(2) K-3 Illustrated by Qin Leng. It is Alice Babette's birthday, and her friend Gertrude is planning a surprise dinner. While disaster is being brewed (but poetry written), Alice takes herself for a day out. Adult fans of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas can nudge each other at the story's allusions; all can enjoy the airy illustrations of Paris in April and the affectionately funny portrait of a legendary friendship.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2016

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman. An off-stage narrator accompanies Gertrude Stein's talented friends throughout their day, leading to one of Stein's famous Saturday evening soirées. Swirling illustrations in gouache and ink capture the joie de vivre and energy of the Paris environs. Back matter presents biographical information about Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Max Jacob, Guillaume Apollinaire, and Pablo Picasso. Beautifully done, but with questionable child-appeal.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Calef Brown. In this look at the American-expat avant-garde writer, Winter mimics Stein's style--repetitious, rhythmic, sometimes nonsensical. The text touches on her life and famous friends ("It's Henri Matisse with a beard beneath his teeth"). The acrylic illustrations, spare in composition, are sumptuous in shading. It's a clever exercise, but young readers might lose patience with the book's abstractions.

Reviewer: Nell Beram