(3) PS Illustrated by Max Grafe. Large, dreamy illustrations and spare rhyming text trace the activities of a small boy and his stuffed bear, who turn into grizzlies and share a magical nighttime adventure. They prowl through the forest, explore the mountainside, swim in an icy stream, and meet other wild creatures. The rising sun satisfyingly ends their wilderness foray.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Max Grafe. An ex-soldier accepts a hard bargain: he'll be rich forever if, for seven years, he wears the skin of a bear; failure means eternal perdition. Schlitz narrates with clarity and grace. Except for the devil's green coat, Grafe's atmospheric full-page illustrations are almost monochromatic, composed of grays and browns with an occasional wash of blue, gleam of gold, or sunset hue.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2007

(4) 4-6 Translated by Sarah Adams. Illustrated by Max Grafe. A boy stands before the wolf's enclosure at the zoo: when the wolf meets his gaze, the two trade life stories. The wolf was captured in Alaska, lost an eye, and withdrew; the boy bounced from home to home in Africa but kept telling stories and making connections. The tone (and the cloudy, dreamlike black-and-white drawings) is at once mystical and frank; after a slow start, the story is engaging.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam