School Library Journal : Starred Review. PreS-Gr 2—When a friendly mouse knocks at his door, Bear sternly points to the "No Visitors Allowed" sign. Returning to his breakfast preparations, he opens the cupboard only to find the mouse tucked inside a bowl. "Perhaps we could have just a spot of tea," the ever-hopeful guest suggests, but he is again shown the door. Despite boarding the windows shut, stopping up the chimney, and plugging the bathtub drain, the persistent rodent keeps reappearing. Finally Bear admits defeat, "I am undone," and agrees to set out a snack. Much to his surprise, Bear enjoys the company and shares jokes and demonstrates a talent at headstands. The visit prompts him to reconsider his sign: "That's for salesmen. Not for friends." Denton's softly hued watercolor illustrations capture the humorous interplay between the unlikely companions. The fastidious, pot-bellied bear wears a tiny apron while the wee mouse with a big personality peeks out of such unlikely places as an egg carton. The lively repetition and superb pacing make this an ideal choice for storytime.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

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School Library Journal : Gr 1–4—This is a quirky story in which an old woman who lives alone at the edge of a dark, scary wood is protected by her pet frog. The creature easily handles any danger by swallowing each potential evildoer whole. The first villain to meet his fate is Greedy Goblin, followed by Smelly Troll, and finally Giant Hungry Ogre. As each bad guy nears Mrs. Collywobbles's house, he recites a rhyme themed around his distinct characteristics. "Nickerty-noo, nickerty-noo,/if I get a chance,/I'll steal from you," sings Greedy Goblin. The tale ends with a wicked twist. The narration and illustrations are joined tightly together. The text describes the scene in the pictures, pointing out specific things to notice. "Look! There is little Mrs. Collywobbles, hiding in her bathroom." The pen-and-ink and Macintosh artwork statically captures the "action" and creatively portrays each character. As he gobbles each villain, the frog sits passively with the feet, tail, and clothes of his victim hanging out of his mouth. Bright, flat colors contrast sharply against the white background. Stylized flowers and leaves give the pictures a 1960s look. The odd deadpan humor will not appeal to every child, but older readers and literature students will appreciate the irony of this almost fairy tale.—Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH

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School Library Journal : Gr 3–4—The star of this slim volume is not your common land snail, slipping along its slimy path in search of succulent salads. This is a fierce, speedy (for a snail) predator seeking smaller vegetarian snails and slugs to feed its voracious appetite. Campbell's terse, conversational text follows one such hunt on a damp spring day as a wolfsnail detects, tracks, and engulfs its prey, using its mustachio-style lip extensions as ultrasensory devices. Large, crisp photos record the activity, from the wolfsnail's morning awakening to start the hunt to the denouement of a return to rest. Two additional pages provide further fodder, including mating facts (and a small photo of these hermaphrodites caught in the act). Pair this title with Allan Fowler's more general A Snail's Pace (Children's Press, 1999; o.p.) for an interesting glimpse into a slow-motion world.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

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School Library Journal : K-Gr 2–Stinky the monster is content in the smelly swamp that he shares with his pet toad and other friendly animals until a boy from the nearby town wanders into the area. Stinky is afraid of kids because they are so different from him. They like to take baths and eat apples and candy while he loves mud and pickled onions. When he tries to scare the boy away, he discovers that the boy is also fond of toads and enjoys exploring the muckiest part of the swamp, and the two become friends. The charming cartoon artwork, full of humorous details, complements the text, and the muted color scheme makes Stinky endearing rather than scary. The simple vocabulary and repetition of words make the text accessible for emergent readers, who will love the graphic-novel format. The engaging plot shows young readers that it's possible to make friends with those who may seem very different from themselves.–Mari Pongkhamsing, St. Perpetua School, Lafayette, CA

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School Library Journal : K-Gr 3—A boy tells about a special day with his father, recounting their adventures from waking up in the morning until they arrive at Abuela and Abuelo's house in the evening. Most of the text is in English, with Papá speaking Spanish and the child restating his words in English or using his actions to convey his father's meaning. In addition, the endpapers have the Spanish words and their English translations arranged like graffiti on a blue background. The emotional heart of the story is brought to life in Gutierrez's luminous illustrations. Making pancakes, walking down a city street together, or splashing through puddles at the park may seem simple, but they are choreographed like a dance. Climbing a tree, looking at the sky, and drawing faces in the sand all take on mythic qualities. The playful surrealism of the artwork makes an ordinary day seem extraordinary. As the boy and his papá embrace, they are outlined with glowing colors, and their smiling faces mirror their love for one another. Their special bond will resonate with children and parents, wherever they live and whatever their language.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

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School Library Journal : PreS-Gr 3—This sequel to Buster (Holt, 2003) surpasses that book. When Brown Shoes takes a weekend trip, his dog is sent to Cowboy Camp at Sagebrush Kennels. Grieving over his separation from all that is familiar, Buster is surprised and thrilled to learn that cowboy camp is dog heaven. The pups are too busy to be sad or homesick; they create paw paintings, herd balls into pens, play "buckaroo ball," gather sticks for the campfire, and sing along as Red Boots strums his guitar. Fleming's cleverly themed camp/kennel will appeal to both dog lovers and buckaroos. The tale is filled with "Cowpoke Words" (with a glossary on the back cover) and amusing Western touches (dogs have bandannas tied around their necks upon arrival). From nights in the bunkhouse to meals at the chuck wagon, every page will make readers smile. The artist's signature pulp-painting illustrations are perfect: they're full of sun-baked colors and dry, sandy textures with personality on every dog's face. The story is ideal preparation for children anticipating a first sleepover away from home or a first summer camp venture.—Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Frazee (Roller Coaster) salutes grandparents and slyly notes children's diversions in this breezy tale of the best week ever. After Eamon enrolls in nature camp, he spends nights with his grandparents, Bill and Pam, at their beach cottage. Eamon's friend James joins the sleepover, and although the text describes James as very sad when his mother drives away, a cartoon shows him exuberantly waving Bye! Humorous contradictions arise between the hand-lettered account (Bill handed them each a pair of binoculars and a list of birds to look for. On the way home, the boys reported their findings) and voice-bubble exchanges between the boys (Eamon, training the lenses on James: His freckles are huge. James: Yeah, and his tongue is gross). Bill tries to interest the boys in a museum exhibit on penguins; the inseparable friends (To save time, Bill began calling them Jamon) show no enthusiasm yet energetically build penguins from mussel shells. Frazee's narrative resembles a tongue-in-cheek travel journal, with plenty of enticing pencil and gouache illustrations of the characters knocking about the shoreline. Like The Hello Goodbye Window, Frazee's story celebrates casual extended-family affection, with a knowing wink at the friends' dismissal of their elders' best-laid plans. Ages 6-9. (Mar.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. PreS-K—James and Eamon spend a week at Eamon's grandparents' beach house. The boys go to nature camp during the day and delight Bill and Pam (the grandparents) at night with their antics. Bill makes an earnest attempt to interest the young boys in his own hobby—studying Antarctica and penguins. He wears a penguin shirt and brings out maps and globes, but it appears that James and Eamon are not listening. Frazee brings out the typical energy of a couple of boys who may scoff at nature and seem to prefer watching TV, but it is through her artful illustrations that readers catch glimpses of just how savvy and creative these kids can be. The youngsters' circular cartoon faces are distinguishable only because of their small tufts of hair—one curly, the other straight. Endpapers depict a humorous variety of drawn photos that could have been taken during the week. A penguin craft is explained on the final end flap. This intergenerational story will elicit howls of laughter and requests for repeated readings.—Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. K-Gr 2—A top-notch easy reader. A boy finds a goose egg that hatches and the gosling imprints on him. Then he finds a duck egg that hatches and the duckling imprints on the goose. What follows is a delightfully sweet case of "monkey see, monkey do" as each bird imitates its "mother." The vocabulary, sentence structure, large print, and ample white space are right on target for children just beginning to read on their own. The large, full-color illustrations are funny and expressive, showing Goose and Duck in the role of active children. Particularly memorable is the picture of Goose at the table eating spaghetti and Goose and Duck "helping" to wash a police car. It's rare to find a beginning reader with a story and illustrations that are this engaging, humorous, and educational.—Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

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Publishers Weekly : High above the city, no one heard the soft thud of feathers against glass, begins Graham (Let's Get a Pup! Said Kate). And no one notices the wounded pigeon that falls to the sidewalk—until Will comes along. In this sparsely worded story, Will and his parents nurse the pigeon to health and then release him back into the sky. Graham breaks his watercolor-and-ink cartoons into full-bleed spreads and large and small comics-like panels, enabling him to dwell on each moment of tender loving care and to preach patience: the xs entered on a wall calendar and a series of drawings depicting the phases of the moon show readers that the pigeon's recovery takes a good month. The solemnity and earnestness with which the family goes about the task may exasperate some grown-ups; it's a pigeon, after all. But many readers will savor the way Will's parents unquestioningly rally around him, and appreciate the opportunity to imagine themselves as selfless healers. Ages 5–up. (Aug.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. K-Gr 2—Poignantly told and visually rich, this narrative flies high. When a pigeon breaks its wing, no one notices except Will. Sporting a bright red jacket, starkly contrasted against his drab surroundings, he and his parents take the injured creature into their home. Clean lines and effective panels showcase its steady recovery, readily receiving encouragement from the family along the way. Graham's succinct text masterfully reveals the bird's resilience. "A loose feather can't be put back/but a broken wing can sometimes heal." Pen, watercolor, and chalk illustrations add depth to this tender tale as the injured bird wistfully watches a flock of flyers outside Will's window. Exemplary use of color and perspective denote shifting moods, and thin lines enhance the vulnerability of this boy and his bird. Gently expressed and honestly delivered, this quiet, yet powerful story provides young readers with an affirming conclusion.—Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayatteville, NC

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. K-Gr 2—When Earl and Pearl start a pumpkin patch, they often need to shoo Chicken out of the way, but she is determined to help. In the end, when grasshoppers begin to "nibble, nibble" on the growing pumpkins, Chicken's refrain of "Cluck! Cluck! Cluck" saves the day. This easy reader has short sentences, a variety of verb tenses, and vowel and consonant blends and digraphs. Difficult words such as "garden," "chicken," and "pumpkin" are repeated several times. Emergent readers may chime in with their own "Shoo, Shoos" and "Cluck, Cluck." The funny, expressive pen-and-ink drawings support the reading with simple clarity, e.g., "Earl watered the seeds" is the caption for an illustration of the boy with a huge watering can, Chicken hovering nearby. This could be an opportune time to introduce a September lesson on grasshoppers while they're easily found or wait for October's pumpkins.—Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti Montessori Magnet School, Springfield, MA

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Publishers Weekly: A wide-eyed critter of indeterminate species, surrounded by an elaborate bedtime ensemble of stuffed animals, is cuddled up with his favorite book. But in the middle of a big yawn, he inadvertently and unknowingly kicks the book under his bed. Readers will easily spot it (the bright red volume juts out from one of the bed's front legs), but the critter would much rather give in to wild speculation than actually hunt for it. Maybe a BEAR ate it! he shrieks, and Emberley (paired with Harris for It's So Amazing!) imagines a scowling hulking ursine beast attacking the volume with a fork. Or maybe a shark consumed it; but at least all the sea creatures in its stomach can enjoy circle time. This is really more of a skit than a story, but it has a sound and effective unspoken message about not jumping to conclusions and taking responsibility for one's belongings. Besides, Harris and Emberley are clearly having so much fun that their enjoyment is infectious. Ages 3-5. (Jan.)

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School Library Journal: Starred Review. PreS—A small creature (cat?) in pajamas (with a nightcap over each pointed ear) cozies down in bed with his stuffed animals—a bear, rhino, elephant, shark, and—most important of all—his favorite book. When he snoozes a little, he wakes to find it has disappeared. After imagining different horrifying scenarios, which involve his plush animals turned real ("Maybe a BEAR ate it!"; "Maybe a STEGOSAURUS stomped on it!"), he starts to search and finally finds the book under his bed. "You know what? I LOVE my book!" he says, snuggling down among his toys to read. The minimal text is perfectly matched with wonderfully expressive cartoon illustrations that mirror the youngster's emotions as he conjures up each possible disaster. Exactly right for preschool storytime or toddler bedtime, this story will tickle the funny bones of both readers and their audiences.—Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. In time for autumn, Henkes (Kitten's First Full Moon) masterfully tells of a hibernating bear who dreamed that spring had come and he was a cub again. Henkes's surefooted art guides readers through time: a terracotta dust jacket and acorn-brown frontpapers inked with dark brown leaves set the season. The tawny bear, pictured in full-page or four-to-a-page images, curls in his den, his eyes closed and his paws relaxed. Full-bleed spreads depict his dreams, first of being small among enormous flowers (He took a nap in a giant pink crocus), then of wandering on lush green summer hillsides (The sky clouded over, and it rained blueberries). His hibernation vision of fall includes rust-colored birds and orange fish, and his imaginary winter is a cool blue expanse under stars of all colors. When the bear's eyes open on a real spring day, he feels refreshed, if larger and older than his dream self. Lyrically describing the young-at-heart, Henkes plays an artist's game of hot and cold watercolor hues. Lilac endpapers crowded with flowers and butterflies and a back cover image of the bear in springtime balance the cover's imagery and gently and calmly acknowledge the annual cycle. Ages 2–7. (Sept.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. PreS-K—Henkes cleverly begins his story on the front jacket. Against a backdrop of red leaves and drifting snowflakes, a large and endearing molasses-colored bear, defined by sturdy dark brown lines, strides across the page. His journey continues through the opening spreads: it is obvious that this creature knows exactly where he is heading. By the time the story actually begins, Old Bear has found his den and lies sound asleep, oblivious to the swirl of winter around him. Dreams comfort him: once more a cub and surrounded by the colors of spring, he naps in a giant pink crocus. His dreams turn to summer where a daisy sun shines in the sky, leaves appear as butterflies, and clouds rain tasty blueberries. Old Bear dreams on through the seasons. Then, one day he awakens, stretches, and heads out into the real world where he is met with flowering trees, butterflies and tulips, and a glistening lake. Now, Old Bear is part of the wonder. As he did in Kitten's First Full Moon, Henkes has created a thoroughly delightful character filled with curiosity and sweetness and placed him in a simple tale that unfolds with a natural, rhythmical pace. And to fill out his cyclical story, the artist provides autumnal front endpapers and contrasting vernal back endpapers. Opportunities to introduce the seasons, colors, and animal hibernation abound. Old Bear will enrapture young listeners for years to come.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA

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School Library Journal : Gr 1–4—Mixed-media collage illustrations, prominently featuring oversize, digitally altered photographs of human heads, reflect Garmann's anxious thoughts in his last summer before he begins school. Signs of autumn abound in nature and in his elderly aunts' annual visit. The six-year-old side of Garmann thinks his aunts are shrinking and soon may not be able to see over the grass, naively offers one aunt his skateboard when she says that soon she will need a walker, and worries because he has not lost his first tooth. The tooth seems more urgent as he compares himself to the twins next door and notices his aunts' dentures, also shown as part of the photo collages in which size, proportion, and color draw the eye into the youngster's imagination. The introspective boy wonders about life's transitions and asks the aunts about aging and their possible fears of dying. He also asks his violinist father and his serene-looking mother, "What are you scared of?" In the end, Garmann sees that everyone feels fear and yet goes on living. He says good-bye to the aunts, organizes his school bag one last time, checks his teeth, counts the hours until school—and accepts his anxious feelings. With its literary tone and distinctive illustrative style, this unusual picture book is for larger collections.—Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MD

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School Library Journal : PreS—This visually arresting, easy picture book is a surprisingly powerful masterpiece of design. Laid out entirely on electric orange pages, the two-color scheme hearkens back to a bygone era in children's book publishing. Far from being dated or dull, though, Kohara's elegant achievement retains an oh-so-contemporary flair thanks to savvy layout techniques. The story is delightfully simple: a little witch moves into a haunted house, and, fortunately for her, she knows exactly what to do with a house full of ghosts. First she traps them, then she washes them, and finally she repurposes them as useful items, such as curtains, table linens, and bedding. The story ends happily, with smiling ghosts performing new jobs all over her house. The ghosts have the opacity of used dryer sheets and trick the eye into thinking there are two textures on the page; this unique optical illusion is so convincing that readers may find themselves compelled to reach out and touch them. The dense orange that saturates each page casts the whole book in a rich, warm twilight. Toddlers and preschoolers are sure to enjoy this engaging read. With its subzero fear factor, fun narrative, and artful illustrations, it's a surefire Halloween hit.—Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC

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Publishers Weekly: Starred Review. In this small-format entry, a happy hybrid of traditional tale and quirky cartoon, McDonald (Judy Moody) and Floca (Lightship) recast a story from 1940 to tickle a contemporary fancy. Humble seamstress Anabel's dream of sewing a princess's ball gown is finally about to come true—until a Hinky-Pink, a mysterious, seemingly invisible creature begins robbing her of sleep night after night. The characters clearly inhabit fairy tale land—back when mirrors could talk and princes were frogs—but this particular magical realm intersects with a long-ago Florence, depicted in Floca's limber ink-and-watercolor illustrations and invoked by the occasional Italian word or phrase. Like the text, the art hits just the right tone of tongue-in-cheek earnestness: after stating that the heroine's name is Anabel, the omniscient narrator adds, Alas, not Anabella, and a speech balloon floats out of the illustration (a panorama of Florence) with an echoing Alas. The lively design mixes full-page bleeds, pictures stretching across spreads, and tiny animated vignettes; a profusion of detail doesn't impede a spirited sense of motion. For extra fun, endnotes identify Florentine landmarks. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

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School Library Journal: Starred Review. Gr 2–4—Anabel is a seamstress in Old Italy who dreams of making a dress worthy of a princess. Isabella Caramella Gorgonzola is a princess who gives the girl one week to make her a dress worthy of the Butterfly Ball. Locked in the tower sewing room, Anabel finds the finest silk, chiffon, and crepe as well as gold scissors, thread that is clear as glass, and a silver thimble. Unfortunately, she also shares the room with a Hinky-Pink that pinches her at night, steals her covers, and makes sleep impossible. When Anabel is "chill as a fish and can't sew a stitch," the nursemaid advises her to make the Hinky-Pink a bed of its own. After many unsuccessful attempts, Anabel fashions a tiny bed from her silver thimble, and the Hinky-Pink hums happily. Having slept "the sleep of a princess without a pea," she sews the perfect dress in a single day. Illustrations are done in watercolor and ink and feature a warm palette of rose, peach, and gold tones. Actual landmarks are used to make Firenze come alive, while Italian words and phrases are scattered throughout, sometimes placed in speech bubbles. McDonald's flawless storytelling melds with Floca's joyous art, bringing new life to Margery Bailey's "The Bed Just So" from Whistle for Good Fortune (Little, Brown, 1948). Girls who love princess stories will adore this lively tale.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

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School Library Journal : Gr 1–3—Señor Calavera, a dapper skeleton wearing a fedora and striped tie, receives an invitation to Grandma Beetle's birthday party. Zelmiro the Ghost reminds him that he needs to take a present and suggests that "the best present to give a friend is the thing she would love the most." The silent Señor Calavera collects gifts alphabetically, including an accordion (una acordeón) to make music for her, a jaguar to protect her (un jaguar), and 15 more years to add to her life (quince años). As these thoughtful gifts fill his bicycle basket to overflowing, the shimmering ghost encourages him to keep looking. When the skeleton loses control of his bike on the very hill where Zelmiro was buried, all the beautiful gifts are ruined. Grandma Beetle is blowing out her candles when the Señor finally arrives with the perfect tribute—Grandpa Zelmiro, who is a ghost no longer. Luminous, jewel-tone spreads chronicle the collection of gifts and pay homage to a rich Mexican culture. A comic book (una historieta) cleverly recalls Señor Calavera's first meeting with Grandma Beetle in Just a Minute (Chronicle, 2003). The floating, semitransparent form of Zelmiro the Ghost becomes the solidly human form of Grandpa Zelmiro, who lovingly embraces his wife. Part ghost story and part alphabet book, this trickster tale transcends both. Librarians will want to share it for the beautiful language, the spirited artwork, and the rightness of the ending.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Seeger (First the Egg) crafts another nifty peek-a-boo book, counting to 10 and identifying new words by exposing or covering letters with die-cuts. A square die-cut on the cover frames the head of the title character, who is quickly introduced: as readers turn to the first spread, Seeger offers a numeral one and one boy on the verso page, with the boy framed in a rectangle on the right. A turn of the page shifts the opening to the left side and the words all alone appear, with alone incorporating one. The boy now is visible without the frame, seated among empty chairs, a knapsack and paintbrushes by his side. This pattern repeats with two seals/ at the sea, the sea derived from seals. Three apes, behind die-cut bars of a cage, make a big escape. Aside from four monkeys who [hold] the key to the apes' cage, the images do not form a continuous narrative. Instead, the one boy reappears, and with the words all done, he walks away from the book's 10 images, his paintbrushes dripping. Seeger uses pared-down digital art and flat saturated colors, trading in her characteristic handmade appeal for a slick look. But she's innovative as ever, improving a standard-issue concept with a game of words inside words. Ages 2–6. (Sept.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. PreS-Gr 2—Seeger's ability to transform everyday words and objects into an amazing concept book continues with One Boy. Using the numbers 1 through 10, her signature die-cut pages, and a vocabulary that is designed to show words inside other words, the author has engineered a tribute to wordplay that is unmatched. On readers' first trip through the text, it will appear that the 10 objects are loosely linked only by their spelling patterns ("Two seals,/At the sea"; "Ten ants/In your pants"). As the story concludes, however, it becomes clear that all of the art was painted by the "one boy" who started it all. Youngsters will quickly return to the beginning to study the paintings more closely. While preschoolers will enjoy the book's design and take pleasure in guessing at what is next to appear, it is children who are beginning to develop their sight vocabulary who will most appreciate Seeger's efforts. This is one boy who won't be left alone for long.—Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Using only a few graceful words per page to illuminate the dark, this bedtime gem shines its light clearly on things that matter—a home filled with books, art, music and ever-present love. Krommes's (The Lamp, the Ice, and a Boat Called Fish) astonishing illustrations are so closely intertwined with the meticulous text that neither can be isolated without a loss of meaning. The book begins, intriguingly, Here is the key to the house./ In the house burns a light./ In that light rests a bed./ On that bed waits a book. That book takes the child reader up into the skies and back home again, to sleep (dark in the song, song in the bird, / bird in the book, book on the bed). Krommes's black-and-white scratchboard illustrations are as delicate and elegant as snowflakes, and she uses a single color, a marigold, to bring warmth to both home and stars. This volume's artful simplicity, homely wisdom and quiet tone demonstrate the interconnected beauty and order of the world in a way that both children and adults will treasure. Ages 3–6. (May)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. PreS-Gr 1—Inspired by traditional cumulative poetry, Swanson weaves a soothing song that is as luminescent and soulful as the gorgeous illustrations that accompany her words. A journey both humble and epic begins with a key to a house. "Here is the key to the house./In the house burns a light./In that light rests a bed…." In the bedroom of the house, a girl reads a book in which a bird "breathes a song…all about the starry dark." Swanson's poem then takes readers on a flight across the night sky to the realm of the moon and sun, then back along the path to the key that marked the beginning of the journey. Krommes's folk-style black-and-white etchings with touches of yellow-orange make the world of the poem an enchanted place. Patches of light and shadow give shape to the darkness, while smiling celestial bodies populate the potentially lonely night with their friendly warmth. This picture book will make a strong impression on listeners making their first acquaintance with literature. It is a masterpiece that has all the hallmarks of a classic that will be loved for generations to come.—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI

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School Library Journal : Gr 3–6—"Before John was a jazz giant,/he/was/all/ears." He heard "hambones knocking" in a pot on the stove, steam engines, tap dancers, preachers, sobs, cheers, and birdsongs. And he heard music—his father's ukelele, the family Victrola, church hymns, the community band, jitterbug music, and big bands playing on the radio, "blue notes crooning his name." So he picked up the saxophone and poured all the sounds he'd heard into music all his own. Weatherford's evocative poem traces Coltrane's influences simply and stunningly, her redolent voice as smooth and vivid as jazz itself. Qualls's double-page, full-bleed illustrations combine acrylic, collage, and pencil in surrealist renderings of young Coltrane soaking up the sounds surrounding him. A muted palette of rich hues suggests the smoky jazz moods he would create, the sounds dreamily dancing through the air amid streaming ribbons of music. A full-page biography of Coltrane concludes the volume, along with a list of recommended listening and further reading, making this picture book appealing to all ages studying jazz or African American history. Pair it with recordings of Coltrane for added appeal to a wide audience.—Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS

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School Library Journal : PreS-Gr 2—In a refreshing reversal of their usual roles, the often-despondent Gerald proves to be a valuable friend to exuberant Piggie when her own naturally sunny disposition fails her. Fretful about the sudden rain that threatens to ruin an afternoon of running, skipping, and jumping, Piggie declares emphatically that she is "not a happy pig." Poor Gerald patiently weathers the rain and her brief tantrum and, as readers might expect, the pair soon make the most of the situation. Alive with movement and feeling, the illustrations tell the story, setting the tone and adding depth to the simple text. The words themselves are manageable for young readers, and these endearing and distinctly developed characters have great child appeal. With a cameo appearance by the Pigeon on the final endpaper, this is a winning addition to the author's canon.—Neala Arnold, St. Francis Elementary School, MN

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School Library Journal : Gr 4–8—Appelt brings Southern Gothic to the middle grade set. Three separate but eventually entwined stories are told piecemeal. There is the tale of an abandoned, pregnant calico cat who finds shelter and friendship with the bloodhound, Ranger. He is the abused and neglected pet of Gar Face, a broken-jawed recluse who lives in the Texas bayou, where he fled 25 years previously to escape an abusive father. And finally there is the story of Grandmother Moccasin, a shape-shifting water snake who has lain dormant in a jar for a thousand years, buried beneath a loblolly pine tree. The threads are brought together when Puck, one of the newborn kittens, breaks the rule of straying from the safety of The Underneath, the sliver of space beneath Gar Face's porch where Ranger is chained and the cats live. The pace of this book is meandering, and there is a clear effort by the dominant third-person narrator to create a lyrical, ancient tone. However, the constant shift of focus from one story line to the next is distracting and often leads to lost threads. Small's black-and-white illustrations add a certain languid moodiness to the text. Themes of betrayal, hope, and love are reflected in the three stories, but this is a leisurely, often discouraging journey to what is ultimately an appropriate ending.—Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 3–5— In this companion volume to Nic Bishop Spiders (Scholastic, 2007), the photographer takes a nifty look at frogs. Physical characteristics, diet, reproduction, and the development of egg to tadpole to froglet are included in the clear text and super-duper photos. A nice personal touch is an enthusiastic author's note, wherein Bishop describes his methods and the pleasure of pursuing frogs to photograph. He even discusses "training" a frog to catch his leap for a fat caterpillar on a leaf over the water. Group this with Jim Arnosky's simpler, handsome All About Frogs (Scholastic, 2002) and/or Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's equally colorful Flashy Fantastic Rain Forest Frogs (Walker, 1997) for a neat ranid roundup.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 4–8—Broach combines discussion about the art of Albrecht Dürer with a powerful tale of friendship in a novel that is entertaining and full of adventure. Marvin is a beetle, and he and his family live in the Manhattan kitchen that belongs to the Pompaday family. When James receives a pen-and-ink drawing set for his 11th birthday, Marvin discovers that he is a bug with artistic talent. Although he can't speak to James, they soon bond in a true interspecies friendship, and their escapades begin. Because of Marvin's wonderful drawing, presumed to be James's work, the boy is recruited to create a fake Dürer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to help trap an art thief. Marvin produces the forgery, but he soon realizes that the original artwork is in danger. Only by placing his life on the line and relying on James's help can he save the masterpiece. Broach's projection of beetle life, complete with field trips to the family's solarium and complex uses of human discards for furniture and meals, is in the best tradition of Mary Norton's The Borrowers (Harcourt, 1953) and similar classic looks at miniature life. Murphy's illustrations add perspective and humor, supporting the detailed narrative. A masterpiece of storytelling.—Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Brown, noted for his numerous picture-book biographies of lesser-known figures, here offers a slightly older audience you are there–style accounts of two signal dates in American history. Expert pacing, novelistic incorporation of quotations and well-observed but straightforward reportage draw readers into the action. He humanizes complicated ideas. For example, Let It Begin opens vividly as King George III wins the Seven Years War: Celebration was surely in order. But George could not celebrate, writes Brown, quickly explaining how Britains war debt contributes to the start of the Revolution. Looking at the Titanic, Brown explains the causes of the disaster and, describing the passengers and crews behavior, finds the details that speak loudest (a passenger stuck on the sinking ship gives his life jacket to a woman boarding a lifeboat). His subtle watercolor-and-pencil compositions skillfully capture moments in the text—peoples facial expressions; the blood of battle; rushing, roiling, icy water; as well as both the valiant and understated gestures of some of the actors. Top-notch. Ages 6–10. (Dec.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 3–5—On the title-page spread, a Titanic crew member confides that "God himself could not sink this ship!" preparing readers for the well-known fate of the "unsinkable" steamer. A combination of poor choices and bad luck dogged the Titanic on its maiden voyage from England to New York, and controversy remains about its design, its speed in the iceberg-laden North Atlantic, and the lack of preparations for evacuation. Brown's watercolor illustrations capture the grandeur of the ship and the enormity of the failed escape: a mass of angry passengers confronts a crewman waving a gun, the steerage passengers are released to find that many of the lifeboats have been lowered half-empty, and survivors watch from a capsized lifeboat as the ship upends and sinks into the ocean with hundreds of passengers trapped onboard. Brown includes first-person testimony in the narrative, which ends with the rescue of some of the survivors. This is a wonderfully accessible version of an endlessly fascinating subject.—Rebecca Donnelly, Loma Colorado Public Library, Rio Rancho, NM

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 3–6—This stunning picture-book biography combines a lyrical text with wonderfully creative mixed-media illustrations in an impressive and personable homage to an extraordinary and accomplished man. Bryant's poetic writing—"Gurgle, gurgle—swish, swish, swoosh…. The water went slipping and sliding over the smooth rocks, then poured in a torrent over the falls, then quieted again below"—describes beautifully how, as a child, Williams would lie peacefully by the Passaic River, listening to the sounds of the water; he appreciated nature and the ordinary experiences of life. Book pages form a background for some of the illustrations and prescription pads become the paper for the doctor's poetic scribbling. A lovely spread shows a display of constellations while in the foreground, the poet sits framed in the light of an attic window, with one of his poems about a night sky laid out on a book cover. Williams's poems, which appear in the book in a variety of colors and fonts as part of the art, are highlighted in uniform type with standard line breaks on the inside cover pages. A time line of his life juxtaposed with a list of world events, a brief author's note about his significance as a poet, and an illustrator's note that explains how Sweet researched the project are appended.—Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA

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Publishers Weekly: Starred Review. A 12-year-old Londoner with something like Asperger's syndrome narrates this page-turner, which grabs readers from the beginning and doesn't let go. As Ted and his older sister Katrina watch, their visiting cousin Salim boards a pod for a ride on the London Eye, a towering tourist attraction with a 360-degree view of the city—but unlike his fellow passengers, Salim never comes down. He has vanished. At the outset Ted explains that he has cracked the case: Having a funny brain that runs on a different operating system from other people's helped me to figure out what happened. The tension lies in the implicit challenge to solve the mystery ahead of Ted, who turns his intense observational powers on the known facts, transforming his unnamed disability into an investigative tool while the adults' emotions engulf them. Dowd ratchets up the stakes repeatedly: is a boy in the morgue Salim? Has he drowned? Been kidnapped? Katrina and Ted work together to solve the puzzle, developing new respect for each other. The author wryly locates the humor as Ted wrangles with his symptoms (learning to lie represents progress) but also allows Ted an ample measure of grace. Comparisons to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time are inevitable—this release was delayed when Mark Haddon's book (from the same publisher) became a bestseller—but Dowd makes clearer overtures to younger readers. Just as impressive as Dowd's recent debut, A Swift Pure Cry, and fresh cause to mourn her premature death this year. Ages 8-12. (Feb.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 5–8—Ted and Kat lose their cousin Salim at the London Eye sightseeing attraction, "the largest observation wheel ever built." Given a free ticket by a stranger, Salim enters the ride, but he never emerges. Guilty about their part in the bungled outing, the siblings trace scraps of information that illuminate the boy's disappearance. Ted, who is something of an enigma himself, narrates the story. He has a neurological cross wiring that results in an encyclopedic brain and a literal view of the world. He finds it hard to read motivations and emotions, but excels at clue tracing and deduction. Kat, his older sister, deplores his odd behaviors but relies on his analytic brain while she does the legwork. The result is a dense mystery tied together with fully fleshed out characters and a unique narrator. Good mysteries for kids are rare, and this offering does the genre proud. London Eye is the best sort, throwing out scads of clues for discerning readers to solve the mystery themselves. Add to that Ted's literal translation of our world, his distanced view of an alien landscape of human interactions, and the ways he gains a better understanding of that world through the course of the novel, and the story is even more noteworthy. Suggest this as a read-alike to fans of Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer (Scholastic, 2004) or Lauren Tarshis's Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree (Dial, 2007).—Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT

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Publishers Weekly : In a promising debut for both Elliott and Strickland, this picture book tells a poignant story about a boy whose loving family, friends and a gift for drawing help him navigate difficult emotions surrounding the deaths of his grandfather and drug-addicted brother. A complicated weaving of impressive watercolor, gouache, charcoal and ink drawings amplifies the metaphors and action of the poetic text as it combines black-and-white with color. Never straying from believable language in casting Mehkai, the child, as narrator, Elliott skillfully unfolds the sequence of events. Both art and text nimbly play with Mehkai's nickname, Bird, beginning with the image of a shivering bird that, like his brother, seems to be blown away by a gust of wind, and continuing with Uncle Son's attempt to explain the brother's death: 'You can fix a broken wing with a splint,/ and a bird can fly again,' he said./ 'But you can't fix a broken soul.' The simplicity of the narrative belies the complexity of the themes; it would be a shame if the picture book format discouraged the proper audience from examining the book. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)

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School Library Journal : Gr 1–5—An urban African-American boy transcends the loss of loved ones with help from a caring elderly mentor and from the sustaining ability to create art. Bird looks back and remembers his once-admired older brother Marcus's slow descent into drug addiction, expulsion from the family home, and ultimate death—a death that ostensibly led to the decline and death of his beloved grandfather as well. Wise Uncle Son picks up where Granddad leaves off and becomes the steadying and inspiring influence in Bird's life as he learns not only the hard lesson that, "You can't fix a broken soul," but also to look to the future with confidence. Despite the plainspoken, accessible language, the author's flashback structure may not be as successful with this audience as a more linear story arc. The illustrations, rendered with a delicate touch in watercolor, gouache, charcoal, and pen, emphasize the textual theme of resilience in adversity, even while Marcus's appearances are often shrouded in a palette of grays. Bird's own pencil drawings of city life and the repetition of Marcus's symbolic bright cap add interest and meaning to the visual narrative. From a first-time author and illustrator comes a sad truth of contemporary life successfully leavened with hopeful optimism.—Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Old Greenwich, CT

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 5–8—This sequel to The Birchbark House (Hyperion, 1999) and The Game of Silence (HarperCollins, 2005) continues the story of Omakayas, an Ojibwe girl who in 1852 is now 12 winters old. She and her family have been displaced by the United States government and are looking for a new place to live. When Omakayas and her younger brother become separated from their family during a night hunting expedition, Pinch has a run-in with a porcupine that he decides to keep as his medicine animal. The little gaag does indeed seem to bring them good fortune for a time, and Pinch is thereafter known as Quill. As Omakayas's extended family travels north toward Lac du Bois, where Mama's sister has settled, Erdrich's resonant descriptions of their day-to-day experiences give the narrative a graceful flow. The peaceful rhythms are all too quickly broken, however, when a party of Bwaanag captures two of their men. Soon after, Auntie Muskrat's no-good husband, Albert LaPautre, leads a raid on the small group, making off with all of their provisions, leaving them destitute as the winter months approach. The family finally reaches the big lake, and as they learn to find their places in the larger group, Omakayas must come to terms with her transition to womanhood. The events in this installment will both delight and appall readers. While the novel can stand alone, it will call new readers to catch up on the first two installments. Erdrich's charming pencil drawings interspersed throughout and her glossary of Ojibwe terms round out a beautiful offering.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. K-Gr 4—A story based on the actions of Mary Ann Goodnight, a pioneer who made great strides in saving the buffalo from extinction in the late 1800s. Molly's first-person narrative offers alliterative descriptions of the sounds made by animals native to her West Texas home, including the "huff-huff" of buffalo breath and the thunder of their pounding feet. Soon, this everyday music is replaced by the noise of gunfire, as hunters slaughter the creatures for profit. When a cowhand brings her two orphan calves, Molly nurtures them and many more, developing the first captive buffalo herd. She even sends several yearlings to Yellowstone National Park to help reestablish their herd. The story ends with Molly wistfully hoping that the buffalo and their music will return to the plains. Fern's lyrical text and Castillo's folk-style artwork beautifully capture the era and events. Done in warm, earthy hues, the mixed-media illustrations depict a rugged landscape of grays and browns speckled with touches of color-wildflowers or bright blooms on a tree. Outlined in thick black lines, the characters shimmer with vitality and Molly's affection for her fuzzy-coated orphans is tenderly depicted. Buffalo Music is perfectly suited to a young audience, clearly conveying the magnitude of the decimation and the importance of conservation efforts.—Lynne Mattern, Robert Seaman School, Jericho, NY

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. A lavish middle-grade novel, Gaiman's first since Coraline, this gothic fantasy almost lives up to its extravagant advance billing. The opening is enthralling: There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife. Evading the murderer who kills the rest of his family, a child roughly 18 months old climbs out of his crib, bumps his bottom down a steep stairway, walks out the open door and crosses the street into the cemetery opposite, where ghosts take him in. What mystery/horror/suspense reader could stop here, especially with Gaiman's talent for storytelling? The author riffs on the Jungle Book, folklore, nursery rhymes and history; he tosses in werewolves and hints at vampires—and he makes these figures seem like metaphors for transitions in childhood and youth. As the boy, called Nobody or Bod, grows up, the killer still stalking him, there are slack moments and some repetition—not enough to spoil a reader's pleasure, but noticeable all the same. When the chilling moments do come, they are as genuinely frightening as only Gaiman can make them, and redeem any shortcomings. Ages 10–up. (Oct.)

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School Library Journal : Gr 5–8—Somewhere in contemporary Britain, "the man Jack" uses his razor-sharp knife to murder a family, but the youngest, a toddler, slips away. The boy ends up in a graveyard, where the ghostly inhabitants adopt him to keep him safe. Nobody Owens, so named because he "looks like nobody but himself," grows up among a multigenerational cast of characters from different historical periods that includes matronly Mistress Owens; ancient Roman Caius Pompeius; an opinionated young witch; a melodramatic hack poet; and Bod's beloved mentor and guardian, Silas, who is neither living nor dead and has secrets of his own. As he grows up, Bod has a series of adventures, both in and out of the graveyard, and the threat of the man Jack who continues to hunt for him is ever present. Bod's love for his graveyard family and vice versa provide the emotional center, amid suspense, spot-on humor, and delightful scene-setting. The child Bod's behavior is occasionally too precocious to be believed, and a series of puns on the name Jack render the villain a bit less frightening than he should be, though only momentarily. Aside from these small flaws, however, Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.—Megan Honig, New York Public Library

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Introducing Pura Belpré, the first Puerto Rican librarian hired by the New York Public Library system, this warmhearted Spanish/English bilingual story adopts the perspectives of two children who are inspired by Belpré to enter a library for the very first time. During a cold, Depression-era winter, Belpré organizes the community to hold a Three Kings' Day festival at the library. In telling the story, González livens the English text with a sprinkling of Spanish words, and chooses facts of interest to children, but streamlines biographical details so that she can focus on the characters. Delacre's inviting oil and collage illustrations cleverly incorporate sepia-toned clippings from a January 6, 1930, New York Times, turning them into architectural elements, books, furniture, etc. With this simple and affectionate story, González and Delacre (both winners of the ALA's Pura Belpré Honor Medal) broadcast Belpré's welcome message to new generations of immigrants—Remember, the library belongs to you all, Belpré says. We'll blow out the storyteller's candle, and your wish will come true. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

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School Library Journal : Gr 1–4—Two Pura Belpré Honor Award winners have created a moving portrait of New York City's first Puerto Rican librarian, a woman whose work has inspired generations of young people in the communities she served. It's 1929, and Hildamar, who arrived in northern Manhattan only a few months before, misses the warmth and holiday celebrations of Puerto Rico. At school, she meets Pura Belpré, who tells her class stories in Spanish and English, explains that the library belongs to everyone, and invites them to visit during winter vacation. Hildamar comes to hear Ms. Belpré's tales, see her puppets, and make wishes as she blows out the storyteller's candle. When she announces plans for a Three Kings' Day fiesta, the members of northern Manhattan's El Barrio help prepare for the event and discover at the library the comfort of their own language and memories of Puerto Rico. On January 6, 1930, the holiday is observed with sweets, music, and a play about a Spanish cockroach named Martina. The well-written text is presented in both Spanish and English. The illustrations were created with layers of oil washes and collage. Tantalizing bits of the New York Times from that date are embedded in the artwork, giving hints of the larger world—steamship arrivals, theater reviews, and even an account of Three Kings' Day in San Juan. Sepia tones evoke the time period and the setting. A lovely offering about the role of librarians in the lives of children.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

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School Library Journal : Gr 3 Up—This book offers an overview of the careers of the husband-and-wife team that has been creating large outdoor art installations since the 1960s. The authors begin by detailing the process that led to the unveiling of The Gates in New York's Central Park (2005), then dip back to 1935, when the artists were born, and provide some biographical information. Christo's early career is touched upon with the inclusion of Wrapped Toy Horse (1963) and various small-scale works. Images are predominately full-page color spreads (there's a foldout of Christo in his studio and, on the other side, The Gates) with some black-and-white personal photos. Readers will be impressed with the ambitious creations and may want to know more about them. This visually appealing title is a solid choice where there is interest in the subject.—Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. The popular author of Princess Academy teams with her husband and illustrator Hale (no relation) for a muscular retelling of the famously long-haired heroine's story, set in a fairy-tale version of the Wild West. The Hales' Rapunzel, the narrator, lives like royalty with witchy Mother Gothel, but defies orders, scaling villa walls to see what's outside—a shocking wasteland of earth-scarring mines and smoke-billowing towers. She recognizes a mine worker from a recurrent dream: it's her birth mother, from whom she was taken as punishment for her father's theft from Mother G.'s garden. Their brief reunion sets the plot in motion. Mother G. banishes Rapunzel to a forest treehouse, checking annually for repentance, which never comes. Rapunzel uses her brick-red braids first to escape, then like Indiana Jones with his whip, to knock out the villains whom she and her new sidekick, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), encounter as they navigate hostile territory to free Rapunzel's mom from peril. Illustrator Hale's detailed, candy-colored artwork demands close viewing, as it carries the action—Rapunzel's many scrapes are nearly wordless. With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody. Ages 10–up. (Sept.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 5 Up–This is the tale as you've never seen it before. After using her hair to free herself from her prison tower, this Rapunzel ignores the pompous prince and teams up with Jack (of Beanstalk fame) in an attempt to free her birth mother and an entire kingdom from the evil witch who once moonlighted as her mother. Dogged by both the witch's henchman and Jack's outlaw past, the heroes travel across the map as they right wrongs, help the oppressed, and generally try to stay alive. Rapunzel is no damsel in distress–she wields her long braids as both rope and weapon–but she happily accepts Jack's teamwork and friendship. While the witch's castle is straight out of a fairy tale, the nearby mining camps and rugged surrounding countryside are a throwback to the Wild West and make sense in the world that the authors and illustrator have crafted. The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive. Knowing that there are more graphic novels to come from this writing team brings readers their own happily-ever-after.–Cara von Wrangel Kinsey, New York Public Library

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. K-Gr 3—Hopkinson has created a lively, participatory tale that will surely stand out among the many titles published to honor the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. With a conspiratorial wink at the audience, an omniscient narrator invites readers to watch seven-year-old Abe and his real-life friend Austin Gollaher succumb to the "dare you" lure of a roaring creek and a perilous crossing on a fallen log (an author's note details the genesis of the story). Imagine where we as a nation might be if unsung-hero Austin hadn't been there to rescue impetuous Abraham from his tumble into those tumultuous waters. In dialogic asides and exclamations, the author addresses the illustrator and brings him (or, rather, his pencil-wielding hand) onstage to collaborate and correct, and also speaks to readers, inviting involvement and evoking response. Hendrix's illustrations have a naive and rustic flavor that's in perfect harmony with the gravelly, homespun narrator's voice (keen-eyed readers will find a rendering of the storyteller in the endpaper art). Energetic spreads give a big, broad, horizontal view of the green Kentucky valley setting with its rambling curves, rolling mountains, and rushing waters, and a very effective impression of how long that creek-crossing must have seemed…maybe. "For that's the thing about history," Hopkinson says, "if you weren't there, you can't know for sure." What you can know for sure is that this is a book you should add to your shelves.—Kathy Krasniewicz, Perrot Library, Old Greenwich, CT

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. It's hard to imagine a picture book biography that could better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice Roosevelt. Kerley (The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins) knows just how to introduce her to contemporary readers: Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem. It wasn't herding thousands of cattle across the Dakota badlands. He'd done that. It wasn't leading the Rough Riders.... He'd bagged a grizzly bear, captured outlaws, governed the state of New York, and served as vice president of the United States, and still he had a problem. Her name was Alice. Debut illustrator Fotheringham creates the perfect mood from the start: his stylish digital art sets a fast pace, making use of speed lines (rendered in dots, these earn their names) and multiple vignettes to evoke characters in perpetual motion. His compositions wittily incorporate headlines, iconic images and plenty of Alice blue, too. Kids will embrace a heroine who teaches her younger stepsiblings to sled down the White House stairs (Alice tried to be helpful, Kerley writes soberly as Fotheringham shows her in action), entertains dignitaries with her pet snake and captivates a nation with pranks and high jinks. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 2–4—Kerley brings another historical figure to life. Alice Lee Roosevelt was President Theodore Roosevelt's only child by his first wife, who died two days after her birth. From the start, Alice's behavior was unconventional, and that pattern was to continue throughout her colorful life. Kerley's text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject's antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp her style, dives fully clothed into a ship's swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her father's trusted advisers. Fotheringham's digitally rendered, retro-style illustrations are a superb match for the text. The energy in his pictures is palpable as when Alice is turned loose in her father's library and five Alices dart about followed by lines that trace her frenetic path as she reads eclectically and voraciously. The illustrations not only enhance but are frequently the source of humor: "Alice tried to be helpful. She watched her younger brothers and sister so her stepmother could get some rest." The picture depicts Alice and her siblings careening down the White House stairs on sleds. Alice blue, the color named after her eyes, swirls throughout in a subtle tribute. This book provides a fascinating glimpse into both a bygone era and one of its more interesting denizens as well as a surefire antidote for any child who thinks that historical figures are boring.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. SignatureReviewed by Sarah MlynowskiIn Mississippi Beaumont's family, turning 13 means your savvy kicks in. When her grandfather turned 13, he created Idaho. And when her brother turned 13, he caused a hurricane. At the start of Law's winning debut novel, Mississippi's 13th birthday is only two days away.With her dad in a coma after a horrible car accident, Mississippi is convinced that her savvy will have something to do with waking people up. Along with her brothers, the cute preacher's son and his obnoxious gum-chomping sister, she sneaks aboard a delivery bus she believes is heading toward her dad, hoping to save him. The thing about Mississippi? She's not always right. Turns out, her savvy has her hearing a whole bunch of voices—in her head. When people around her have any type of ink—say, a tattoo or a pen mark—on their skin, she can't help but read their minds. What makes this book so engaging is that aside from the whole mind-reading thing, Mississippi isn't extraordinary. She's not excessively brilliant, incredibly attractive or overly girly. She's afraid of growing up. She prefers to be called Mibs, but the mean girls call her Missy-Pissy. She wishes she could mess up less and be more like her perfect mom. (Literally, perfect—that's her mother's savvy.) Readers, boys and girls alike, will see a bit of themselves in Mibs. Also, the Beaumonts aren't the only ones with savvys. Normal people (the bus driver, the hitchhiker, the obnoxious gum-chomper) have them, too—they just don't recognize them. As Mibs's mom says, One person might make strawberry jam so good that no one can get enough of it.... There are even those folks who never get splashed by mud after a rainstorm or bit by a single mosquito in the summertime. The 10-year-old boy or the 40-year-old mom reading the book—they might just have one, too. Besides saving her dad, Mibs's quest in the novel is to learn to scumble—in other words, control her savvy. She has to learn to quiet the voices she hears, and to find her own voice. Law has definitely found hers. Short chapters and cliffhangers keep the pace quick, while the mix of traditional language and vernacular helps the story feel both fresh and timeless. And while road-trip novels tend to be more about the journey than the destination, the ending, like Momma's savvy, is pretty perfect. I wasn't sure how Law was going to manage it without going all fairy-tale, but she does the story justice, making the conclusion happy and heart-rending simultaneously, resisting the urge to tie it all up with a fancy ribbon and a happily ever after.Law's savvy? She's a natural storyteller who's created a vibrant and cinematic novel that readers are going to love. Ages 9-11. (May)Sarah Mlynowski is the author of the Magic in Manhattan series, the most recent of which is Spells & Sleeping Bags (paperback reprint from Delacorte due this month), and, with E. Lockhart and Lauren Myracle, the coauthor of How to Be Bad (HarperTeen, May).

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School Library Journal : Gr 4–7—Mississippi Beaumont ("Mibs" for short) simply cannot wait for her 13th birthday. There's the allure of finally becoming a teenager, of course, but in the Beaumont family, 13 is when family members get their "savvy," or unworldly power. For Mibs's older brother Fish, it's control over the elements, and for her mother it's the ability to do everything perfectly. Unfortunately, Mibs's excitement is cut short when her father is injured in a car accident. Convinced that her new powers will be able to save her Poppa, she and some new friends climb aboard a bus toting pink bibles on her birthday, in the hopes of getting to the hospital. Instead they find themselves headed in the wrong direction with the cops looking for them, Mibs's powerful brother seriously angry, and the son of a preacher man she has a crush on coming dangerously close to figuring out the Beaumonts' secret. Mibs's real savvy isn't what she expected, and neither are her traveling companions. Though the story never lives up to the brilliance of its opening chapter, Law has a feel for characters and language that is matched by few. With its delightful premise and lively adventure, this book will please a wide variety of audiences, not just fantasy fans. Definitely an author to watch.—Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library

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School Library Journal : Gr 2–6—This colorful travelogue recounts the Lewins' trip to Mongolia to experience the annual summer celebration Naadam, in particular the horse-racing competition. It focuses on young Tamir as he prepares for and participates in the event. Information about Mongolian culture and the holiday's traditions are interspersed with an account of the competition. An introduction provides brief background, and unfamiliar terms are explained in context and in the glossary. Betsy Lewin's lively line-and-wash cartoon sketches and spot drawings are intermingled with Ted Lewin's sweeping watercolor paintings, which make effective use of light and rich color to portray both the intensity of the competition and the pageantry of the celebration. For the most part, the writing is tight and fast-paced, reflecting the event it describes. At other times, it becomes flowery and chatty. While perhaps not an essential purchase, the book provides a dynamic view of a culture rarely portrayed in children's books and an event that is sure to interest many young readers.—Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 1–5—Like Virginia Hamilton's The People Could Fly (Knopf, 2004), this folktale tells the story of slaves who magically slip off the bonds of oppression by simply soaring "way up and over everything." As related by a slave named Jane's great-great granddaughter, it is the tale of five dignified and taciturn new slaves who are taken to a Georgia cotton plantation in 1842. The Africans are given "American" names, but one young man whispers to Jane, "Edet, Edet" as though introducing himself. After a day's brutal work, the newcomers disappear from the eating-time crowd. Dogs are brought out to trail them, and Jane creeps along behind. At the top of a hill, she sees the Africans holding hands, chanting, and whirling in a circle, then stepping into the air, while master and overseer try in vain to stop them. In a dramatic final scene, Edet turns and proudly shouts his African name before flying off "beyond the clouds." Though warned by her master never to share what she has witnessed, Jane, of course, does share. As explained in an afterword, this is a retelling of a "flying story" that has been passed down in the author's family for generations. Written in colloquial language, the tale is enhanced by a spare yet elegant design and delicate folk-art-like watercolor illustrations. Inspiring and informative.—Amy Rowland, Guggenheim Elementary School, Port Washington, NY

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. This year's answer to 2007's Before I Die, this first novel written by a 23-year-old Brit likewise features a young narrator with incurable cancer--and, while it doesn't entirely escape the conventions of the dying-child novel, it skirts easy sentiment to confront the hard questions head-on, intelligently and realistically and with an enormous range of feeling. Sam, facing his third recurrence of leukemia at the age of 11, keeps a journal, and among his entries are facts, questions and lists: "Questions Nobody Answers No. 1 - How do you know that you've died?"; "True facts about coffins"; "Why does God make kids get ill?" Sam starts out with a buddy, another terminally ill boy who shares Sam's sense of humor and who with Sam is taught by a visiting teacher ("No dying at the table, Felix," she tells him in the opening scene when he is mocking melodramatic portrayals of "the poor, frail child... struggling bravely"). How Sam and his family cope with Felix's death and Sam's own inevitable decline--ultimately, with humor, grace and generosity of spirit--will bring on tears; more impressively, it will also help readers address the hard questions for themselves. Ages 9-12. (Sept.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 4–7—Eleven-year-old Sam knows that he is dying from leukemia. He has decided to write a book that includes his thoughts on the matter as well as his lists and his questions, particularly those that no one ever answers like, "Why does God let kids get ill?" Through his writing, Nicholls has drawn a portrait of a family coping with a child's terminal disease. Readers meet Sam's mother, father, and younger sister, each of whom is dealing in a different way with his illness. Well researched and beautifully written, the book is equal to the best of children's literature about death and dying, Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia (HarperCollins, 1977) and Deborah Wiles's Each Little Bird That Sings (Harcourt, 2005). Sam knows that his father rushes off to work each day because he cannot admit to himself that his son is dying. He knows that his mother keeps Ella home from school during an unexpected snowstorm in March so they can have one last sledding day together. But, he does not verbalize this knowledge, just as his parents and Ella don't speak of his death. Sam is a child whom readers would want as a friend and he will be missed when the book is done.—Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Text, pictures, subject and pacing all contribute to the success of Nivola's (Elisabeth) picture book biography of Wangari Maathai, the 2004 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. In the first pages, Wangari watches her mother in the garden; the pale mountains, blue sky and profusion of growing things testify to Kenya's primeval beauty. Educated at a Benedictine college in Kansas, Maathai returns to her native country to find the land stripped for commercial farming. Others sigh; she is galvanized. She stands among women whose colorful skirts belie their poverty, and she teaches them to plant trees. Not even Kenya's soldiers escape her campaign: You hold your guns... but what are you protecting? she demands. You should hold the gun in your right hand and a tree seedling in your left. Thirty million trees later, the soil—and small farms—thrive again. Simultaneously childlike and sophisticated, Nivola's paintings have the detail of tapestry and the dignity of icons. The idea of restoring ruined land to its original beauty will fill readers of all ages with hope. Nivola makes children feel it is possible for anyone to change the course of history if they set their mind to it. An author's note provides additional biographical and political details. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 2–4—Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement, was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This simple story focuses on her conservation efforts, with little mention of her personal life and political struggles. Maathai studied biology in the United States in the early 1960s. When she returned to the newly independent Kenya five years later, she noticed that her country's natural resources were disappearing rapidly and that the people were growing poorer. She devised a strategy to reverse the desertification of Kenya by teaching women how to collect tree seeds and plant and nurture them. Since 1977, 30 million trees have been planted and her conservation lessons have moved across Africa and the world. The delicately detailed illustrations suit the equally low-key writing style. They effectively show the natural beauty of the landscape and convey the scope of the problems associated with deforestation. The artist is equally adept at portraying Wangari as she moves about the countryside and spreads her message among the people. This tale of civic responsibility, personal initiative, and conservation of natural resources is a timely one although it raises as many questions as it answers. An author's note provides a bit more background on Maathai's efforts. Add this to collections in need of easy materials on Kenya, conservation, or women leaders.—Carol S. Surges, McKinley Elementary School, Wauwatosa, WI

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Catering to comics junkies, this vibrant and well-researched picture book biography introduces the youthful inventors of Superman, who this year celebrates his 70th anniversary. Writer Jerry Siegel and illustrator Joe Shuster are mild-mannered everymen whose reflective glasses conceal their eyes—and their potential. In a crowded high school hallway, Jerry wishes he could be with his friends, and a turn of the page reveals Tarzan, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Joe, lousy at sports and mousy around girls, draws sci-fi heroes with a passion. In 1934, when both are 20, Jerry dreams up the Superman concept and Joe draws prototypes labeled S for 'super.' And for 'Siegel' and 'Shuster.' In June 1938, their creation launches in Action Comics. Nobleman details this achievement with a zest amplified by MacDonald's (Another Perfect Day) punchy illustrations, done in a classic litho palette of brassy gold, antique blue and fireplug red. MacDonald's Depression-era vignettes picture Siegel pondering his superhero's powers and the friends casting a single, caped shadow. A cautionary afterword chronicles their protracted financial struggles with DC Comics—when Siegel and Shuster sold their first Superman story, they also sold all rights to the character, for $130. Ages 10–up. (July)

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School Library Journal : Gr 4–6—Nobleman portrays teenaged Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster as outcasts who found solace in the world of pulp magazines and comics. Their peers did not understand their fascination with tales of musclemen and detectives with gadgets, and their teachers deemed the stories that they loved to write and illustrate "trash." Despite these obstacles, the two friends continued writing and illustrating, and in 1934, Siegel had an avalanche of ideas about a new type of hero that he then shared with Shuster, who drew the first concept illustrations of Superman. It took another four years, however, before the superhero would make his public debut in Action Comics #1. MacDonald's illustrations are a tribute to 1930s pulp art, from the lines of the characters outlined in brown to the washes of yellow in the background. While the layout remains primarily in picture-book format, comic-book elements appear sporadically, such as with phrases separated from the rest of the text and placed in oval bubbles. One spread also uses panels to depict Siegel's thoughts as he conceptualized Superman. The story ends with the young men successfully landing a publisher. The afterword fills in more of the details, including Siegel and Shuster's long-running battle with DC Comics for a greater share of the profits, how their Jewish background affected Superman during World War II, and their final years. Boys of Steel is a solid introduction to the history of Superman's creation, especially for children who find an outlet in storytelling and art.—Kim T. Ha, Elkridge Branch Library, MD

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Publishers Weekly: Parker, who illustrated Ballet of the Elephants and Action Jackson, makes his writing debut with a biography of famed jazz pianist Art Tatum, which takes some creative license in its straightforward, first-person narrative. Bad eyes can't keep me from playing the piano, says a young Tatum. My hands get to know the keys, the short black ones on top and long white ones below. I play more and more. And more. The uncluttered storytelling offers a chronological journey of Tatum's rise to fame: his first recital in church; a night of playing moon-themed songs while neighborhood children catch fireflies; his first gig at a bar. From the twins next door who help him walk to school to a café owner who lets him use his player piano, the story incorporates the people who were important in Tatum's early life—his hardworking parents, foremost. A subtle sophistication shines through Parker's easygoing yet dynamic watercolors. Roughly hewn sketch lines give the characters an almost abstract quality, but their faces and gestures project emotion nonetheless, as in vignettes of a bartender smiling contentedly or Tatum's mother sitting in the shadows by a radio, both listening to Tatum play. Parker's unhurried account could inspire visions of jazz greatness among young musicians. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. K-Gr 4—Breathing life into words about music for young children is never easy, but Parker makes it appear effortless. Perhaps this is due, in part, to his own understandings as a jazz musician. His first-person account about the early years of Tatum's life is a feast for the senses. Beautifully paced, spare sentences accompany introductory watercolors of the legendary jazz pianist's family. Viewers watch the toddler on tiptoe reaching for the keys that provided delight to him from this early stage. As the narrative develops and Tatum's impaired vision begins to fade, the lines lengthen, incorporating the sounds, smells, and physical sensations that were much clearer to him. Listeners can imagine the scents of furniture polish and flowers as the boy plays in church or the vibration of his father's footsteps as he dances to his son's music in the living room. Parker's palette and style vary to create just the right ambience, with compositions ranging from a brightly lit snowscape with realistic figures racing down the path to moody, impressionistic backgrounds swirling around Tatum playing his beloved "Humoresque" on the road as a young man. Notes from the author describe his personal encounter with the musician and provide an overview of his life. A bibliography of adult resources is included; there is little available for children. Showcase this title with Chris Raschka's Charlie Parker Played Be Bop (Scholastic, 1992) and Andrea Davis Pinkney's Ella Fitzgerald (Hyperion, 2002) along with some CDs for a joint-jumping, heart-pumping ride.—Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

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School Library Journal : Gr 2–5—Removal of one predator—the wolf—from Yellowstone National Park caused the decline of many animal species, subsequently changing the very terrain of the area as ponds and trees also disappeared. The rise and fall and interdependence of species are explained simply in this slim survey of some of the park's wildlife. Patent begins with the Congressional designation of Yellowstone as a national park in 1872, stating that in the early years the geologic wonders rather than the animals were the main attraction. The wolf was a popular hunting target, and its demise led to an overpopulation of elk and coyotes and a complex chain of effects. The format sets small chunks of text and two or three small color photographs on a black background at the far right of the spread. A large color photo fills the remaining space, with a framed sentence superimposed on the picture. The two blocks of text become repetitive, but they're apparently intended as a dual-level text, so that children can read either the briefer explanations on the left or the longer ones opposite. Bits of background terrain are seen in the pictures, but they do not capture the dramatic decline and renewal of the ecosystem suggested. There is no map to indicate the large size and location of Yellowstone. The book concludes with a review quiz with small animal photos.—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Preller, author of the Jigsaw Jones mysteries, raises his game with this perceptive group portrait of boys who play Little League baseball. The structure couldn't be more hackneyed—a championship game with everything on the line—but Preller makes it fresh with insightful sketches of each member of the (underdog) Earl Grubb's Pool Supplies team. There's the coach's kid, Branden, who has baseball's five tools, plus one: he forgets failure immediately. The Sweeney twins are a study in contrasts: Eamon is ninety-six pounds of stress, while Colin speaks in quotes from baseball movies and jibes the opposing first baseman—I'd love to chat, but I don't think I'll be hanging around for long—before stealing second. Sam, sidelined by a tumor in his leg, calls the game from the press box, aching to play, while Patrick Wong, the weakest gazelle in the herd, prays from the infield: Please, God in heaven, don't let them hit it to me. The outcome is predictable but the journey is nailbitingly tense. Kids will be nodding in agreement at the truths laid bare. If Judy Blume could write a book about Little League, about its players' deepest fears and secret dreams, it might come out something like this. Ages 9-14. (Mar.)

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School Library Journal : Gr 5–8—Focusing on a single afternoon—a mere six innings of a Little League game—Preller delves into the psyches of middle school boys on two teams—Earl Grubb's Pool Supplies and Northeast Gas & Electric, as well as that of Sam, previously a player but now an announcer. Without explaining why, the story begins with Sam being in bed, thinking about baseball, unable to get to the bathroom alone. It is only later in the book, in a brief area, that readers learn of Sam's recent diagnosis with osteosarcoma. In between Sam's broadcasts, readers learn about other team members, their thoughts and memories about baseball and family. Sharing tidbits of these boys' lives, exposing diverse backgrounds and situations, Six Innings should hit home with many readers. Written in the authentic voice of a soon-to-be 13-year-old, the narrative reflects the thoughts and sensibilities of a middle schooler. Tension builds as the game progresses, and the boys' characters are developed each time they are at bat or on the field for an important play. A tale of baseball, friendship, growth, and coming to terms with hardships, this fast read will grasp any reader who enjoys sports.—Sara Rofofsky Marcus, Yeshiva Har Torah, Little Neck, NY

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Widely known for her picture book classic Millions of Cats, Gág (1893–1946) is the inspiring subject of Ray's well-conceived biography. Focusing on Gág's upbringing in a German-speaking community in Minnesota, Ray (To Go Singing Through the World) deftly interweaves her narrative with passages from Gág's childhood diaries, vividly conjuring the passionate artist and her hunger for drawing (I can't help it that I've got to draw and paint forever; I cannot stop, I cannot, cannot, CANNOT, writes Gág). Illustrations loosely recall folk art in their use of frontal compositions and bold color as they depict the various settings—the old-world Bohemian atmosphere of Gág's early life and, later, the art world of New York City—with fine naturalistic and period detail. Readers will relate to the elements Ray highlights: Gág's love for fairy tales, the bustling activities of her grandparents' tiny village and the example of her artist father, whose dying words to his 15-year-old daughter drove her for the rest of her life—What Papa couldn't do, Wanda will have to finish. An exemplary integration of primary research in a compelling, visually exciting book. Ages 6–8. (Oct.)

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School Library Journal : Gr 2–4—This charming biography of the creator of Millions of Cats, "the first modern picture book," shows how Gág's family and childhood inspired her lifelong pursuit of art. Born in 1893 to German-speaking parents from Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), she grew up in a small town in Minnesota with her five younger sisters and brother. Nourished on German fairy tales and her artist father's love of painting and drawing, Wanda was determined to honor his dying wish that she attend art school. "She refused to let go of her passion…. Or the responsibility of educating herself and her sisters and brother…." Each page of text is introduced with a quote from the subject's diaries and letters, and faces a white-framed illustration reflecting the Old World charm of her childhood, which comes to life with Ray's evocative paintings. Readers will want to discover or revisit the work of this classic author after reading this loving tribute.—Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Art sings on the pages of this visual celebration of Arabic calligraphy as Rumford's (Sequoyah) collages of floral and geometric designs and flowing lines deftly echo Arabic language and patterns. Writing a long sentence is like watching a soccer player in slow motion as he kicks the ball across the field, as I leave a trail of dots and loops behind me, says narrator Ali, explaining his love of calligraphy. Spreads incorporating stamps, money and postcards reinforce the Baghdad setting and complement representational scenes, such as an intricate collage of Ali huddling under a blanket next to his cat, writing. Arabic words, translated in places, sometimes embed in the pages as part of the illustrations, even patterning Ali's mother's dress. Like his hero, the famed calligrapher Yakut, who wrote through the destruction of Baghdad in 1258 (he shut out the horror and wrote glistening letters of rhythm and grace), Ali turns to calligraphy during the bombing of Baghdad in 2003. In an eloquent ending, he discovers that while the word war flows easily, the pen stubbornly resists me when I make the difficult waves and slanted staff of salam—peace. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 2–6—Ali describes how he loves soccer; "loud, parent-rattling music"; and calligraphy—forming the elegant Arabic letters, pen "gliding and sweeping, leaping, dancing to the silent music in my head." His "secret hero" is Yakut, a renowned 13th-century calligrapher, and Ali tells how, when Mongols invaded Baghdad in 1258, the man fled to a high tower to shut out the violence by creating beauty, writing "glistening letters of rhythm and grace." Similarly, the boy sought solace from the missiles and bombs that fell on the city in 2003 by practicing calligraphy in his room. Since then, "one war has become another," and he continues to write, contemplating how some words, like "HARB—war," flow easily from the pen, while others, like "SALAM—peace," are more difficult to perfect. Jewel-toned illustrations done in pencil and charcoal and then computer enhanced accompany the lyrical text. Ali and his family are depicted with warmth and personality, and their interactions add intimacy to the story. Elaborately detailed designs appear throughout-intricate tile arrangements, delicate floral motifs, colorfully patterned clothing, even a backdrop that incorporates subtle images of warfare (army vehicles, helicopters, etc). Graceful lines of calligraphy flow across and are incorporated into the artwork. In addition to engendering appreciation for this art form, Rumford's book sheds light on life in war-torn Iraq and builds empathy for those caught in the crossfire.—Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 3–6—Just try to keep kids away from this collection. Inspired book design makes the volume look like an old-school comic. The front cover features an elementary-aged Scieszka popping up out of a military tank, surrounded by explosions and bombers, while the back advertises a "Treasure Chest of Fun" and displays chapter titles and excerpts along with nostalgic graphics. Scieszka answers the oft-asked question, "Where do you get your ideas?" with a slew of childhood anecdotes and his family's escapades that have given him plenty of material from which to draw. Born in 1954, the second of six brothers, he writes about Catholic and military schools, buying gifts, chores, and hand-me-downs—all familiar experiences related with a specific Scieszka twist. His mother, a nurse, insisted that her sons use proper terms for anatomy ("rectum" rather than "butt") and bodily functions ("urinate" rather than "pee"), making way for several laugh-out-loud moments. Some stories are just amiably funny, such as wearing recycled Halloween costumes, while others help readers understand more about how the author developed his unique sense of humor. Although it includes the car trip story from Guys Write for Guys Read (Viking, 2005), Knucklehead is aimed at a younger audience. Family photographs and other period illustrations appear throughout. Entertaining and fast-moving, silly and sweet, this homage to family life is not to be missed.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Although the red-tailed hawk of Fifth Avenue has inspired at least two other picture books, this version stands out for its urbane, reportorial prose and stylish watercolors (according to jacket copy, Schulman wrote with So specifically in mind; the pair also worked together for A Bunny for All Seasons). To Schulman, Pale Male and his family, who became a cause célèbre when they built a nest on a ledge outside one of Manhattan's toniest apartment buildings, deserve to be thought of as true-blue New Yorkers—tough, resourceful, and determined to make it in the city. So seconds that emotion with deft, impressionistic brushstrokes and splashes of color reminiscent of fashion illustration; her images capture not only the cool majesty of the bird, but also the tentative half-flights of the chicks and the eclectic élan of the city that lobbied for them. The politics of the Pale Male story are confronted head-on: the privileged residents of 927 Fifth Avenue, who tried to evict Pale Male by destroying his nest, get a gentle but thorough drubbing. Formidably dressed, clutching highballs and generally scowling, they're in clear violation of Big Apple spirit (the author notes that they took advantage of a time when many conservation and wildlife laws were being relaxed by President George W. Bush's administration). By the final page, even readers who live far from Manhattan will appreciate that Pale Male's significance and stature rise well beyond those of media darling. Ages 6-12. (Mar.)

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School Library Journal: Starred Review. Gr 3–6—Compared to Meghan McCarthy's City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male (S & S) and Jeanette Winter's The Tale of Pale Male: A True Story (Harcourt, both 2007), this book about the first red-tailed hawk to take up residence in New York City's Central Park since its construction in 1857 is more suitable for older readers. Schulman supplies many details missing from the earlier versions, resulting in a more accurate and leisurely story. For example, children who rightly were puzzled about how apartment-building owners were able to destroy and remove Pale Male's nest will learn that they took advantage of newly relaxed rules under the Migratory Bird Treaty. So's illustrations play up the conflict between the upscale building's residents, annoyed with the mess of nesting birds and their garbage, and the growing number of New Yorkers who rallied to force them to allow the birds to nest again. The artist's evocative watercolor and colored pencil pictures perfectly capture the power and grace of the majestic raptors. From the eye-catching endpapers, showing exactly what birders see when they spot a red-tailed hawk in the sky, to the energetic city scenes, readers experience New Yorkers' excitement about Pale Male and his various mates and their offspring and understand why his story has captured the interest of so many people.—Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

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Publishers Weekly: Starred Review. In a work more personal than Caldecott Medalist Shulevitz (The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship) has ever before offered, he summons boyhood memories of WWII and shows how he learned to defeat despair. Fleeing Warsaw shortly after the Germans invaded in 1939, the child Uri and his parents eke out a miserable existence in Kazakhstan. One day, Father comes home from the bazaar with a huge map of the world instead of food. Uri, only four or five, is furious, and as the couple sharing the one-room hut eats that night, the husband noisily chewing a crust as if it were the most delicious morsel in the world, Uri hides under his blanket to cover his envy and rage. But shortly after his father unrolls the map, the boy is swept away by exotic place-names (Okazaki Miyazaki Pinsk,/ Pennsylvania Transylvania Minsk!), picturing them remote from his hunger and suffering. As Uri taps into his artistic imagination and draws maps of his own, Shulevitz's illustrations shed their bleak, neorealist feel, and his beaten-down younger self becomes a Sendakian figure—sturdily compact, balletic, capable of ecstatic, audacious adventures. The story and its triumphant afterword demonstrate that Uri masters much more than geography; he realizes the importance of nurturing the soul. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 2–5—Shulevitz provides a note and early drawings to source this story based on his own childhood experience. A small boy and his parents flee Poland in 1939. They travel to Turkestan (modern-day Kazakhstan) where they live in one room in a house made of "clay, straw, and camel dung" with strangers. When the narrator's father returns from the bazaar with a huge map instead of bread to feed his starving family, his wife and son are furious. But the map turns out to provide food for his spirit as the youngster becomes fascinated by its every detail. Using his imagination, he can transport himself to all of the exotic-sounding places on it without ever leaving the dreary room in which it hangs. The folk-style illustrations, rendered in collage, watercolor, and ink, combined with the brief text, create a perfectly paced story. A page turn to discover where Father is going "one day" brings readers into a Russian bazaar with its crowds of colorful sellers and buyers, the scene closely resembling a drawing the illustrator made at age 10. Scenes framed in white depict the family boxed in by their desperate circumstances, first fleeing their war-torn country with its angry red-black sky, and then cramped in their small room in a distant land. The frames disappear as the boy imagines himself released from his confinement to travel his newly discovered world. This poignant story can spark discussion about the power of the imagination to provide comfort in times of dire need.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT

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Publishers Weekly : Beginning with a direct address—What would you do if someone told you.../ your voice doesn't matter/ because you are a girl?—Stone (Amelia Earhart) fires up readers with a portrait of the 19th-century feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Four-year-old Elizabeth takes umbrage when a visitor sees her baby sister and clucks, What a pity it is she's a girl! Later Elizabeth reads Greek and jumps horses, like contemporary boys, and continues to bristle at injustice. Readers will follow this strong-minded heroine into her adult years, her work as an abolitionist, and her historic role as an activist and visionary. While not a detailed biography or an overview of the women's suffrage movement, this inviting story nevertheless offers a good jumping-off point. The sometimes informational tone is animated and energized by Gibbon's (Players in Pigtails) plentiful vignettes and paintings, rendered in a vibrant folk-art style. Ages 6–10. (May)

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School Library Journal : Gr 1–4—Stone looks at the life of Stanton from childhood to her emergence as a pioneering leader of women's rights. The "strong-spirited, rule-breaking" girl asserted her independence by embracing physical and academic challenges and by questioning traditional viewpoints. This comes through in energetic, lucid prose that focuses on Elizabeth's ideas and feelings rather than on specific events. By consistently sticking to the subject's own experiences, without detours into historical details or even any dates, the author introduces a historical figure whom readers can relate to as a person. Excellent gouache and colored pencil illustrations, rendered in a lighthearted folk-art style, provide rich background for the brief text. They establish the time period through visual details and capture Stanton's spirit and the attitudes of those she encounters without overstatement. The book culminates with the event that propelled the woman into the national spotlight: her presentation at a convention in Seneca Falls, NY, in 1848, of the Declaration of Right and Sentiments, which included a call for women's voting rights. "Elizabeth had tossed a stone in the water and the ripples grew wider and wider and wider." An author's note briefly covers Stanton's subsequent accomplishments. Through words and pictures that work together and an emphasis on ideas and personality rather than factoids, this well-conceived introduction is just right for a young audience.—Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR

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School Library Journal : Gr 1–4—The varieties of African-American ethnic heritage are often rendered invisible by the rigid construction of racial identity that insists on polarities. This collection of 12 poems makes the complexities of a layered heritage visible and the many skin shades celebrated. Read-aloud-sized spreads offer luminous artwork that complements the verses in which children speak of their various hues: "I am midnight and berries…" a child says in the title poem. In another selection, a boy recalls his Seminole grandmother who has given him the color of "red raspberries stirred into blackberries." In "Cranberry Red," a child asserts that "it's my Irish ancestors/Who reddened the Africa in my face," understanding that "When we measure who we are/We don't leave anybody out." The large illustrations match the lyrical poetry's emotional range. Cooper's method includes "pulling" the drawing out from a background of oil paint and glazes. With his subtractive method, he captures the joy of these children—the sparkle of an eye, the width of a grin, the lovely depths of their skin, and the light that radiates from within. This book complements titles that explore identity, such as Katie Kissinger's All the Colors We Are (Redleaf, 1994).—Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti Montessori Magnet School, Springfield, MA

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School Library Journal : Gr 5 Up—This fantasy takes place in a land reminiscent of ancient Japan, populated by the indigenous Yakoo people and the immigrant Yogo who now rule. Both peoples tell a story of a child and a water spirit but with much different details. For the Yogo, the child was possessed by a water demon, while for the Yakoo, the water spirit was essential to prevent a horrendous drought. Now, it seems that this spirit has returned and is somehow living in Prince Chagum, and his father feels that he must have his son assassinated to defeat the demon. Chagum's mother prevails upon Balsa, a bodyguard-for-hire, to flee the capital with Chagum. Balsa is wounded after fighting off four of the assassins and seeks shelter with her friend Tanda, a healer. As she begins to train Chagum in life outside the palace, Tanda and his teacher Torogai begin researching Yakoo folklore and employing magic to discover more about this water spirit. In the meantime, the Yogo Star Readers research their records. Only through their combined studies are they able to learn the nature of the true danger and the means to defeat it. Whether from the original or through the translation, there are a few rough spots in the dialogue. Still, this book should appeal to fans of medieval and fantasy manga and of Usagi Yojimbo. The forthcoming manga and anime will also create interest.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

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School Library Journal : Gr 6–10—Set in New York City at the beginning of the American Revolution, Chains addresses the price of freedom both for a nation and for individuals. Isabel tells the story of her life as a slave. She was sold with her five-year-old sister to a cruel Loyalist family even though the girls were to be free upon the death of their former owner. She has hopes of finding a way to freedom and becomes a spy for the rebels, but soon realizes that it is difficult to trust anyone. She chooses to find someone to help her no matter which side he or she is on. With short chapters, each beginning with a historical quote, this fast-paced novel reveals the heartache and struggles of a country and slave fighting for freedom. The characters are well developed, and the situations are realistic. An author's note gives insight into issues surrounding the Revolutionary War and the fight for the nation's freedom even though 20 percent of its people were in chains. Well researched and affecting in its presentation, the story offers readers a fresh look at the conflict and struggle of a developing nation.—Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. SignatureReviewed by Megan Whalen TurnerIf there really are only seven original plots in the world, it's odd that boy meets girl is always mentioned, and society goes bad and attacks the good guy never is. Yet we have Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, The House of the Scorpion—and now, following a long tradition of Brave New Worlds, The Hunger Games. Collins hasn't tied her future to a specific date, or weighted it down with too much finger wagging. Rather less 1984 and rather more Death Race 2000, hers is a gripping story set in a postapocalyptic world where a replacement for the United States demands a tribute from each of its territories: two children to be used as gladiators in a televised fight to the death.Katniss, from what was once Appalachia, offers to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, but after this ultimate sacrifice, she is entirely focused on survival at any cost. It is her teammate, Peeta, who recognizes the importance of holding on to one's humanity in such inhuman circumstances. It's a credit to Collins's skill at characterization that Katniss, like a new Theseus, is cold, calculating and still likable. She has the attributes to be a winner, where Peeta has the grace to be a good loser.It's no accident that these games are presented as pop culture. Every generation projects its fear: runaway science, communism, overpopulation, nuclear wars and, now, reality TV. The State of Panem—which needs to keep its tributaries subdued and its citizens complacent—may have created the Games, but mindless television is the real danger, the means by which society pacifies its citizens and punishes those who fail to conform. Will its connection to reality TV, ubiquitous today, date the book? It might, but for now, it makes this the right book at the right time. What happens if we choose entertainment over humanity? In Collins's world, we'll be obsessed with grooming, we'll talk funny, and all our sentences will end with the same rise as questions. When Katniss is sent to stylists to be made more telegenic before she competes, she stands naked in front of them, strangely unembarrassed. They're so unlike people that I'm no more self-conscious than if a trio of oddly colored birds were pecking around my feet, she thinks. In order not to hate these creatures who are sending her to her death, she imagines them as pets. It isn't just the contestants who risk the loss of their humanity. It is all who watch.Katniss struggles to win not only the Games but the inherent contest for audience approval. Because this is the first book in a series, not everything is resolved, and what is left unanswered is the central question. Has she sacrificed too much? We know what she has given up to survive, but not whether the price was too high. Readers will wait eagerly to learn more.Megan Whalen Turner is the author of the Newbery Honor book The Thief and its sequels, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia. The next book in the series will be published by Greenwillow in 2010.

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School Library Journal : Gr 7 Up?In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss?s young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district?s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins?s characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like ?Survivor? and ?American Gladiator.? Book one of a planned trilogy.Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Connor (Dead on Town Line) treats the subject of child neglect with honesty and grace in this poignant story. Addie's stepfather, Dwight, has always been the responsible one in the family. But after he and her mother divorce, and he gets custody of Addie's two younger half-sisters, it's up to Addie, a sixth-grader, to keep order in the tiny trailer that Dwight has found for Addie and her mother. While her mother disappears for days at a time with her new boyfriend, Addie cultivates friendships with people she meets at a neighboring convenience store, but the affection she receives from others doesn't compensate for the absence of love in her home. Addie works hard to fill the void her volatile mother creates, and Addie's attempts to make things normal result in some of the most moving scenes: she keeps the cabinets full by putting empty boxes of food on the shelf for show. In such moments Connor shows both the extent to which Addie has been abandoned and just how resilient and resourceful she is. Characters as persuasively optimistic as Addie are rare, and readers will gravitate to her. Ages 10-up. (Feb.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 6–8—A story centered around loss, heartbreak, abandonment, and new beginnings. Although Dwight is no longer Addie's stepfather due to his divorce from her mother, the two still share an unbreakable bond. Dwight secures a trailer for Addie and her mother in an unremarkable part of Schenectady, NY. Mommers sleeps during the day and leaves Addie at night to pursue "business" interests with her new boyfriend. Meanwhile, Dwight has moved to Lake George with Addie's half sisters, for whom he was awarded custody. Despite the many upheavals in her young life, Addie adjusts as well as she can. She participates in the school orchestra, despite the fact that her dyslexia makes learning the music challenging. Her mother's antipathy toward Dwight doesn't prevent her from allowing Addie to visit him and her sisters during school breaks, during which she gets a taste of normalcy. However, the woman's irresponsibility, inability to tell the truth, and frequent absences, often for days at a time, put Addie in danger. Connor has created a winning and positive father-figure/daughter relationship between Dwight and Addie. She introduces serious topics such as cancer, neglect, and learning disabilities without sensationalizing or trivializing the subjects. Although Mommers is clearly an unfit parent, Connor does show believable instances of her love for her children, juxtaposed with scenes of embarrassingly childish behavior and cutting remarks.—Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA

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School Library Journal : Gr 9 Up—Often, popular knowledge of Cuba begins and ends with late-20th-century textbook fare: the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Fidel Castro. The Surrender Tree, however, transports readers to another, though no less tumultuous, era. Spanning the years 1850–1899, Engle's poems construct a narrative woven around the nation's Wars for Independence. The poems are told in alternating voices, though predominantly by Rosa, a "freed" slave and natural healer destined to a life on the lam in the island' s wild interior. Other narrators include Teniente Muerte, or Lieutenant Death, the son of a slave hunter turned ruthless soldier; José, Rosa's husband and partner in healing; and Silvia, an escapee from one of Cuba's reconcentration camps. The Surrender Tree is hauntingly beautiful, revealing pieces of Cuba's troubled past through the poetry of hidden moments such as the glimpse of a woman shuttling children through a cave roof for Rosa's care or the snapshot of runaway Chinese slaves catching a crocodile to eat. Though the narrative feels somewhat repetitive in its first third, one comes to realize it is merely symbolic of the unending cycle of war and the necessity for Rosa and other freed slaves to flee domesticity each time a new conflict begins. Aside from its considerable stand-alone merit, this book, when paired with Engle's The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano (Holt, 2006), delivers endless possibilities for discussion about poetry, colonialism, slavery, and American foreign policy.—Jill Heritage Maza, Greenwich High School, CT

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 5–9—This biography covers enough of Samuel Clemens's youth for readers to appreciate how autobiographical Twain's later novels were, but the seven years that the writer spent meandering the Wild West are at the heart of the book. Fleischman chronicles Clemens's various bouts of gold fever and get-rich-quick schemes in the Nevada Territory and the San Francisco area, but shows that it was always his newspaper writing that provided stability. At age 30, Clemens was reborn as Mark Twain when his short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was accepted by a magazine and drew popular acclaim. An "Afterstory" provides brief information on Twain's subsequent marriage and the publication of the novels for which he is most famous. Although similar in scope to Kathryn Lasky's A Brilliant Streak: The Making of Mark Twain (Harcourt, 1998), Fleischman's account is more engaging as he slips easily into Twain's drawling cadences. The illustrations and photographs are rich and varied, and the back matter is a work of art in itself: the time line, annotated bibliography, and references will prove useful to report writers, and the inclusion of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog…" is an extra treat.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 6 Up—What did this backwoods boy and this bluegrass girl have in common? Using her signature scrapbook approach, Fleming lays out the answer in a biography that gives equal emphasis to Abraham and Mary Lincoln for an insightful portrait of their lives. Her scholarship over five years pays off with a rich account that is personal and concrete. She recounts Mary's early life as a privileged—but motherless—child, her ambitions for her husband, and her role as "first lady" (a term originally coined for her). Large and small details are juxtaposed with specifics about Lincoln and broadened by Mary's significance. For example, a political decision was made regarding her attendance at the debates; Lincoln wanted to preserve his "common man" image rather than show off his refined and educated wife. Unlike most biographies, which conclude with Lincoln's death, this one follows Mary's story to the end, detailing Robert Todd's role in her commitment to an insane asylum, Tad's death, and her own demise. Presented in period typefaces, the boxed bits of text, sidebars, and numerous running heads and subheads add detail. From portraits to pets, the book contains a wide variety of graphics, including written and visual primary documents that enrich every spread. Notes, resources, and source notes are exemplary. It's hard to imagine a more engaging or well-told biography of the Lincolns.—Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 4–8—Another stunning work from the nonfiction virtuoso. In a gripping, gritty account of the months that General Washington and his troops spent camped at Valley Forge, Freedman deftly brings to life this storied, nearly mythic period of the Revolutionary War. Vivid depictions of the harsh realities, not just the difficult winter weather, but also the lack of food, supplies, and clothing, all came together to create a perfect storm of misery that led to low morale, desertions, and death. Using first-person accounts from a variety of sources, Freedman offers a stirring portrait of a man who not only demanded that Congress step up its support of the troops, but who also brought in military experts to help transform the ragtag militia into a unified, trained military force. Everything—from quotes to images—is impeccably sourced, and a thorough, annotated bibliography is appended. Interwoven throughout are sepia-toned images that range from photographs of historical sites to reproductions of period artwork, which help to immerse readers in the era. Pair this with Thomas B. Allen's George Washington, Spymaster (National Geographic, 2007) and the man behind the legend becomes more intriguing and real to budding historians. An excellent choice for every collection.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

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School Library Journal : Gr 8 Up—Jiménez, the son of Mexican immigrants, left behind a life of hard work and poverty when he entered Santa Clara University in 1962. Here, he chronicles his college years and introduces people who befriended him as well as those who had prejudices against Mexicans. Throughout his story, the difficulties of his transition from family life to college life are evident. His palpable fear of failure was mitigated by those who helped him recognize his worth and develop and strengthen his character. The book ends as he is bound for graduate school at Columbia University. This sequel to Breaking Through (2001) and The Circuit (1999, both Houghton) again brings to the forefront the daily trials of poor immigrant families. The author poignantly relates his family's struggles and how their teamwork enabled him to attend college. While the book relates his trials and successes, it also tells how his family members overcame their own obstacles. Using the style of a good storyteller, Jiménez gives voice to strong familial bonds with an intensity that is both compelling and honest. The family photographs at the end of the book add a nice touch.—Sharon Morrison, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant, OK

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. A Caldecott Medalist and MacArthur Fellow, perhaps best known for his pithily written, illuminatingly illustrated The Way Things Work, Macaulay has devoted himself for years to this illustrated guide aimed at demystifying the workings of the human body. Picture book or not, adults may constitute a significant percentage of its eventual audience. The book is astonishingly comprehensive, beginning with the structure of a cell, traveling through various systems (e.g., respiratory, digestive, etc.) and ending with childbirth. Followers of Macaulay will expect some wit, and it is evident, not just in captions but in throwaways, as in an explanation of taste that acknowledges that smell is the senior partner. However, the writing is often highly technical (When a nonsteroid hormone arrives at its target cell, it binds to a receptor protein projecting from the cells surface). The full-color drawings may help readers understand the language, but despite the friendly format, with one topic per spread, this is not a book for casual browsing nor for most preteens. On the other hand, motivated teens will feel theyve gone to premed heaven. Ages 10–up. (Oct.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 6 Up—An ambitious undertaking even for Macaulay, this volume tackles the human body in the author's usual style. Divided into seven sections that connect related systems, the book covers cellular structure at the atomic scale, DNA, and metabolism; respiration and circulation; digestion and elimination; the nervous and endocrine systems; the immune system and fighting infections; the skeleton, musculature, and movement; and reproduction. Macaulay combines a detailed description with frequently whimsical, yet very informative, color diagrams to illustrate the body's functions. At times challenging due to the nature of the topic (e.g., cellular chemistry, nerve impulses), the text incorporates the same subtle humor found in the artwork to enhance the book's appeal without sacrificing its utility. As Macaulay shies away from no topic in his frank, scientific discussions, the result is a very complete description of the "mechanical" aspect of human anatomy that is at once enlightening, entertaining, and a visual delight.—Jeffrey A. French, formerly at Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, Willowick, OH

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Publishers Weekly : In her U.S. debut, Michaelis tells a sweeping story about a thief-turned-hero named Farhad, who mounts a sacred white tiger and journeys across a desert to rescue the god Krishna's daughter from a demon king. Amid the chaos of colonial India, Farhad calls often on the Hindu gods, but different faiths live in close proximity. Among other people and places, Farhad is led to a beautiful, spiritual Englishwoman, to the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha found enlightenment and to an Islamic mosque. Farhad's quest is relayed as a story within a story, set into an overarching frame about a poor girl named Safia, married off to a rich man who may kill her when he discovers she is not a virgin. Readers may feel as if they've encountered one of the many tricksters populating this book when this thrilling frame first opens upon Farhad; a third of the novel will have elapsed before Safia reappears, just when Farhad's story is finally taking off. Fortunately, the evolution of the relationship between the sacred tiger and Farhad is ripe with emotion, and the eventual resolution between the two stories is satisfying. Michaelis's novel takes commitment, but proves thoroughly worthwhile. Ages 12–up. (Nov.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 8 Up—In this fairy tale of India set during the early 1900s, Raka, a young bride who is awaiting certain death at the hands of her evil husband, spins a story for Lalit, a servant in the Rajah's house. In her tale, a con man and a thief, Farhad, is recruited to rescue the Hindu god Krishna's daughter from marriage to a demon king. He is aided by a sacred white tiger and carries a bloodstone that almost causes his death. As the two stories intertwine, the lines between fantasy and reality are blurred. The plot is fast paced and exciting, and the story gives an excellent overview of the conflicts of India at the time of British occupation, and of Hindu religious beliefs. The factual background adds to the overall feel of a wildly colorful and diverse country. The character development is also admirable, as readers see Farhad grow from a scared 16-year-old thief to a hero willing to die for his cause. What is most amazing about the story is the beautiful language and phrases that make readers feel as though they are sitting in India listening to Raka's story. A distinguished book for older fairy-tale fans.—Jennifer-Lynn Draper, Children's Literature Consultant, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

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Publishers Weekly: Starred Review. In his first outing as author as well as illustrator, Nelson (Ellington Was Not a Street) delivers a history of the Negro Leagues in a sumptuous volume that no baseball fan should be without. Using a folksy vernacular, a fictional player gives an insider account of segregated baseball, explaining the aggressive style of play (Those fellows would bunt and run you to death. Drove pitchers crazy!) and recalling favorite players. Of Satchel Paige, he says, Even his slow stuff was fast. As illuminating as the text is, Nelson's muscular paintings serve as the true draw. His larger-than-life players have oversized hands, elongated bodies and near-impossible athleticism. Their lined faces suggest the seriousness with which they took their sport and the circumstances under which they were made to play it. A gatefold depicting the first Colored World Series is particularly exquisite—a replica ticket opens from the gutter to reveal the entire line-ups of both teams. And while this large, square book (just a shade smaller than a regulation-size base) succeeds as coffee-table art, it soars as a tribute to the individuals, like the legendary Josh Gibson, who was ultimately elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame without ever playing in the major leagues. As Nelson's narrator says, We had many Josh Gibsons in the Negro Leagues.... But you never heard about them. It's a shame the world didn't get to see them play. Ages 8-up. (Jan.)

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School Library Journal: Starred Review. Gr 3 Up—In this attractive, oversized book, Nelson offers an appreciative tribute to the Negro Leagues. Adopting the perspective and voice of an elderly ballplayer, he offers a readable account that is infused with an air of nostalgic oral history: "Seems like we've been playing baseball for a mighty long time. At least as long as we've been free." With African Americans banned from playing in the major leagues, Rube Foster organized the Negro Leagues in 1920 and grandly proclaimed: "We are the ship; all else the sea." From 1920 through the 1940s, they offered African Americans an opportunity to play ball and earn a decent living when opportunities to do so were scarce. Nine chapters offer an overview of the founding and history of the leagues, the players, style of play, and the league's eventual demise after Jackie Robinson broke major league baseball's color barrier in 1947. Nelson's brilliant, almost iconic paintings vividly complement his account. Starting with the impressive cover painting of a proud, determined Josh Gibson, the artist brings to light the character and inherent dignity of his subjects. Hank Aaron, who started his Hall of Fame career in the Negro Leagues, contributes a heartfelt foreword. This work expands on the excellent overview offered in Carole Boston Weatherford's A Negro League Scrapbook (Boyds Mills, 2005). It is an engaging tribute that should resonate with a wide audience and delight baseball fans of all ages.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

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School Library Journal : Gr 4 Up—This handsome photo-essay features contemporary Afghan children ranging in age from 8 to 18 years. They were asked about their families, lives, and hopes for the future. The young people's straightforward statements tell much about the devastating effects of decades of war. Some of them are still able to attend school; others wish they could. Even the youngest children work part of the day, often at street markets or in their family businesses, such as rug making. Two 10-year-olds pick pockets to survive. The matter-of-fact way they describe losing parents, siblings, and homes to war is jarring. Overall, the book provides a sensitive, poignant, and respectful look at the lives of these young people. It avoids sentimentality and politicizing. While the book will need an introduction, it offers Western children insight into a country and society often featured in the news. This is a timely, relevant, and well-executed offering.—Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. In Carnegie Medalist Pratchett's (the Discworld novels; A Hat Full of Sky) superb mix of alternate history and fantasy, the king of England, along with the next 137 people in line to the throne, has just succumbed to the plague; the era might be akin to the 1860s or '70s. As the heir apparent is being fetched from his new post as governor of an island chain in the South Pelagic Ocean, his daughter, the redoubtable Ermintrude, still en route to join him in the South Pelagic, has been shipwrecked by a tsunami. She meets Mau, whose entire people have been wiped out by the great wave (he escaped their fate only because he was undergoing an initiation rite on another island). She and Mau each suffer profound crises of faith, and together they re-establish Mau's nation from other survivors who gradually wash up on shore and rediscover (with guidance from spirits) its remarkable lost heritage. Neatly balancing the somber and the wildly humorous in a riveting tale of discovery, Pratchett shows himself at the height of his powers. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 7–10—In this first novel for young people set outside of Discworld, Pratchett again shows his humor and humanity. Worlds are destroyed and cultures collide when a tsunami hits islands in a vast ocean much like the Pacific. Mau, a boy on his way back home from his initiation period and ready for the ritual that will make him a man, is the only one of his people, the Nation, to survive. Ermintrude, a girl from somewhere like Britain in a time like the 19th century, is on her way to meet her father, the governor of the Mothering Sunday islands. She is the sole survivor of her ship (or so she thinks), which is wrecked on Mau's island. She reinvents herself as Daphne, and uses her wits and practical sense to help the straggling refugees from nearby islands who start arriving. When raiders land on the island, they are led by a mutineer from the wrecked ship, and Mau must use all of his ingenuity to outsmart him. Then, just as readers are settling in to thinking that all will be well in the new world that Daphne and Mau are helping to build, Pratchett turns the story on its head. The main characters are engaging and interesting, and are the perfect medium for the author's sly humor. Daphne is a close literary cousin of Tiffany Aching in her common sense and keen intelligence wedded to courage. A rich and thought-provoking read.—Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. The last word is Hope, yet Reeve (Mortal Engines) injects deep cynicism into every other phrase of this Arthurian fable. As he tells it, Myrddin the enchanter is a charlatan of high degree, possessing no magic but a mastery of storytelling and fraud. Gwyna, the narrator, is perhaps nine years old when Myrddin sees her swim down a river to escape a house set afire by callous, marauding warlord Arthur. Myrddin promptly disguises her first as the Lady of the Lake and then as a boy apprentice. Gwyna soon learns to trust no one, doubt everything and scorn both male and female roles. She even becomes skeptical of the empire-building ambition behind Myrddin's efforts to recast Arthur's unremarkable exploits as the stuff of legend. Nodding to canon and history while not particularly following either (Lancelot and Morgan le Fay are notably absent), Reeve, like Myrddin, turns hallowed myth and supple prose to political purposes, neatly skewering the modern-day cult of spin and the age-old trickery behind it. Smart teens will love this. Ages 12–up. (Nov.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 8 Up—Reeve offers up a revisionist retelling of the Arthurian legend, set in southwest Britain in A.D. 500, and exposing the dark side of Camelot. Arthur is a brutal, bullying tyrant, and not terribly bright. His fame stems solely from the stories spun by Myrrdin, a traveling bard and trickster. But this story is not primarily Arthur's. It is Gwyna's, a child who is rescued by Myrddin when her village is sacked and burned. Myrrdin takes her under his care, disguising her first as the Lady of the Lake, and then as a boy. When adolescence arrives, Myrrdin reintroduces her to Arthur's court as a maid and she falls in love with Peredur, who has spent his childhood disguised as a girl. While the switching sexual identities may keep readers a bit off kilter, having the narrator be both Gwyn and Gwyna allows a dual perspective on Arthurian times. Reeve does not shy away from violence and gory battle scenes. When Arthur learns that his wife Gwenhwyfar is committing adultery with his young nephew, he beats and beheads Bedwyr in a particularly bloody episode. Gwenhwyfar is driven to suicide. Gwyna learns that Arthur's heroism and fame stem not from magic and noble deeds but rather from the stories Myrrdin spins. Indeed, with his death, she picks up his mantle. The power of stories is a theme of the novel. Reeve's usual lyrical, cinematic prose underscores the message that in the end perhaps they are the only things that matter. A multilayered tour de force for mature young readers.—Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 5–8—This book picks up where The Way a Door Closes (Holt, 2003) left off. Now that C.J.'s father, who had left the family, has returned, the teen notes that dinners are like "a roomful of strangers" and that he feels weighed down by "brick heavy" questions. Wise beyond his years, eldest son C.J. felt it was his role to "keep the night watch" during his father's absence. Now, he feels displaced in his own home and seethes with anger and resentment. Gradually, everyone starts to move on: C.J. experiences the awkward elation of first love, tries his hand at shaving, and argues and makes up with his best friend. His little sister sends love notes to each family member, and, at book's end, C.J. and his family come together: "We dance on our tears." As in the previous book, Smith masterfully brings her characters to life from the inside out in straightforward free verse. Lewis uses his brilliantly composed, watercolor-and-ink paintings to underscore the strong emotions of the text. This hopeful book celebrates the power of families to heal and overcome hard times. It will speak to the hearts of many readers.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

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Publishers Weekly: Starred Review. As she did in Feathers with the poetry of Emily Dickinson, Woodson here invokes the music of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, whose songs address the inequalities confronting many African-Americans. In 1994, the anonymous narrator is 11, and Tupac has been shot. Everyone in her safe Queens neighborhood is listening to his music and talking about him, even though the world he sings about seems remote to her. Meanwhile D, a foster child, meets the narrator and her best friend, Neeka, while roaming around the city by herself (She's like from another planet. The Planet of the Free, Neeka later remarks). They become close, calling themselves Three the Hard Way, and Tupac's music becomes a soundtrack for the two years they spend together. Early on, when Tupac sings, ''Brenda's Got a Baby,'' about a girl putting her baby in a trash can, D explains, ''He sings about the things that I'm living,'' and Neeka and the narrator become aware of all the ''stuff we ain't gonna know [about D],'' who never does tell them where she lives or who her mother is. The story ends in 1996 with Tupac's untimely death and the reappearance of D's mother, who takes D with her, out of roaming range. Woodson delicately unfolds issues about race and less obvious forms of oppression as the narrator becomes aware of them; occasionally, the plot feels manipulated toward that purpose. Even so, the subtlety and depth with which the author conveys the girls' relationships lend this novel exceptional vividness and staying power. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 6–10—D Foster, Neeka, and an unnamed narrator grow from being 11 to 13 with Tupac Shakur's music, shootings, and legal troubles as the backdrop. Neeka and the narrator have lived on the same block forever and are like sisters, but foster child D shows up during the summer of 1994, while she is out "roaming." D immediately finds a place in the heart of the other girls, and the "Three the Hard Way" bond over their love of Tupac's music. It seems especially relevant to D, who sees truth in his lyrics, having experienced the hard life herself in group homes and with multiple foster families. Woodson's spare, poetic, language and realistic Queens, NY, street vernacular reveal a time and a relationship, each chapter a vignette depicting an event in the lives of the girls and evoking mood more than telling a story. In this urban setting, there are, refreshingly, caring adults and children playing on the street instead of drug dealers on every corner. Readers are right on the block with bossy mothers, rope-jumping girls, and chess-playing elders. With Tupac's name and picture on the cover, this slim volume will immediately appeal to teens, and the emotions and high-quality writing make it a book well worth recommending. By the end, readers realize that, along with the girls, they don't really know D at all. As she says, "I came on this street and y'all became my friends. That's the D puzzle." And readers will find it a puzzle well worth their time.—Kelly Vikstrom, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 2–6—Arnosky's infectious enthusiasm for nature is evident in this short overview. The author invites readers to notice the variations among the tracks of different animals native to North America and the ways that the tracks of individual species can change and fool us. Readers learn that bears walking on slippery surfaces splay their toes so that their tracks give the impression of a larger animal. Arnosky lets children in on these insiders' tips with the amiable tone of a knowledgeable guide. Three kinds of illustrations support the text. The left side of each spread displays one of the artist's signature paintings with a colorful setting backing up a precisely rendered animal. Pencil sketches of rows of tracks with measurements hint at the notebook he keeps (and surely hopes that his young readers will keep as well). Finally, life-size paintings of indented prints serve as a guide for readers lucky enough to find an animal track for comparison. Four fold-out pages add to the appeal of the book as a package but may not hold up well through many circulations. There are a number of other books on this topic for children, including Arnosky's own Crinkleroot's Guide To Animal Tracking (S & S, 1989; o.p.), but this new entry is worthy of purchase for its inviting format and its promising premise that kids can find tracks, interpret them, and have a great time outdoors.—Ellen Heath, Easton Area Public Library, Easton, PA

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Publishers Weekly : Baby Einstein grads seeking their first coffee-table book might savor this abecedary, which pays homage to abstract expressionism and pop art. Johnson (Alphabet City) creates a multimedia artwork for each letter and describes it with a lengthy alliterative caption. Letter C's Camouflage consists of countless colorful candies in a clear circular container. In H's Hoopla, an installation of silvery-blue hula hoops hangs from an industrial ceiling, while M's Meditation on the Memory of a Princess references fairy tales with eight stacked magenta mattresses and a mini mauve marble. Connoisseurs will detect allusions to Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein and Motherwell; details of the pieces sometimes become microscopic on the pages, but a dust-jacket photo of Johnson in his studio confirms this project's impressive scope. Unfortunately, salient associations can be lost in transition to page with the reduction of scale. Crisp white backgrounds reinforce the book's resemblance to an exhibition catalogue, as does a disconcertingly lofty foreword where Johnson explains, I took ordinary objects and made them unfamiliar, removing functionality in order to reveal their potential metaphorical associations. The apparatus may not enhance the ABC game, but opens the book to an adult audience. Ages 5–9. (Sept.)

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School Library Journal : Gr 3 Up—This exciting alphabetic compendium began with a dictionary. Following years of study and work as a realistic painter, Johnson found himself wanting to explore abstract art. He started by collecting words for each letter of the alphabet. Then, he created a piece based on their meanings. For example, the caption for Dotty Diptych reads "Densely distributed dominoes, divided by dark and light dots on dual panels, disappear under drips of dramatically dashed paint dribbling downwards." Inside the white border of the page is the vivid reproduction of two wooden panels covered in dominoes. As with each of the 26 works of art, there is more to be discovered. Here, yellow and white paint covers some of the dominoes, transforming everyday game pieces into dimpled bricks. Also, Johnson has hidden a letter of the alphabet in most of his creations. The works vary from paintings and collages to sculptures to installations, and an index reveals the locations of the hidden letters as well as dimensions and materials for the pieces. Children will enjoy seeing everyday objects like candy used in his creations, and will no doubt be inspired to come up with some abstract art of their own. This book may easily spark discussions about what can be used to make art and who decides what it is. In an author's note, Johnson shares his thoughts on this matter. For more inspiration, see Joyce Raimondo's What's the Big Idea? Activities and Adventures in Abstract Art (Watson-Guptill, 2008).—Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO

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Publishers Weekly : Baby Einstein grads seeking their first coffee-table book might savor this abecedary, which pays homage to abstract expressionism and pop art. Johnson (Alphabet City) creates a multimedia artwork for each letter and describes it with a lengthy alliterative caption. Letter C's Camouflage consists of countless colorful candies in a clear circular container. In H's Hoopla, an installation of silvery-blue hula hoops hangs from an industrial ceiling, while M's Meditation on the Memory of a Princess references fairy tales with eight stacked magenta mattresses and a mini mauve marble. Connoisseurs will detect allusions to Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein and Motherwell; details of the pieces sometimes become microscopic on the pages, but a dust-jacket photo of Johnson in his studio confirms this project's impressive scope. Unfortunately, salient associations can be lost in transition to page with the reduction of scale. Crisp white backgrounds reinforce the book's resemblance to an exhibition catalogue, as does a disconcertingly lofty foreword where Johnson explains, I took ordinary objects and made them unfamiliar, removing functionality in order to reveal their potential metaphorical associations. The apparatus may not enhance the ABC game, but opens the book to an adult audience. Ages 5–9. (Sept.)

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School Library Journal : Gr 3 Up—This exciting alphabetic compendium began with a dictionary. Following years of study and work as a realistic painter, Johnson found himself wanting to explore abstract art. He started by collecting words for each letter of the alphabet. Then, he created a piece based on their meanings. For example, the caption for Dotty Diptych reads "Densely distributed dominoes, divided by dark and light dots on dual panels, disappear under drips of dramatically dashed paint dribbling downwards." Inside the white border of the page is the vivid reproduction of two wooden panels covered in dominoes. As with each of the 26 works of art, there is more to be discovered. Here, yellow and white paint covers some of the dominoes, transforming everyday game pieces into dimpled bricks. Also, Johnson has hidden a letter of the alphabet in most of his creations. The works vary from paintings and collages to sculptures to installations, and an index reveals the locations of the hidden letters as well as dimensions and materials for the pieces. Children will enjoy seeing everyday objects like candy used in his creations, and will no doubt be inspired to come up with some abstract art of their own. This book may easily spark discussions about what can be used to make art and who decides what it is. In an author's note, Johnson shares his thoughts on this matter. For more inspiration, see Joyce Raimondo's What's the Big Idea? Activities and Adventures in Abstract Art (Watson-Guptill, 2008).—Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO

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Publishers Weekly : Starred Review.Eight years in the making, this anthology of White House history convenes an all-star roster of 108 children's authors and illustrators, as well as a few scholars and former White House employees and residentsùand it is a blue-ribbon choice for family sharing during an election year. Chronologically ordered, the entries range from poems to presidential speeches, satirical cartoons to stately portraits; despite the talents of the literary contributors (Kate DiCamillo offers a poem about Lincoln's death, Patricia MacLachlan describes Eleanor Roosevelt's rescue of a cat belonging to a young girl), perhaps the most striking writings are those that most closely adhere to the historical record. Barbara Kerley details Thomas Jefferson's passion for paleontology, and M.T. Anderson describes White House ghosts (Churchill, visited by a spectral Lincoln, ôtapped the ash off the end of his cigar and said, 'Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage' ö). But few of the writers create the same impact as the occasional document: Robert Kennedy addresses the nation after Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, and Richard Nixon bids farewell to the White House staff. (That young readers will react to these documents is in no small part due to the writers' success in establishing the contexts for them.) Among the most provocative entries are works by artists who ôlook inö on the White House with a demonstrably personal vision: David Small shares color sketches of ôbackstairs at the White House,ö a study in contrasts; Bob Kolar arranges the presidents as if on a board game, with clever annotations (who knew President Arthur held a yard sale while in office?); Peter S?supplies 37 characteristically enigmatic portraits to illustrate freedom to worship. Although a few entries seem formulaic, the volume makes the invaluable point that history does not have to be remote or abstract, but a personal and ongoing engagement.

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School Library Journal : Starred Review. Gr 3–8—More than 100 authors and illustrators contributed to this wide-ranging collection of short pieces about the First Family residence. Most participants are creators of books for youth, along with a sprinkling of other figures, such as historian David McCullough, and actual White House occupants. Arranged in general chronological order, the chapters are delightfully varied in form, tone, and subject matter. They include straightforward history, brief essays, personal narratives, and even fantasy, as in Meg Cabot's lighthearted time-travel story. The handsome layout and excellent-quality illustrations provide strong appeal. The pairing of words and art is often inspired, as in Maybelle Mayer's paper doll cutouts from 1938 that accompany Nancy Willard's poem about White House dresses. There are powerful visual moments as well, such as the dazzling series of spreads featuring visual interpretations of Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms," each by a different artist. Many segments convey personal details that humanize the presidential families, such as Virginia Euwer Wolff's introduction to the musical sophistication of the Tafts and Anita Silvey's look at Jackie Kennedy's literary career. Humor plays a role too, as in Steven Kellogg's artistic rendering of an imagined "Best in Show" contest among White House pets. Some readers will progress straight through from Jane Yolen's imagined conversation between John and Abigail Adams to the first National Book Festival in 2001, while others may browse and jump about; either way, this entertaining introduction to the White House is full of fascinating information, challenging ideas, and appealing artwork.—Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR

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