(4) K-3 Illustrated by Benjamin Hummel. In 1891, during Benjamin Harrison's presidency, the President's House (later renamed the White House) was wired for electricity by Thomas Edison's nineteen-year-old apprentice Ike Hoover, who ultimately stayed on the job for forty-two years. Rather than a biography, this is informative but pedestrian historical fiction, with invented dialogue and caricaturish sepia illustrations. End matter includes notes on the historical characters. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) K-3 Kokopelli is the musician who brings the Ant People, ancestors of the First People, up through many worlds and teaches them the skills that they will need to live on the Earth in harmony. In her author's notes, Haley writes about the various manifestations of Kokopelli, but she does not cite specific sources. Haley's radiant acrylic paintings are full of action and movement.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Julio, an Anglo boy raised by a Mexican family, joins a sheep drive along the Santa Fe Trail in hopes of finding his natural grandfather in Independence, Missouri. Set in 1845 and featuring some historic characters and locations--such as William Bent of Bent's Fort--the novel is somewhat overplotted, but the writing is generally smooth. A concluding author's note helps separate fact from fiction.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta