(4) 4-6 Little Catfish helps with a theatrical production about African American heroes (the "tallest tree" being Paul Robeson) to inspire his rundown neighborhood. The narrative is interspersed with first-person perspectives of Little Catfish and hooligan Lamar; photographs of Robeson are also set between chapters. Though it's preachy, the story's account of efforts to improve one corner of the world is stirring. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Benny. In a series of short rhyming poems, Xavier expresses concerns about his new stepbrother. Moving from resentment to hostility to acceptance and love, Xavier's feelings will resonate with many readers. The gouache paintings convey the range of the singsong verses' moods.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. A guitar-playing hound sings of the Montgomery bus boycott. With creativity, heart, and style, the Pinkneys capture the feel of the time, culminating in the landmark Supreme Court decision. Brian Pinkney's illustrations, in deep blue and rich gold, eloquently express emotions. He sweeps colored inks onto clay board along with freely applied black swirls, touched lightly with his familiar scratchboard technique. Reading list.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2009

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Rachel Isadora. Abena and her little brother, Kofi, take comfort in two folktales from their Ghanaian homeland as they face, with trepidation, their new life in America. Abena tells Kofi one tale involving Anansi and another about a turtle's perseverance. Vibrant illustrations shuttle between present reality and traditional scenes of Ghana and reinforce the siblings' closeness.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. A child spends the summer in the Sea Islands and learns to make the traditional seagrass baskets that symbolize the African-American culture of that region. Richly colored paintings evoke setting and interpret character in a diffuse but attractive vignette of the history and traditions of a unique people.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(1) PS Modern-day urban settings popping with color, with real live children acting out the parts, give these rhymes a new twist. The compositions are digitally collaged yet natural-looking. The featured children form a multiethnic group, which immediately moves the rhymes from their olde English roots into the present day. Truly a Mother Goose for children growing up in a new century.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2004