(3) 4-6 Photographs by Marc Tauss. This collection of twenty-five poems and excerpts of verse from sources both classic and contemporary pays tribute to autumn, from its start in September to the first frosts of winter. Tauss's photos--in sepia tones, black and white, and full color--are by turns dynamic and contemplative, and evocatively inform the poetry. The whole is an uncommon reflection on an oft-visited theme.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Ellen Mueller. This energetic, rhythmic text names movements in different parts of the body: "I've got tapping in my feet, in my feet.... I've got bouncing in my knees, in my knees." Illustrated with bright and childlike, though repetitive, artwork, this book will have kids itching to dance along.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. Newly illustrated with finely rendered artwork, this edition describes the roots of today's Thanksgiving celebration: the harvest festivals of various cultures, the Pilgrims' first thanksgiving feast in the New World, and President Lincoln's declaration of the national holiday. Clear and concise, the text offers a cornucopia of engaging details. A seasonal song and recipe are appended.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Patience Brewster. With his greedy brother, Josh, Tarron fishes the sea and dreams of sailing for adventure on his own someday. When they haul in a merbaby with their catch, Josh wants to put her in a glass cage and charge admission to see her, but Tarron decides he must return her to her ocean home. Though the telling occasionally becomes overly sentimental, the watercolor paintings express an enchantingly romantic air.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jim Sollers. Young Orville Moose is worried because the antlers he's been growing since spring are loose. He becomes despondent when his antlers finally fall off--until an older moose explains it happens every year. The text's lively Seussian rhythms and the cartoony illustrations' spare charm make up for the slight plot. Additional antler facts are appended.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) 4-6 Gateway Biography series. Illustrated with archival photos and drawings, this serviceable, somewhat dull biography recounts the life of "America's first black man of science." Banneker's family history, childhood, and schooling, both formal and self-taught, are discussed, as well as his late-in-life accomplishments of helping to survey the site for the new federal capital and becoming the first African-American man to be published. A time line is included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 When the traveling circus comes to town, a new girl joins the class for the week. Circus Girl, as she's known, brings a shy boy out of his shell and helps the narrator appreciate this classmate he'd previously ignored. The multiple panels of illustrations capture a surprising amount of the action, and the childlike perspective and first-person narrative lend the book familiarity and warmth.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John T. Ward. This book offers a smattering of facts about how various animals use their tongues for eating, cleaning, and smelling. Juxtaposing each animal's paragraph is a boxed statement or question that helps kids relate the behavior to their own tongues' abilities and limitations. Though the illustrations are often busy and sometimes stiff, the whole is an engaging, informative package.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Train enthusiasts will delight in the clickety-clack rhythm of Booth's poem and the yesteryear, nostalgic appeal of Ibatoulline's detailed, finely wrought gouache illustrations--both of which celebrate the excitement of a freight train's crossing. Though the poem at times feels stalled by lists of the types of boxcars whizzing past, those in the know will probably savor the familiar names of a bygone era.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Illustrated by James Ransome. Jim and Andy spend October helping their dad run Fred's Fall Color Tours. The boys find the Leaf Peepers' fascination with all things autumn silly, but then one night they begin to see their beautiful surroundings through the Peepers' eyes. Bunting is a deft storyteller, making the boys' turnaround touching and believable, and Ransome's silky acrylic paintings capture the season in all its vibrant glory.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) PS Altoona and her friends head north to visit her aunt in "north Saskatoon-a." But after too much fun in the snow, Auntie decides to surreptitiously guide the trip south, and before they know it, they're back in sunny Laguna Beach. Although the verse is sometimes forced, Auntie's sly surprise will tickle funny bones, as will the vibrant cartoon illustrations rendered in "digital pen-and-ink and watercolor."

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) PS Poor Charlie is trying to get his irrepressible sister, Lola, off to bed, but for each of Charlie's requests, Lola has an imaginative stalling tactic (three tigers need their bedtime drink, a lion is using her toothbrush, or a whale's in the tub). The childlike tone and humor and the endearing mixed-media illustrations, which seem to vibrate with Lola's energy, will make this book a bedtime favorite.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Ellen Beier. When the stray cat that Carol and Ray have taken in leads Carol to a spot outside the house and starts digging, he reveals a broken gas pipe, thus saving their lives. The effort of explaining an abstract household danger in simple language results in an awkward telling, but readers will nonetheless enjoy the appealing watercolors and the true-story aspect of the tale.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Heather Collins. Collected here are a plethora of indoor and outdoor activities--games, crafts, nature projects, sports, and recipes--to do during the long winter months. Projects run the gamut from simple (building a snow fort) to challenging (making your own snowshoes), and informative sidebars offer scientific background on many activities. The two-color illustrations both clearly depict project directions and decorate the pages. Ind.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Based on her husband Lonnie's real-life journey kayaking, sledding, and skiing around Greenland, Dupre's frank, unsentimental text describes the island's terrain and wildlife, the Inuit people he met, and a remarkable encounter with a raven that rekindled Lonnie's drive to finish his expedition. The style of the linoleum block prints, done with watercolor, suits the tenor of the tale.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli