(3) K-3 Translated by Kathryn Bishop. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Tiny elf-like Oli finds a large blue stone. The forest creatures tease him for keeping it, but Oli says: "I'm sure I will find a use for it one day." And in fact, he eventually meets a distraught child whose doll is missing an eye. The dreamy illustrations, in which perspective is skewed and emotions are stronger than reality, suit the text’s sense of longing.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Translated by Kathryn Bishop. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Farm child Lena describes waiting for hen Alma to produce a chick. Lena (presumably like the reader) has much to learn: Mom explains that a hen must sit on her egg for twenty-one days before it hatches, etc. Accompanying the well-articulated facts are marvelously truth-telling illustrations, as when four panels show Alma preparing to release an egg from her body.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Translated by Kathryn Bishop. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Even though marmot Bruno knows it's time to hibernate, he doesn't want to sleep. His animal friends suggest Bruno spend the winter (awake) with them, but he reluctantly hunkers down. Then, as Bruno hibernates, his winter dreams have him flying alongside swallows, climbing mountains with goats, etc.: "Anything is possible in dreams." Full-spread, earth-toned paintings create an attractive rural landscape for the heavy-handed story.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Bear Martin's parents keep telling him that he's either too big or too small to do various things. When Martin turns the tables (e.g., to his frosting-licking mother he says, "Aren't you too big to do that?"), readers will be in his corner. In this amiable third book about these bears (following Here She Is!), Tharlet's loving portraits accommodate the relatable low-level family friction.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Translated by Kate Westerlund. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. In this rather rote look at coping with a new sibling, Little Bear is disappointed with his routine-busting, parent-hogging infant sister. Little Bear's parents behave with improbable insensitivity--e.g., wouldn't they tip him off that he might awake to find his grandmother staying with him while they're at the hospital?--but Tharlet's illustrations imbue the all-bear cast with heart-tugging humanness.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Translated by Rosemary Lanning. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. A reissue of Will You Mind the Baby, Davy? is unchanged except for the title. Rabbit Davy is not excited about having a new sibling, but he warms up to the baby when he has great success comforting her. The loose, expressive illustrations successfully express Davy's appropriately childlike emotions.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Translated by Rosemary Lanning. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. When young rabbit Davy wishes for someone who's always there to spend time with him, his grandparents surprise him on his birthday. They bring with them all the stories, games, love, and patience that only grandparents can offer a child. Soft watercolor and charcoal illustrations convey the warmth in the rabbit household.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Graphic Universe: Mr. Badger and Mrs. Fox series. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Sick of the long, cold winter, everyone in the Fox/Badger household is getting cross and cranky. When the Fox grandparents arrive, they suggest a carnival to banish winter. Now both children and adults are energized as they make costumes and plan the festivities. The story's pace is slow, but the animal characters that populate this picture book in graphic-novel form are appealing.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Translated by Kathryn Bishop. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Mouse Jenny hears terrifying stories about Lorenzo the cat, so she decides to find him and see if he's so bad. When she finally meets him, she's "so excited she [can't] help herself" and laughs. This makes Lorenzo laugh, and a friendship blossoms. Although the narrative is in prose, all the animal characters speak in the same indistinct rhyming voice. Tharlet's illustrations are joyful.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Translated by Rosemary Lanning. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. When Davy and his rabbit siblings can't find the Easter Bunny in the woods, Davy surprises his disappointed siblings with gifts of his own. The illustrations' muted tones suit this simple Swiss import about generosity. Although Davy's fans probably won't mind, the plot leaves an important question unanswered--who left Davy's Easter gift? Younger readers may be confused by the abrupt ending.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 Translated by Andrew Rushton. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Davy and his rabbit siblings prepare for Mother's Day by practicing the behaviors detailed in their parents' book, The Well-Raised Bunny. The resulting lunch party delights Davy's mom and convinces the bunnies that good behavior is "not as difficult as it seems." The cheery watercolor illustrations and gentle humor help make the lesson go down easy.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Young rabbit Davy wishes for someone who's always there to spend time with him. His grandparents surprise him on his birthday, bringing stories, games, and love. Soft watercolor and charcoal illustrations convey the warmth in the rabbit household. This smaller-format "Tuff Books" edition features rounded corners and sturdy, glossy pages.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Three previously published books--Hugs and Kisses; Don't Worry, Wags; and Wiggles--are here compiled. Each showcases the adventures of a different puppy: Hugs searches for affection, Wags is accidentally separated from her family, and Wiggles gets into mischief on the farm. Soft, appealing watercolors capture the antics of each puppy, along with those of its animal companions.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. After Davy's grandfather's threadbare soccer ball loses all of its stuffing, the gang decides to take on the Big Bad Badgers in hopes of winning the prize: "a brand new ball just like the pros use." There's not much tension in this good-natured story of hard work and perseverance. Expressive illustrations show likable Davy rallying his pals to victory.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Fawn Clara hears distant bells and tromps through the forest to investigate. Other woodland animals join her, and they eventually pool their scant food to have a Christmas party, complete with tree decorated by donkey Osgood (source of the bells). This long-winded story about sharing offers some gentle suspense but has problems with logic. Soft illustrations suit the snowy forest scene.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Waking early, Wiggles the puppy wonders what the farmer's wife is doing and, while investigating, spills fresh milk, breaks some eggs, gets chased by honeybees, and then falls into the pond. Although the story is fairly pointless, the soft illustrations give it a cozy feeling.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Davy the rabbit, a middle child, feels unloved and frustrated. Realizing it's difficult to be "too big for some things, too little for others," his family throws an impromptu party to celebrate his contribution to their lives. The message about appreciating each family member is worthy although overstated. Expressive illustrations portray the ups and downs of family life.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Translated by Charise Myngheer. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Some animals overcome their reservations about caring for two abandoned frogs when Mama Mouse pronounces, "It's simple. A child is a child." The message is spot-on, but readers may fixate on the abandonment aspect ("The two little frogs waited and waited, but Mama and Daddy Frog never came home") rather than the rescue. The textured, up-close-and-personal images are occasionally heartbreaking.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Translated by J. Alison James. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Wags, a puppy who worries about everything, is especially terrified when she gets separated from her family at the farmer's market. Friendly animals try to help, but Wags is sure she'll never see her family again. Readers will enjoy the amusing twist that reunites the puppy with her parents. Her fears and joy are heightened in the soft, appealing watercolors.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Translated by J. Alison James. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Determined to find something out, Hugs the puppy asks various animals to give him a kiss. He discovers that a duck's kiss is hard but refreshing, a pig's is muddy but tender, and a butterfly's is tickly but wonderful. When he gets home, however, he realizes his mother's kiss is the best of all. Soft, blurred watercolors give Hugs added personality in this somewhat sentimental but sweet story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley