(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. Life in Munich is difficult for Anneliese's family in the months after World War II. Food shortages, streets strewn with rubble, and no library access compound grief over Papa's death for refusing to "follow orders." But when Anneliese and her little brother happen upon a "great hall" filled with children's books and a lady who reads them aloud, both children find happiness in the midst of trauma. Five pages at the end introduce Jella Lepman and her international children's book exhibit that traveled Germany after the war. The digitally colored graphite illustrations are equally adept at conveying the deprivation of post-war Germany and the power of stories to unlock hope.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. In this combination of fact and fiction, next-door-neighbor Millie recounts how she and (future jazz pianist) Oscar grew up in the tight-knit black suburb of Little Burgundy, Montreal. Oscar's childhood bout with TB, which prompted his switch from trumpet to piano, forms the climax of the plot, which then dribbles to an end. Warm, rounded illustrations effectively convey both the cityscape and the characters' emotions. Bib.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. This companion to The Tweedles Go Electric has the early-1900s family keeping up with their neighbors by buying a telephone. The lighthearted story's parallel to our current-day distraction with screens includes Papa catching tween Tweedle Franny up in the middle of the night chatting on the modern "marvel." The refined graphite and mixed-media-collage illustrations effectively lend the story an old-fashioned feel.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. In 1903, the Tweedle family eschews the new noisy, dirty, unreliable gas- and steam-powered automobiles, so Papa buys a quiet electric car. Mr. Hamm the butcher tells them to "get a real car," but when his car is out of gas during an emergency, a Tweedle helps out with their trusty electric. Energetic art accompanies the lighthearted story with contemporary relevance.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. This tale inspired by Jewish and Islamic traditions tells the story of a hen that has fallen off Izzy Pippik's truck. Although all the townspeople want to eat the chicken and its offspring, honest and steadfast Shaina patiently protects them until Izzy's return. Lafrance's emotive characters reside in a world of fresh spring greens and blues, and young readers will enjoy searching for all the chickens.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. Back when "fires were fought with buckets, axes, and hand-pulled carts," a fire department plugs in its first electric light, a four-watt bulb. This amazing bulb continues to glow throughout all the changes and modernizations to the fire department and town over the next one-hundred-plus years. The folk-art-style illustrations help provide historical context for this true story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Translated by Daniel Zolinsky. Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. A wolf in doctor's clothing is our guide for an apple's journey through the digestive system. The tone is jocular and the hip illustrations reflect the text's humor, but the design of the small pages is chaotic, making it difficult to follow the English and Spanish texts. A better organized and more in-depth scoop is Susan Goodman's The Truth About Poop.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) PS Exploring the Elements series. Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. On each double-page spread, a child says why he or she likes rain ("...because sometimes I hear thunder"), then wonders aloud about the rain-related concept ("I wonder why it thunders"). Factual information that addresses each question is hidden under clever lift-up flaps. The main pages' color-saturated acrylic paintings set the scene; spot art on the flaps helps explain the science.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(3) PS Exploring the Elements series. Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. The left-hand pages feature simple statements about why someone might like the sun ("I like the sun because I get to wear my sunglasses"). Right-hand pages then present queries ("I wonder how sunglasses work"), which are answered on fold-out flaps. The main pages' color-saturated acrylic paintings tell a story while the flap pages illustrated with spot art help explain the concepts.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. Though it mentions many biblical characters and touches on religious themes, this book is ultimately about names and how children receive them. Although the beginning seems disjointed, the theme finally coalesces. The illustrations, which use lots of blues and white space, ably move from biblical times to the modern day. The book ends with an explanation of Jewish naming customs.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) PS Exploring the Elements series. Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. "Who likes the snow?" In a series of double-page spreads, children respond in the affirmative and give their reasons ("it covers the ground like a white blanket") on the verso page. On the recto, they ask a related science-based question ("I wonder why snow is white"), which is cleverly answered after readers lift a flap. Blue-hued acrylics reflect the season.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio