(4) K-3 A young blond boy draws a rocket that then blasts out of his window. Next, he draws a sports car and a ramp that he uses to zoom into a fantastic world (and back out in time for bed). This wordless adventure is typical and familiar yet appealing, though Lehrer's graphite drawings are at times too sketchlike to really savor the details.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) PS This fictionalized story about adventurous three-legged cat Trio, who likes to emulate the chickens he amicably shares a home with, is simply told in spare, large-print text surrounded by plenty of white space. Trio's energy and his disregard of being disabled are apparent in the story but especially in the homey, colorful block-print illustrations. Concludes with a note on the real Trio.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) K-3 "Begin at the ends of the foxes' tails to find the letters in Amor." This graphically intricate book (typeface is an illustrative element) uses animal bodies and shapes to introduce the word love in English and fifteen other languages. It's a fine (and timely) idea, but most spreads are so visually complicated that readers may feel not love but frustration.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 The dot in a URL confides its secret: "Every time you switch off [the computer], I sneak away to have tea"--black ink, actually--"with my friend the Duchess of Amalfi." Steadman uses his trademark splenetic style to show the dot splattering everything it encounters (the Duke of Bogshott, etc.). This story is high on concept but low on meaning.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Diana Wege. Bahamian girl Flossie wants to go fishing with a legendary man who usually guides only tourists. Her mother finally agrees, and she spends a day learning how to catch--and release--"the fastest and boniest fish in the water." This quietly nostalgic story (Howard knew the real "Bonefish Joe"), accompanied by serene, detailed paintings, captures the natural beauty and local flavor of Harbour Island.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Max Dalton. Not just for Luddites. A much-handed-down typewriter--formerly used to type pamphlets for MLK, a prize-winning poetry manuscript, etc.--is unearthed when young Pablo has to write a report and the family computer freezes. There's much humor and gentle fun-poking at today's techno-savvy kids ("A what-writer?"). Even skywriting pitches in to help tell the story in the inventive, retro-style art.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicola Bayley. When Ezekiel and his son Raphael, gentlemen tygers living in proper Victorian England, decide to go adventuring, they set out in a questionable boat. All goes well, until they encounter a storm and are shipwrecked. Their misadventures as they return to civilization are told in rhyming couplets well suited to reading aloud and accompanied by lush illustrations evoking the time period.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 In simple English and Italian prose, a little girl describes life in her Tuscan town and the long, rich history of her favorite food. Intensely colored expressionistic illustrations contrast modern and historic scenes. The generous back matter (seemingly adult-aimed) includes an author's note, historical information, pronunciation guide, and a recipe for Pizza Margherita (named for an Italian queen).

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) PS In the imaginative text, a child and his parents decide to add to their family of three by trying out various pets--turtle, octopus, dolphin, chameleon, porcupine--until problems arise ("The octopus made a mess of everything!"). Finally, a baby sibling arrives who is "just perfect." Warm but stagnant paintings, with a mix of realistic and fantastic elements, illustrate the family story.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(2) 4-6 McKendry (Beneath the Streets of Boston) documents the birth, decay, and revival of Times Square. There's no drama (the porn, prostitution, and street-crime decades are treated matter-of-factly), but visually the book is a spectacle worthy of its subject, featuring technical construction drawings, stirring double-page paintings of the neon-lighted nightlife, and drawings of street scenes from the past. A source list is appended.

Reviewer: Barbara Bader | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(4) 4-6 Adapted by M. D. Usher. Illustrated by T. Motley. Usher provides an adaptation of the comical tale written in Latin by Lucius Apuleius in second-century Rome. After the protagonist is magically transformed into a donkey, readers follow his escapades while he seeks redemption. Some of the in-jokes are lost if you aren't familiar with Latin or Roman comedy (the afterword provides good background information). Occasional black-and-white illustrations punctuate the story's humorous aspects.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(2) K-3 A lesser-known Ardizzone picture book returns in a handsome showcase for the artist's inimitable ink-and-wash illustrations and gift for dramatic storytelling. Here, an impoverished, struggling artist overcomes obstacles (including procuring enough red paint to finish his masterpiece), thanks to his enterprising and intrepid children. Parsimonious villains and anonymous benefactors abound in this celebration of persistence, familial devotion, friendship, and, of course, art.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: February, 1967

(2) YA Born around the time of the Civil War to German Jewish immigrants, the Cone sisters (never married) inherited money from their father's business. Younger Etta discovers a passion for art; she begins collecting and teaches Claribel what she has learned. The book is illustrated with reproductions and original pictures that are strong enough to work side-by-side with those of Picasso and Matisse. Bib.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Max Dalton. Once there was a time when the phone booth on the corner of West End Avenue and 100th Street in New York City was always busy. Then people begin putting "a shiny silver object" to their ears. Now they ignore the phone booth--until a storm knocks out cell service. Unfussy illustrations with a mid-twentieth-century flavor add some humor to this nostalgic story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Marinksy. Disgusted by her daughter's laziness and vanity, a sorceress gives her the face of a goat--unbeknownst to the young woman as she tries to woo Prince Rupert. It's a meaty, amusing plot, and the winking anachronistic jokes (e.g., the sorceress is shown reading a book called Child Rearing) add to the humor.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jared T. Williams. Catie, canine concierge at Boston's Copley Plaza Hotel, visits Quebec City with her doggie counterpart from the Château Frontenac. The story has minimal plot, but tourists or locals of either city may enjoy finding familiar landmarks in the illustrations (though the pictures don't always match the text).

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) YA Through copious photo documentation, Jacobs is shown as independent-minded and outspoken, with a vivid historical imagination and a poetic turn. The bulk of the book--Jacobs's authorship of her seminal work and role as scourge of so-called urban renewal--is handled clearly and efficiently. Each chapter opens with a full-page illustration by one of the co-authors, an apt, personalizing mix with the many photos. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Barbara Bader | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009

(4) K-3 Translated by Roland Freischlad. Illustrated by Fritz Koch-Gotha. In this book first published in Germany in 1924, two bunnies set off for school. After morning prayer, they spend the day learning how to decorate Easter eggs and avoid foxes. The rhyming text can be clunky in English ("Bunny Hans and Bunny Gretchen, / Paw in paw, they look so fetching"). The Peter Rabbit-esque illustrations have a cozy, old-fashioned look.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Margot Tomes. Polly, who lives with her aunts in an eighteenth-century English seacoast town, believes the Wise Men and angels will visit on Christmas Eve if only the doors are left open. Goudge writes with effortless wit and grace, weaving verses of the titular Christmas carol naturally into the text. Tomes's pen-and-ink illustrations capture the town's atmosphere and perfectly suit the story.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: December, 1969

(3) K-3 Inspired by children's blocks, Pelikan has designed a cube to represent each letter of the alphabet. Her diminutive drawings are all meticulously executed. While this alphabet book isn't for the youngest audience, a wide range of readers can enjoy scrutinizing the pages; they might, however, wish for a checklist of items pictured on the blocks.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert