(2) 4-6 A button war ensues after sixth grader Grace acquires boxes of old buttons and Grace's classmates create a burgeoning button economy. In a scene that's a model of friendship dynamics and of how wars get started, things get ugly when Grace snares a particularly attractive button her bossy best friend wants. Clements knows the appeal of digging into details, and he's not afraid to engage characters in abstract thinking.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(3) PS Beginning with one coat button, a pirate and his young sidekick barter varying quantities of goods to spruce up an old ship. Intriguing and extremely detailed pen-and-ink drawings, with cleverly selective coloring, depict the duo garnering ample gear to outfit their vessel with new sails, a flag, an anchor, etc. This is a book that begs for close observation.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Chuck Groenink. Rufus decides to set up a "story stand" for the summer. As each customer stops by, Rufus writes and illustrates a story unique to that person, with entertaining results; as payment he asks for a shell from the beach, a kitten, and a surprise. This quiet story celebrates creativity and generosity. Mixed-media art in a rich palette includes Rufus's illustrated stories.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(4) K-3 Mouse Math series. Illustrated by Deborah Melmon. Mouse siblings Albert and Wanda play in the "People House playroom" and learn about sorting, attributes, and classification when it's time to put the toys away (Mess). Albert adds more and more toys to trade for Wanda's copy of the new Captain Slime book (Adds). The purposeful stories' soft, friendly illustrations welcome children to the early math lessons. "Fun activities" are appended. Review covers these Mouse Math titles: A Mousy Mess and Albert Adds Up!.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. A backwoods peddler barters for a wedding dress for his daughter. Although the sequence of trades seems unnecessarily random, and the ending is adult (implying a reluctance on the bridegroom's part not earlier evident), the author's language is lively and engaging, and the refrain ("And one fine trade it is!") should hold readers' interest. Warm, cheerful watercolors add appeal and humor.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Carol Baicker-McKee. In this story adapted from an English folktale, Granny Smith has a hankering for pie. She strolls the countryside making trades with neighbors until she's finally able to procure the apples she needs (a recipe is appended). The illustrations are bas-reliefs created from fabric, clay, wood, and other materials; some are effective, others awkward.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marije Tolman. When Sara gets bored with her chalk, she convinces Tim to trade for his marbles. She's still not satisfied and keeps trading, each time making a claim (e.g., "This is magic chalk") that comes true although she never finds out. This tribute to the imagination is beautifully supported by finely crafted ink and watercolor art.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Jenny Mattheson. After Anna's father gives her eight tulips for her birthday, she barters seven of them for farm animals, furniture, and a painting. Despite enticements of gold and jewels, Anna refuses to trade her last tulip as she values it more than anything else. This lighthearted treatment of the Dutch tulip craze in the 1600s features short sentences and sunny pictures.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David A. Johnson & David A. Johnson. In 1916, ten-year-old Carl, who lives on Sand Island in Lake Superior, dreams of his own boat. With the help of some jetsam boards and a lot of hard work, he achieves his dream. The close-knit nature of island life is relayed both by the gentle and lyrical free verse text and by the misty large-scale ink and watercolor illustrations, which exult in the physicality of the characters, especially the quintessentially boyish Carl.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 MathStart series. Illustrated by Kevin O'Malley. At the Dinosaur Card Trading Fair, Andy watches as his older brother Mike wheels and deals until he has the three Allosaurus cards he needs to make a trade for a Tyrannosaurus rex. Illustrations depict fair attendees sporting dinosaur hats and masks--à la Star Trek fans--and simple diagrams show the comparative value of the cards Mike trades. Follow-up activities are included.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(2) K-3 Crow trades a series of three "magic" items for lonely Pig's baked goods. Magic seeds grow into nonmagic pumpkins. A magic worm changes into a butterfly and, heartbreakingly for Pig, flies away. Finally, Crow brings a magic egg, which hatches into a companionable goose. While the illustrations may be overly precious, the original and engaging plot is built around natural wonders of genuine interest to young children.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2000

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Glo Coalson. Mikki Jo's only specialty is blackberry picking, so when she needs a present for her new baby cousin, she uses berries to barter for wool, spinning, then knitting for hand-made booties. To personalize her gift, she dyes the booties with blackberry juice. Even though Mikki Jo seems oddly unfamiliar with how wool becomes booties, her ingenuity is engaging. Coalson's watercolors are distinctive.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Amos Dyer, "a swapping fool," gets tricked by Sam Hankins into trading one of his wife's prized gourds for a filthy bear hide. Amos learns about some hidden gold and uses this information to conduct the mother of all swaps, with Amos getting the gold and Sam ending up with the bear hide again. Johnson's tale, though too easily resolved, is fast paced and imaginative, and his textured, pastel-colored illustrations add to the folksy mood.

Reviewer: Mark Adam