(3) K-3 Translated by Elisa Amado. Illustrated by André Letria. A series of expansive wordless spreads begins this bleak and affecting picture book personifying the insidiousness and cruelty of war. Spare, hard-hitting prose describes the things that "war is" ("War is a machine for pain...the exact destination of all our miseries") and what it does ("War feeds on hate, ambition, and spite. War invades the gentle sleep of innocents"). Stark, imagistic illustrations--sepia-toned and shadowy--portray crawling insects and spiders and slithering snakes); recognizable imagery of war and violence (soldiers packed shoulder to shoulder, bombs dropping from the sky, a pyre of books, a KKK hood) effectively underscores the story’s message. An unflinchingly thought-provoking work.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by André Letria. This visually arresting miscellany includes a multitude of ocean-related facts as well as experiments and even a recipe for Portuguese fish stew. Beginning with the difference between an ocean and a sea, Henriques's text covers the parts of a ship, signaling alphabet, knot-tying, types of fish, shipwrecks, and environmental concerns, all punctuated by textured drawings in a sharp black-and-blue palette. The sheer amount of information here invites repeated perusals.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) K-3 Illustrated by André Letria. Village wise man Nasreddin Hoca (a real figure from thirteenth-century Turkey) helps poor Mustafo maintain his family's pride--while avoiding the Mongolian tyrant's wrath--by purportedly teaching Mustafo's donkey to read. The story's clever trickery and triumph-over-wickedness elements are satisfying. The vivid illustrations have a playful irreverence--including a very personable donkey. The last page provides some historical context for Nasreddin.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth