(4) 4-6 Eaglesmount Trilogy series. Illustrated by David Wyatt. This concluding volume in the trilogy brings Vair, the heroic pine marten, and his friends into conflict with the evil Lord Owl, only to discover an even greater danger waiting at Owlswater. There's little character depth but enough satisfying adventure to entertain readers not yet ready for Redwall. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations accompany the text.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler. This succinct biography discusses the life of Copernicus, the sixteenth-century scholar, cleric, and physician whose greatest interest was astronomy. Fradin clearly explains how Copernicus came to the then-heretical conclusion--later confirmed by Galileo and Isaac Newton--that the earth is a planet that orbits the sun. Von Buhler's oil paintings have a classic quality well suited to the text.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Meredith Johnson. Milo is sick of hearing his older sister talk about her teacher. When the beloved Mrs. Bell comes over for breakfast, Milo doesn't mean to feed his dog her flapjack breakfast--really!--but he comes up with a quick solution to the food problem. The humor is very broad and slapstick, especially in the illustrations, but it's well targeted to its primary grade new readers.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kenneth J. Spengler. A vacation at Hotel Jungle would be fun under any circumstances. But when new arrivals are met by a group of baboons who took over the hotel after managers and guests left on an impromptu cruise, it's a wild ride. Outlandish baboon activity ensues, somewhat heedless of logical plot development. Things are turned upside down at a rollicking pace in cartoon-bright jungle color.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Pascal Biet. When Leo, a raccoon, agrees to teach his friend Lester the hippo some basic lessons in manners, the ensuing disasters prove to be more instructive. Young readers will enjoy Biet's lighthearted, playful illustrations and the amiable friendship that transcends the book's too pointed message.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) PS Illustrated by Rob Hefferan. After Zack misplaces his stuffed dinosaur, two friends offer to lend him their favorite toys. Impressed by their bravery, Zack vows to go it alone. The ending--his dino was inside his pillowcase all along--is limp, but the warm, gauzy art captures the genuine-seeming emotions of the all-animal cast.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Each moderately clever, rhyming riddle asks readers to name a sea creature (among them lobster, sea star, clam, and dolphin) before turning the page to find the answer and a brilliant color photo of the animal. Unfortunately, while readers may expect to find each animal hidden in the underwater photo on the riddle page, the pictures are simply generic reef or open ocean photos.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jutta Bücker & Jutta Bücker. Wiley is a boy who is afraid of dogs and the dark. Jasper, a dog who lives next door with Grandpa, is afraid of kids and thunderstorms. Wiley and Jasper overcome their fears of each other and become friends when they both seek shelter from a storm in a dark barn. The predictable story gets a boost from playful illustrations that effectively show the pair's transition from fear to friendship.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) 4-6 A succinct, yet detail-filled overview traces Grand Central Station from its nineteenth-century origins through its expansion and reconstruction at the beginning of the twentieth century, as well as its subsequent decline and recent glorious restoration. The accompanying clear historical reproductions and color photos more than make up for the occasional cloying tone of the text. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 A dry, straightforward text explains how mountains are made and worn away and what effect they have on people, animals, and the environment. Clear photos are often accompanied by captions asking readers to identify examples of the geological elements described in the text. The informative book will be useful for report writers. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Beloved poets from the old (Robert Louis Stevenson) to the new (Douglas Florian, Nikki Grimes) contribute verses on daydreams and night dreams, accompanied by eye-catching, high-color photographs of nature and people--some photos are doctored to create whimsical effects. The verse is varied and rich, and the photos add color and texture.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Eaglesmount Trilogy series. Illustrated by David Wyatt. This solid animal story focuses on Vair, a young pine marten who must find his family, escape the evil fox Ragnar, and try to keep the silver horn away from Ragnar and the hypnotically evil Lord Owl. The conclusion of this volume leaves room for its forthcoming sequels. While predictable and lacking the distinction of Brian Jacques's Redwall series, this is an entertaining fantasy.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) K-3 Lonely Lenny posts a note in search of a friend, but he has trouble recognizing true friendship when it appears. Translated from the German, the warm text conveys a time of discovery with a gentle reminder not to let differences be a barrier. Whimsical illustrations portray the two dissimilar animal characters, but a foldout page at book's end is unnecessary and confusing.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Harry Burman. This text features short, simple sentences that are sometimes a bit choppy but are easy to read. Key's mission to secure a prisoner's release from a British ship in Baltimore harbor during the War of 1812 and his view of the victorious U.S. flag at Fort McHenry the next morning are illustrated with detailed, realistic paintings. The music is included at the back.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) PS Illustrated by Nicholas Wilton. "In spring the wind whips up a kite / Right outside my window. / Silver raindrops catch the light / Right outside my window." The rhymes about seasonal scenes witnessed outside the unseen narrator's window are somewhat trite, but the textured paintings on a concrete surface with visible brushstrokes create vital, almost iconic folk art scenes.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jason Gaillard. A little boy with a gift for making things grow takes in so many of his neighbors' sickly plants (Mr. Vine's ivy, Officer Peel's orange tree, Mrs. Thorn's cactus, etc.) that they take over his room. The solution seems rather obvious: return the now-healthy plants to their owners. It's an appealingly sweet-natured story, and the illustrations are effective in their profuse lushness.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lilith Jones. A robin flies around the forest finding babies and exclaiming how each looks nothing like its mother: the legless tadpole doesn't resemble a "hoppy frog"; the fuzzy yellow ducklings aren't smooth and white like a duck. Written in prose but rhyming like verse, the text has a lively flow and a satisfying conclusion. The impressionistic paintings balance realism and charm.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 After promising his father he'll stay clear of elephants who might inadvertently squash him, Nestor the monkey goes fishing all by himself. However, when he falls into the river, it's the elephant he's trying to avoid who pulls him out, and Nestor finds a friend where he didn't expect one. The simple and disarming tale is accompanied by spacious illustrations in subdued colors.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Illustrated by Nick Zarin-Ackerman. Counting down from ten to one, a boy tells about the rowdy monsters all over his house--jumping in the washing machine, sliding down the walls, gurgling under the bathroom sink or stomping in the trash. Told in sometimes forced rhyme, the story element is somewhat vague, but the energetic, scrawly cartoon illustrations and the overall silliness will appeal to monster fans.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) K-3 After someone steals his shell, Tuttle the turtle retreats inside a pumpkin. One by one, five of his animal friends join in to help him find the culprit--Louis, a cocky opossum who wants to wear the shell himself. Set in a woodsy fall landscape, the illustrations energetically depict the humorous antics of Louis, Tuttle, and his cohorts.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert