(3) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. This advanced alphabet book identifies and describes people, buildings, sites, and activities associated with the nation's capital. Several examples are given for each letter: L is for Library of Congress, L'Enfant, Lobby, and Lincoln Memorial. Zany, stylized ink and watercolor drawings add interest and humor to the cleverly written narrative full of intriguing facts. Endpapers feature a map of the city's main sites for reference.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by John O'Brien. Castrovilla chronicles the relationship between André and Arnold as the two conspired during the Revolutionary War to aid the British in capturing West Point. The failed mission resulted in André's being captured and hanged while Arnold safely defected to the British, earning him a legacy as a traitor. Full-page pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations enhance the readable picture-book narrative. Timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by John O'Brien. This intriguing book reveals the often bizarre stories behind the accidental invention or naming of many of today's successful products, including ice-cream cones, aspirin, and doughnut holes. Comical ink-and-watercolor illustrations capitalize on the quirkiness of the theme. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. O'Brien's whimsical ink and watercolor illustrations set the tone for this collection of facts about our sixteenth president. Presented in alphabetical order, with minimal internal connection, facts range from the significant to the quirky: A is for amendment (the thirteenth); autobiography (Lincoln penned a short one); ax (he began clearing land at age seven); and aloud (Lincoln habitually read aloud to better remember ideas).

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. Jefferson's lifelong love for reading and collecting books led to the foundation of the Library of Congress. This breezy picture book biography of the third president focuses on his bibliographic passions, with relevant life facts and quotes in text boxes atop humorous pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations. An author's note on Jefferson's legacies rounds out the informative book. Bib.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(2) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. In this alphabetical compendium of Franklin highlights, each spread features a letter or two initializing significant places, inventions, people, and more. Details are dramatized in deftly ordered boxes, banners, and balloons; all are rendered in O'Brien's old-timey pen and ink and brightened with watercolor. The bits of narrative text are usefully straightforward, and aphorisms recognizable as Poor Richard's are sprinkled throughout.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by John O'Brien. D'Agnese presents an engaging, kid-friendly look at Leonardo Fibonacci and his eponymous numerical sequence. In Pisa, Italy, in 1178, a young Leonardo daydreams about "the glory of numbers." But his mathematical musings lead to trouble. O'Brien's illustrations are textured with swirls and spirals--a whimsical homage to the man who discovered, as he believed, "the numbers Mother Nature uses to order the universe."

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. Twenty entertaining rhymes (preceded by brief introductions) provide glimpses into the history of many of the world's most popular sports, from swimming and soccer to skateboarding and surfing. Humorous textured watercolor and ink illustrations help convey the interesting, oddball origins of some of our favorite games (e.g., modern tenpin bowling began with a German religious ceremony absolving sins). Timeline.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by John O'Brien. "Everyone agrees that sleep is necessary--as necessary as food and water." This accessible introduction to sleep science discusses past and present theories on how and why the body sleeps, circadian rhythms, brain waves, dreaming, and other slumber-related topics. Crosshatched black-and-white cartoons whimsically illustrate some of the concepts described. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. This quick peek at underwear throughout history is amusing and informative. The focus is on European and American undies, with only brief mention made of the undergarments worn by ancient peoples in other parts of the world. Cartoonlike illustrations extend the humor with playful exaggeration. (A queue at the dry cleaners shows a loincloth-clad sumo wrestler with a business suit in hand.) Reading list, timeline, websites.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. While playing his sax and belting out jazzy lyrics, Cool Bopper jets his choppers (a.k.a. dentures) into a lady's beehive hairdo. He then stops performing until he's reunited with his teeth. The rhythmic text is entertaining to read aloud, but the humor is geared more toward adults than kids. Watercolor and ink illustrations show elongated figures arching and stretching to the beat.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by John O'Brien. The book chronicles American history, from colonial times to the present, as it relates to the Liberty Bell. This hook works best when discussing Philadelphia's history or the bell itself; in other places, the text is repetitive and tends to meander, and some of the descriptions and explanations are condescending. O'Brien's cartoon line art is nicely textured. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. In this adaptation of "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," a man swallows instrument after instrument until a tiny bell proves his undoing. The text occasionally strains to find suitable rhymes for the featured instruments, and some kids may be put off by the empty-eyed, almost sinister-looking musicians, but the milieu is fresh and the premise is amusing.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) 4-6 Who Was...? series. Illustrated by John O'Brien. Once past the unflattering cover caricatures, these informative biographies provide useful details on each subject's life, family, and career. The lack of divisions within chapters makes the books a little less accessible, although black-and-white drawings and occasional spreads on related topics help break up the text. Timeline. Bib. Review covers these Who Was...? titles: Who Was John F. Kennedy?, Who Was Louis Armstrong?, and Who Was Ronald Reagan?.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. Each double-page spread covers an event in a typical day on the stand, reminding readers that lifeguards are more than Dudley Do-Right look-alikes with zinc oxide on their noses. A brief narrative arc connects each event, while the illustrations show busy lifeguards performing their duties and sunworshipers and bathers enjoying the ocean.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2004

(4) 4-6 Who Was...? series. Illustrated by John O'Brien. Jefferson offers an adequate introduction but occasionally gets bogged down in detail (however, his sexual relationship with Sally Hemings is included as fact). Keller reads more smoothly. Black-and-white drawings and boxed sections on topics such as the Boston Tea Party and Braille expand the biographical information, but the overall presentation is lackluster. Timeline. Bib. [Review covers these Who Was...? titles: Who Was Thomas Jefferson? and Who Was Helen Keller?.]

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien & John O'Brien. The history of candy, from the Romans' stuffed dates to Hershey bars, and the use of some of its ingredients such as cane sugar, honey, maple syrup, and chocolate are detailed in Swain's clear writing. O'Brien's tongue-in-cheek illustrations, such as a Roman gladiator not fighting to the death but sampling some dulcia skewered to his opponent's trident, are as satisfying as Snickers. Reading list, recipes, timeline.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by John O'Brien. The fast-paced biographies in this series do a good job of revealing the personalities and significant achievements of their subjects. Plentiful black-and-white illustrations and simple prose make the books particularly appealing to reluctant readers, and the brief sidebars never overwhelm the main texts. Each volume has two timelines--one for the subject's life, the other listing concurrent world events. [Review covers these titles: Who Was Albert Einstein?, Who Was Ben Franklin?, Who Was Sacagawea?, Who Was Annie Oakley?.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 Who Was...? series. Illustrated by John O'Brien. These short, illustrated books capture the lives of famous individuals with accessible prose. Each book spends considerable time explaining the childhood experiences of its subject and manages to give readers a sense of the individual's personality and motives. All but Tallchief and Houdini have bibliographies. Timeline. [Review covers these Who Was...? titles: Who Is Maria Tallchief?, Who Was Amelia Earhart?, Who Was Harriet Tubman?, Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?, and Who Was Harry Houdini?.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by John O'Brien. Occasionally whimsical drawings enliven tidy accounts of seventeen American symbols embodied in word ("The Star-Spangled Banner," the Pledge of Allegiance), image (the flag, the bald eagle), and building or monument (the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore). The writing is engaging but, although the author attempts to separate legend from history, she does not indicate her sources. Ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton