(3) K-3 Illustrated by Grégoire Mabire. A small wolf falls out of a book on Zoe's shelf and evades her pet cat by climbing into books with inhospitable scenes. The wolf re-enters his original book on the wrong page; a dinosaur book is too dangerous; finally, a certain scene with "a little girl dressed in red" is a natural fit. Varied illustrative styles cleverly delineate the different books in this amusing meta outing.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) PS Illustrated by Philippe Goossens. In his fourth story, bad-sport and quitter Sam learns a lesson: "'How can you win if you don't even play?' [Grandma] says. I never thought of that." As in the other books about dog Sam, it's a too-easy epiphany, and this time Sam is less sympathetic. But as usual, Goossens's smoky oils painting introduce some subtlety to the proceedings.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Philippe Goossens. In this third tale starring sensitive dog Sam, his mom makes him befriend Ellie, a girl (cat). After Ellie confides that her parents might get a divorce, Sam realizes that girls can be as tough as boys. As in the previous Sam books, the lesson is learned too easily, but the front-and-center emotions are enhanced by appealing oils in cloudy, mood-tailored hues.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Philippe Goossens. After Sarah secretly breaks her mother's necklace, one and then more ghosts (representing her conscience) pop out of her mouth and haunt her every time she evades the truth. The book suffers from a too-tidy resolution and lackluster first-person narration, but the shadowy art, in rich, blocky oils that make use of unusual angles, is harmonious with the book's themes.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Philippe Goossens. After dog Sam impresses his new classmates with a lie, he finds the habit addictive. As in Sam Is Never Scared, Robberecht addresses head-on children's need for peer acceptance; disappointingly, though, Sam only comes clean because he's afraid of being caught. Each left-hand page of text is color-coordinated with the facing page's artfully heavy-lined oils.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Philippe Goossens. Dog Sam convinces his animal friends that he's fearless. When his buddy Max witnesses him being spooked by a spider, Sam fears that Max will tell their pals. Sam's confessional narration will draw readers in, and the cloudy-looking oils convey the story's emotions, but its too-simple resolution--Sam's dad reassures him that "Everyone is scared of something"--is a letdown.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Illustrated by Philippe Goossens. A small boy with spiky red hair (like the spine of a dragon) narrates the progression of a destructive tantrum, with its overwhelming anger and frightening loss of control. Illustrated in a dark palette with thick brush strokes representing the boy's anger, the book is simple, nonjudgmental, authentic, and empowering for those who struggle with serious tantrums.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2005

(3) PS Illustrated by Philippe Goossens. When Sophie asks Willard to play, he laughs at her, and she literally loses her smile. Her aunt Grumbler claims, "I bet Willard laughed because he likes you." Armed with this assertion, Sophie confronts Willard and gets her smile back. Textured paintings in glowing colors grab the reader's attention; the huge smile on Sophie's round face provides a dramatic finale for this story.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert