babe.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Louise wants black patent leather "la-di-da" shoes; instead her mother buys her squeaky "brown laced school shoes." Conflict also arises between Louise and her best friend when Fern comes to school with fancified feet. The lesson is that special-occasion shoes hurt and are not worth losing a friend over. Lively, pink-heavy cartoon illustrations (with some blatantly adult-aimed humor) keep pace with the story.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Louise wants to star in the school play and when her best friend, Fern, gets the lead, she stops talking to her. Pink-heavy watercolor illustrations accompany the story, in which the pals are reconciled when Louise feeds Fern a line at a critical moment. The cartoon endpapers are mostly in-jokes for adults. This paper-over-board edition is notable for its bargain price.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. A girl explains how her parents are "trying to ruin" her life ("She kisses me in front of my friends," "He makes me do my homework"). Her revenge fantasy--Mom and Dad in jail--compels her to reevaluate her attitude. This amusing story, helped along by the cartoony watercolors' scope of emotionality, manages to be respectful of both parental authority and pre-tween angst.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. Louise wants like anything to be the star of the school play. When her best friend, Fern, gets the lead, Louise stops talking to her. The pals are reconciled when Louise feeds Fern a line at a critical moment. Pink-heavy watercolor illustrations reflect the life of a "divine diva" in training. The cartoon endpapers are mostly in-jokes for adults.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. While banished to his room for a time-out, gradeschooler Luke Pennybaker, lamenting life's unfairness, decides to run for president. Hot on the campaign trail, Luke promises such "fair" policies as any-time-of-day dessert and optional homework. The text is delectably deadpan in its silliness. In the watercolor illustrations, the grown-up politicians have a gray, curmudgeonly gravitas in contrast to redheaded Pennybaker's chutzpah.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Diane Goode. This collection of short verses describes babies' overall wonderfulness as well as developmental milestones like first teeth and walking (though in no specific order). Soft-hued pencil, watercolor, and gouache baby-and-caretaker images have an appropriately gentle sketch quality. The language is tender, though some rhymes are awkward ("First some milk / and then some rocking. / I will sing / instead of talking").

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. After a boy announces his desire to be "somebody new," he dons an alligator get-up and proceeds to spend his days with what he considers a wonderful new identity, although (as amused readers will note) his everyday life doesn't change. The story sputters out, but Rylant's rhymes bounce, and the art is funny and sensitive.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Diane Goode. New illustrations for Brown's Nativity story bring the reader onto a farm where a baby is welcomed by a barn full of animals. Brown's lyrical text is similar in rhythm and structure to that in her book Big Red Barn. The setting in Goode's friendly paintings is immediately familiar, and these parents could be any young couple celebrating a miracle.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: December, 1952

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Diane Goode. As she did in When I Was Young in the Mountains, Rylant tells of her childhood and without sentimentality evokes the joys of everyday life. Holiday rituals are described in an easy-to-read text remarkable for its creation of suspense and sense of movement. The warmth and intimacy of the text is matched by the softly colored pen-and-wash illustrations, whose details are freely limned in scraggly but secure lines.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2002