(3) K-3 Illustrated by Traci Van Wagoner. Schoettler traces the artistic journey of Japanese American sculptor Ruth Asawa, from her childhood years (partially spent in an internment camp) to her eventual public commissions for fountains around San Francisco. Like Asawa's giant looped-wire sculptures, Van Wagoner's illustrations skillfully play with light and shadow. Combined, text and illustrations suggestively capture the uniqueness of Asawa's art while deftly exploring the ways her experiences influenced it. Author's note appended.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Translated by Maru Cortes. Illustrated by KE Lewis. Young Arturo helps Abue Rosa prepare a traditional meal for Tía Inés's new fiancé. When his grandmother falls asleep, Arturo draws on memories of the matriarch's cooking to finish the meal himself. Warm, homey illustrations enliven this bilingual story and encourage vocabulary development in both Spanish and English. Recipes for some of the story's traditional dishes are included at the end.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(4) 4-6 This biography introduces young readers to Lotta Crabtree (1847–1924), who began entertaining gold rush miners at age eight. Her long career as a singer, actress, and comedienne (purportedly the first American female to do comedy) is ably documented, but the tight text and sidebars in a horizontal page design and some too-small black-and-white photographs may discourage readers. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Bringing to light little-known WWII history, the Hunkpapa Lakota author presents a broad background but centers on the experiences of seven Sioux cavalrymen on the Pacific Front. The subjects communicated valuable information by radio in their native language in order to thwart Japanese decoders. The volume is dense with tiny type, but numerous black-and-white photographs break up the well-researched narrative. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Brock Nicol. In this historical story, based on a real experience, an African American boy becomes determined to "make change happen" in pre–civil rights Knoxville, Tennessee. He's encouraged when a white man joins their black church's pray-in protest outside a segregated department store. Both the prose and the realistic paintings are somewhat stiff, but the story clearly conveys its powerful message. Author's note included.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Maintenance vehicle Charlie is smaller and less popular than the other streetcars. He feels unimportant until he's called upon to save the day, which helps him realize his own worth. A color palette dominated by olive greens becomes wearing, and the cartoony illustrations are generic. However, the message is worthy, and an afterword detailing the history of New Orleans's streetcars provides some fascinating context.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Herb Leonhard. Danny Bénédite and the Rescue Committee hide young Aube Breton and her artist parents--along with other famous artists and writers--in a villa in Nazi-occupied France. The heroic true story is told simply and honestly, with an emphasis on the importance of justice and creativity. Crosshatched art depicts the group's joyful camaraderie despite perilous circumstances. Historical afterword with photos included. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Katherine Zecca. The state flora and fauna of Mississippi are highlighted in this adaptation of the counting song "Over in the Meadow." The new verses occasionally strain to fit the song's original meter. Expressive illustrations emphasize the beauty of the iconic plants and wildlife, including the magnolia tree, red fox, mockingbird, swallowtail, and white-tailed deer. More information on the featured species and musical arrangement appended.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Allin. Anansi travels to different villages for delicious-smelling food. He won't help with preparations, leaving "one end of a web string" in each place and asking to be pulled back when the meal is ready. He's surprised when they tug simultaneously. The spirited telling works, but it's not well served by amateurish cartoony illustrations. An author's note and two (modern) recipes are appended but no sources.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Emile Henriquez. Readers follow real-life vendor "Mr. Okra" (a.k.a. Arthur Robinson) as he sells colorful fruits and veggies from his red truck. Information about New Orleans landmarks, including the Louisiana Children's Museum (with doors the color of blueberries) and Jackson Square's fan palms (as lush as broccoli) is imparted along the way. Light-filled illustrations reflect the city's vibrancy, but human figures are stiff and some have disproportionately large heads and hands.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Dupré Buckner. In mostly dull free-verse vignettes, Garland gives voice to sixteen participants in the settlement of the American West, both real figures (Sacagawea, Jedediah Smith, George Catlin, Annie Oakley) and unnamed contributors such as a Pony Express rider, an Oregon Trail pioneer girl, and a Buffalo Soldier. Stiff, realistic illustrations set each scene. A dense historical note is appended. Reading list. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Martin Davey. Every thousand years, dinosaurs gather for their version of the Olympics. From allosaurs to troodons, the athletes compete in species-appropriate contests of weight-lifting, gymnastics, volleyball, and more, finally facing off in a carnivores-versus-herbivores dodgeball game. Singsongy rhyming stanzas celebrate skill, effort, and good sportsmanship, while the illustrations (whose textures recall classic dino encyclopedias) humorously blend prehistoric and modern images. Glos.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stephanie Ford. A woman wants to take a walk with her new guide dog, Nadine, but Nadine wants to play games. However, on the walk, when a severe snowstorm comes up, Nadine is all work. Although the large-format illustrations are awkward and static, sense words in the lilting first-person text convey the blind woman's experience, while flashbacks to training give information about the dog/human partnership.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Harrington. After young Willie's application for membership is rejected by the Texas Rangers ("You are too smiley and your belly is too big"), he proves his mettle at Amarillo's Fourth of July parade by thwarting two ice cream–stealing varmints. The narrative's Texas flavor compensates for the story's formulaic aspect, and the illustrations get across the humor with tastefulness and twang. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Abigail Larson. The father-and-sons team melds humor and horror in these grisly rewrites of familiar nursery rhymes ("Zombie rotten, quite forgotten, / How does your graveyard fare?"). The angular Sandman-esque digital illustrations effectively employ disturbing details and appropriately Halloweeny hues, while the text is clever and well metered, if not particularly involved. Elementary horror fans not ready for R. L. Stine will enjoy being in on the gruesome joke.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) K-3 Applying the traditional "Twelve Days of Christmas" theme, Pappy gives his recipient Texas-themed gifts, such as horny toads, prickly pears, longhorns grazin', 'dillos diggin', and boots a-scootin', as well as "a mockingbird in a pecan tree." Rustic-looking collages incorporating denim, bandanas, twine, etc., accompany the rather tiring text. "Fun Facts" about the Texas items and a musical score are appended.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jason Gillard. Asking the reader leading questions ("When doing math homework...do you count your horns?"), this second-person narrative follows a child (or possibly, wink, a dinosaur) through a day of school and play framed by the titular statement. Sidebars and an extensive bibliography offer information about different dinosaur species. Soft-edged illustrations blend reality and imagination and elevate the story with clever situational humor.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Traci Van Wagoner. A fisherman from the Venetian island of Burano ventures out on a stormy day, desperate to feed his starving community. He capsizes and is saved by a mermaid who also provides a delicately woven lace veil for his waiting bride, which Burano's women use as a guide to create new commerce. This sixteenth-century Italian tale is dramatically told with old-fashioned gouache paintings.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Roberta Baird. In a Halloween-themed takeoff on the classic tale, the Pumpkin Pie Man is pursued by witches, cats, Dracula, ghosts, werewolves, and skate-boarding trick-or-treaters before eventually being devoured by everyone at a Halloween party. Accompanied by jovial illustrations, the story is entertaining if spiced with too many adjectives and exclamation points. Includes a pie recipe and curriculum-related activities.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Cynthia Kremsner. A strand of lights off the tree, broken ornaments, sloppy kisses, shredded ribbons, and crumpled gift wrap are some of the gifts a puppy bestows upon its family in this cumulative tale set to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." The pup's destruction and mayhem, joyfully outlined in this mostly solid rendition of the carol, are depicted in amateurish illustrations.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden