(4) K-3 Commentary by Rick Warren. The Protestant version of the Lord's Prayer is illustrated with vibrantly colored, elaborate (and somewhat fussy) paintings featuring children of many races. The pictures include expected religious images such as rainbows, lions, lambs, and doves. Mega-church leader Rick Warren provides an introduction. This is a rather unimaginative but pleasant enough addition to religion collections.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson. On a zoo field trip, a chimp switches places with a boy and joins the class as they move on to other destinations around town. The active boy fits in with the chimps, while the chimpanzee remains incognito despite creating disruptions. Busy paintings make the most of the premise, but it all becomes too over-the-top when the chimp subdues a bank robber.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson. While Watson's precisely rendered, color-saturated paintings depict St. Nick as traditional in some ways (beard, belly), he zips in on a sleigh that's powered by reindeer but looks like a rocket ship/locomotive hybrid. A de-icer, a hot drink dispenser, and GPS help make his job easier. The multicultural cast of elves brim with personality, adding to the book's playful humor.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson. A strong man named Offero hopes to serve the mightiest lord of all. His search leads him from a king to the devil to Jesus Christ, resembling a small boy, whom Offero carries across a torrential river. Hodges does an admirable job retelling the thirteenth-century legend, and Watson's illustrations convey the magnitude of the story, although there's little visual or emotional connection from painting to painting.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson. After her grandfather's death, a girl and her family return to his cabin in the north woods, and she keeps an eye out for the treasures he always said were hidden in the woods, especially a spectacular waterfall. The tender prose poem is accompanied by richly detailed illustrations filled with an abundance of wildlife.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley