(4) K-3 Illustrated by Dennis Nolan. When an aunt gives her niece, the narrator, a tiny white horse, the girl and the horse she names Pegasus form a bond. But even as Pegasus grows, develops wings, and takes the girl on nighttime flights, she knows that "you cannot own magic." Hazy, richly colored paintings add a dreamlike quality to an otherwise ponderous tale of loving and letting go.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Dennis Nolan. Charles's toys--the baker, airplane man, soldier--talk to him when no one else is around, and together they share adventures. Years pass, and Charles can't hear the toys anymore. He discards his old friends but then rescues them for his baby brother. Underscoring the text's nostalgia, the misty illustrations are a good match for this story about moving beyond childhood.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Dennis Nolan. This picture book biography chronicles how the son of a poor working couple becomes one of the most beloved children's writers of all time. Snippets of Andersen's stories appear at the bottom of each page of text, and although the text sometimes strains to incorporate them, they underscore how life can influence art. Romanticized illustrations in muted colors suit this rags-to-riches story. Bib.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lauren Mills & Dennis Nolan. In this companion volume to Fairy Wings, the mean-spirited behavior of Fia's high-and-mighty sister, Violet, puts Fia and her friends in jeopardy. The author overuses exclamation points, and Violet's repentance comes too easily, but the story has much suspense, and the watercolor and pencil art effectively brings the diminutive characters and their woodland surroundings to life.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Lauren Mills & Dennis Nolan. In this lengthy literary fairy tale, a bored and insensitive prince learns how to serve and sacrifice for others after he is turned into a dog by a fairy. Lightly colored in pastel and earth tones, the romantic watercolors lend the book a timeless feel. Despite a few awkward sentences and the unclear symbolism of a mysterious chimera, the story presents an interesting adventure.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Dennis Nolan. Robin Hood is involved in some way in each of these eight tales, yet in only two of them is he the main character. The authors focus on some of the people who were affected by his life: the midwife who assisted at his birth; young, tomboyish Marian; some of the members of his band of outlaws; and a grandson who only knows him from the old ballads and a dream. The volume's old-fashioned illustrations and design suit the tales.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Dennis Nolan. A graceful prose retelling smoothly incorporates Shakespeare's own words into the text, creating a reader-friendly interpretation for those daunted by the original. The softly textured artwork captures the tale's romance but seems too studied to hold up to the more dramatic narrative passages. This well-crafted story will provide middle-grade readers with an accessible bridge to the Bard.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) PS Illustrated by Dennis Nolan. A flowering plant dug from Ma's garden and set in a wooden box becomes a beacon of hope in this broadly sketched account of a family's arduous wagon trip to California. Using young James as first-person narrator, Turner provides just enough detail to convey the long, bumpy trek. Nolan's fine pencil portraits are both realistic and evocative.

Reviewer: Margaret A. Bush | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1999