(3) 1-3 Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. As they did in The Farewell Symphony, this team explains the genesis of a well-known classical piece. Celenza's text imagines some conversations but remains true to the known facts, and Kitchel's watercolor illustrations use borders and heavy outlines in a colorful, somewhat cartoony style. A CD is included, and an author's note provides additional information.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Annie Patterson & Annie Patterson. Along the Arctic coast of Alaska, an Inupiaq boy celebrates a successful whale hunt with his family and friends. Every time adults refer to "the spirit-of-the-whale," the boy seeks to understand what they mean, creating a trite unifying motif that runs throughout the story. Watercolor illustrations in shades of blue and purple paint a cozy, yet wintry, atmosphere. Glos.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ann Barrow. The plot here is simple: a young girl at length achieves her ardent desire to swim with a blue whale. This feat occurs while she's on a scientific expedition with her mother. Embedded in the story is a considerable amount of whale lore, but the child's longing and satisfaction are expressed lyrically. Art--mostly watercolor and predominately blue--appropriately illustrate this experience based on a true story.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Colin Bootman. In 1957, a bright African-American girl starts attending an "advanced school" to get a better education. In the somewhat didactic story, Dana learns how to fit in at her new school and still keep her old friends; she also figures out when to use Standard English and when to use "Black English." While the illustrations are occasionally awkward, they capture the story's many moods.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) K-3 Set in 1616, this book tells the story of a boy and his father who become involved with a thief on their voyage from England to Jamestown, Virginia. A morally black-and- white tale, the story has a smug tone, although the illustrations successfully convey the historical background. An endnote on Jamestown and some of its early settlers is included.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Neil Waldman. Zayde, who owns many Yiddish-language books, won't teach his grandson, Aaron, Yiddish: in America, "Jews should speak English just like everyone else." Years later Aaron is inspired to ask again, and Zayde complies. The prose in this back-to-front printed book is occasionally clichéd, but Zayde's Yiddish-speckled ruminations ring true. The sepia-toned images are sentimental but accomplished. Glos.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Lantern craftsman Old Chen worries that there will be no one to replace him--then along comes a boy called Little Mouse. Set in modern China, the story captures an evolving friendship and teacher-disciple relationship. The illustrations' cartoonlike characters detract from the text's gentle subtlety, but the bright colors and bold outlines are suitably reminiscent of the lantern designs.

Reviewer:

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Fabricio VandenBroeck. Since he immigrated to Los Angeles from Mexico, Carlos's uncle is grumpy during the day because he feels insecure with "el Blah-Blah" or English. But at night, when he tells traditional Mexican stories in Spanish, he is a lot of fun. Carlos and his uncle agree to trade English lessons for Mexican stories. Atmospheric illustrations done in colored pencil and acrylics capture the mood of the story that includes some Spanish words and phrases.

Reviewer: Elena Abos Alvarez-Buiza

(2) K-3 Perry, a black Labrador retriever guide dog, looks out for Sarah, a blind musician, as she shops, rides the subway, visits a school class, and practices songs at the piano. The spare text and minimal detail in Lang's framed gouache paintings nicely convey the personal/professional relationship between dog and owner. Lang's paintings will work well for story hours, and the special dog will have wide audience appeal.

Reviewer: Margaret A. Bush | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2001

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. Haydn's "Farewell" symphony, composed as a protest to his employer, directs the orchestra members to stop playing one by one and leave the stage. Celenza, a musician, convincingly represents what the main characters' emotions and musical motivations might have been. Large watercolors reminiscent of Tomie dePaola's flesh out the story. (The accompanying CD includes the "Farewell" as well as the "Hornsignal" symphonies.)

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray. In vague free verse, Johnston describes how generations of barn owls have hunted, slept, and raised their young in and around the old barn in a wheat field for "one hundred years at least." The text and watercolor illustrations, which show the owl with an exaggerated wingspan, offer a poetic rather than scientific look at barn owls, but may inspire readers to seek additional information elsewhere.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Biedrzycki. Danny describes the day he took the dory out alone and encountered members of a marine food chain--plankton, shrimp, sand eels, mackerels, bluefish, tuna, killer whales, and a humpback whale--and almost became part of it himself. The end reveals he's actually playing with his toys in the bathtub. The smooth acrylic illustrations capture the action better than the flat text.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(2) PS A young girl is disappointed with her family's Chinese vegetable garden because the other gardens in the neighborhood are like "rainbows of flowers." Her mother reassures her that the ugly vegetables are better than flowers; sure enough, the aromatic vegetable soup her mother makes brings the whole neighborhood to their door for a taste. The simply told text is well matched with the lively, color-saturated paintings.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1999

(4) K-3 A young girl resents her new baby brother's arrival, but by story's end she realizes he's not as bad as she believes. Normal new sibling adjustment issues form the action in the unoriginal and well-worn plot. Exaggerated color pencil and watercolor illustrations picture busy household scenes focused on baby brother.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 A young girl starts noticing how people are different from her (they speak in sign language or other languages, read Braille, use a wheelchair, are grown up, are male), but she also sees how, in some way, they're just like her. Objects and backgrounds in the illustrations remain in black and white while the people are in color, complementing the text's focus on individuality. Despite the book's didactic intent, the young narrator's voice is believable and appealing.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stefan Czernecki. Competition across the street causes Mr. Belinsky to start selling pastries, cakes, and cookies instead of his beloved bagels. Despite success, Belinsky returns to bagel-making out of loyalty to his less numerous but more cherished bagel customers. Brightly colored folk-art-like illustrations enliven this somewhat stale story, which is followed by a brief history of the bagel.

Reviewer: Jennifer Polshek