(4) PS Illustrated by Stephen Lambert. "Mrs. Mouse is as busy as busy can be. / 'For Christmas is coming!' she squeaks merrily." Rhymes track Mrs. Mouse across five pop-up spreads as she appropriates tiny tokens (e.g., Christmas-tree decorations, cake crumbs) with which to surprise her family. The illustrations themselves aren't particularly noteworthy, but the pop-ups' engineering will inspire contemplation.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Stephen Lambert. In a lively, descriptive style, French retells eight well-known tales including "The Gingerbread Boy" and "The Three Little Pigs." She changes the traditional plots to make the tales more gentle (the big bad wolf escapes instead of being eaten by the pigs), which will please some readers and disconcert others. Lambert's paintings give texture and character to the stories.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stephen Lambert. Grandmother's handsome hall clock doesn't run. No problem: "I can count seconds by the beating of my heart.... A minute is how long it takes to think a thought and put it into words." As the day progresses, she and her granddaughter explore ever-lengthening extensions of the idea. This simple introduction to the concept of time is lyrical and imaginative. The luminous paintings feature gently rendered figures in a seaside landscape.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(3) PS It's bedtime, but a little boy says he isn't sleepy. He admits, however, that his three stuffed animals might be tired. One by one, his grandma tucks them in, and as she reads them a story, the boy joins her and afterward climbs sleepily into bed. The chalk illustrations' deep, lush colors are soothing and inviting.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.