(2) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Bobcats live solitary lives all across North America. In this story, Gianferrari (Hawk Rising, rev. 5/18) shows how one such creature travels for many months to find its own territory. Bobcat Yearling leaves its mother at about a year old so that Mother Bobcat can again mate and raise a new litter. The protagonist identifies three potential habitats, but Canada Lynx, Resident Bobcat, and Coyote have already claimed these territories, forcing Bobcat Yearling to move along until it finds a suitable area--in this case near a suburban neighborhood--that it can call home. During the bobcat's journey, readers observe its predatory skills and a portion of its carnivorous diet: hares, squirrels, and even a pheasant. The focus here is clearly on Bobcat Yearling, with humans shown in the illustrations as observers who glimpse the animal dashing across the landscape or see evidence (such as tracks in snow) that it's been nearby. Ibatoulline's (Coyote Moon, The Hawk of the Castle) realistic watercolors depict unspoiled landscapes, which provide glimpses into the ways animals and humans can occupy the same spaces. Appended with facts about bobcats, a review of the cat's predatory skills and diet, and suggestions for further reading and viewing.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. A lyrical tale of a medieval child's day hunting with her falconer father and their hawk is illuminated by lavishly detailed acrylic-gouache illustrations. The simple text (with a rhyming "This is the..." construction) is supplemented with extensive sidebars explaining the sport of falconry and raptor behavior and an appended historical note. An underrepresented subject executed with skill and care. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. With pups to feed, a nocturnal coyote stalks prey in a suburban neighborhood. Lifelike full-spread illustrations in dark bluish-gray tones emphasize the coyote's stealthy moves through night scenery as spare present tense suspensefully narrates the hunt. Several pounces fail, but the last succeeds as the coral-tinted dawn spreads. An excellent nonfiction picture book about suburban wildlife; more-detailed coyote facts are appended. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. The March family celebrates Christmas and welcomes Father home from the Union Army in this warmhearted picture-book adaptation of scenes from Alcott's classic novel. Frederick incorporates memorable phrases into this historical-fiction narrative complemented by Ibatoulline's realistic gouache illustrations. However, the author and illustrator take unfortunate liberties with the original material (e.g., Beth as a blonde and the youngest).

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Known for her pushiness with models (referenced in the book's title), Julia Margaret Cameron's "goal was to create Art, with a capital A." Including plenty of primary-source quotes and entertaining anecdotes, Rubin's biography of the groundbreaking Victorian portrait photographer has a narrative storybook feel augmented by decorative page borders, Ibatoulline's acrylic gouache paintings, and neatly presented photographs by Cameron. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. A successful abridgement (without attribution) of Andersen's original, omitting the Christian context, this complex picture book is marked by Ibatoulline's dramatic acryl-gouache paintings combining realism and fantasy. Gerda and Kai's great friendship remains at the heart of the story; Gerda's journey through different lands to rescue her friend, stolen away by the Snow Queen, will engage today's readers.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. An Italian immigrant tells his great-granddaughter the family's history by showing her his "diary"--the contents of the matchboxes that he collected before he could write. His storytelling is so captivating that it will probably escape readers' notice that the girl isn't much of a character. Realistic acrylic gouache paintings on mottled tan pages simulate photographs of an earlier time.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Frances arrives in America from Ireland with a crystal necklace her mother gave her. Over many generations, it's handed down from mother to daughter for special occasions such as a birthday, performing an act of kindness, or completing a difficult task. The well-told fictional story honoring ancestry is inspired by Wyeth's family; Ibatoulline's rich gouache paintings help celebrate this history.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) YA Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Lowry’s austere classic dystopian novel gets a curiously gifty treatment here, complete with bound-in red ribbon bookmark as well as glossy, too-literal, and stiff illustrations by Ibatoulline. Stick with the original and make up the pictures for yourself.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 1993

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. A boy learns from his father how to collect "tears" ("the pearls of sap that seep out of a tree when the bark is cut...maybe they are called tears because it seems as if the tree is crying"). Three wise men take one of them as a gift to the Baby Jesus. Textured acrylic-gouache illustrations set the scene nicely in this lyrically told story.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Toys in a little boy's bedroom want to play their instruments instead of going to sleep, and each tells his or her parent to "Go away!" The colorful yet muted illustrations provide free-form counterpoint to the rhyming onomatopoeic ("bong bong / clink clink / plong plong") text. The "go away" refrain, however, seems to undermine the spirit of bedtime.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. In 1931, eleven-year-old Oscar Ogilvie's father heads to California looking for work. Oscar takes solace in visiting his beloved train set, repossessed and now on display at the bank. After a break-in, Oscar mysteriously finds himself on a full-sized train, heading to a future (1941) California. Wells, in complete control of every plot twist and immersing readers in details, conducts one glorious, high-speed ride.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2010

(3) K-3 Retold by Brian Alderson. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Alderson's interpretation of the Andersen classic is spare and folksy ("She wanted a baby real bad"), with instances of onomatopoeia (whisht!, rrrrh!) that enhance the read-aloud experience. Ibatoulline's acryl gouache and watercolor illustrations, starring a wide-eyed, golden-haired protagonist, are suffused with warmth and light.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. In the quiet early morning, Liz and her father, a recently returned soldier, embark on a crow hunt. Throughout the process, they forge poignant new connections while becoming reacquainted. Based on Lowry's own experience, the story is conveyed with a sensitive, lyrical voice. Ibatoulline uses touches of light in his realistic watercolor and acryl-gouache paintings, bringing warmth to the barren November landscape.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. A scarecrow comes to life one autumn night. He dances over to the farmhouse, where he's humbled and gratified to overhear the farm boy including him in his prayers ("And bless tonight / Our old scarecrow / Who guards the fields / And each corn row"). Yolen's rhymes are air-tight, and Ibatoulline makes every moonlit spread darkly radiant.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Rabin shows Lincoln's spirited young sons tormenting the White House staff and getting their dad to formally pardon their soldier doll (a true event, according to the appended author's note). The down-homey prose spotlights Lincoln's big-heartedness. Ibatoulline's accomplished painterly illustrations display the boys' hijinks. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Retold by Stephen Mitchell. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. What bitter dreams haunted Andersen when he penned this dark tale? Mitchell's excellent retelling keeps Andersen's quizzical wit and offbeat satire intact. Ibatoulline's expansive spreads, elegantly drawn in pen and ink, resemble etchings; the added watercolor is in delicate yet somber tones. Costumes and architecture suggest northern Europe somewhat before Andersen's own time, a sumptuous setting for this strange, provocative classic.

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

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Frances invites a homeless organ grinder and his monkey to come out of the cold and share the joy of her church's Christmas pageant. DiCamillo's gentle story has all the hallmarks of traditional holiday fare in which a child teaches the adults around her the meaning of Christmas. Ibatoulline's expansive illustrations glow warmly with gold and yellow hues.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Three fanciful tales harking back to the spirit of Poe and Hawthorne are linked by the central theme of a sculpted figure and by a pervading atmosphere of mystery and suspense in this Newbery Honor Book. The author's elegant figurative prose is fashioned with fluency and skill. New art opens each story, and an author's afterword is included.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: December, 1982

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. About Marco Polo, Freedman asks: "Did he really travel to China and beyond, as he claimed? Or was he...'the man of a million lies'?" Freedman provides background by writing of Polo's experiences and quoting from Polo's Description of the World. An author's note suggests more complex resources on the debate. This handsome volume--with faux-aged paper, archival prints, and original art--resembles a fourteenth-century manuscript. Ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2006