Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. Of course, the recent death of Senator Kennedy adds an extra layer of poignancy, but this would be a welcome addition to the political memoir bookshelf under any circumstances. Drawing upon a series of oral history interviews, and with the help of Ron Powers (Flags of Our Fathers), Kennedy devotes more than half of the book to the first half of his life-growing up as the youngest of his generation, gaining a political education while touring the western U.S. for Jack's presidential campaign in 1960, clashing with Lyndon Johnson over Vietnam, and the heartache of Jack and Bobby's assassinations. After a brief section on Chappaquiddick, Kennedy tends to the anecdotal when discussing his political career from clashing with Nixon over Supreme Court nominations to campaigning for Barack Obama. (Recollections of courting his second wife, Vicki, bring a welcome spark of personal charm.) Some readers may feel there is not quite enough introspection-while acknowledging his first wife's alcoholism, for example, Kennedy glosses over his own drinking problems-but despite the firm line he draws in the sand about discussing his personal life, Kennedy's tone of contrition is sincere. When he was a child, Kennedy's father told him, "You can have a serious life or a nonserious life." He chose the former, and at the end, seems genuinely grateful not just for what that life gave him, but what it enabled him to do for others.

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School Library Journal : K-Gr 3—This title examines a variety of ancient mammals. It opens with a brief introduction, followed by a spread devoted to each animal. The creatures are compared to things that readers will recognize (e.g., "size of a small dog"). The pronunciation guide is a welcome feature. The finely detailed watercolor illustrations emphasize the unusual features of each species. This title is more substantive than Helen Frost's Woolly Mammoth (Capstone, 2005) as it focuses on more than one ancient animal in more complex sentences. Add this book if your students are addicted to prehistory.—Christine Markley, Washington Elementary School, Barto, PA

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

School Library Journal : K-Gr 3—This title examines a variety of ancient mammals. It opens with a brief introduction, followed by a spread devoted to each animal. The creatures are compared to things that readers will recognize (e.g., "size of a small dog"). The pronunciation guide is a welcome feature. The finely detailed watercolor illustrations emphasize the unusual features of each species. This title is more substantive than Helen Frost's Woolly Mammoth (Capstone, 2005) as it focuses on more than one ancient animal in more complex sentences. Add this book if your students are addicted to prehistory.—Christine Markley, Washington Elementary School, Barto, PA

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

School Library Journal : K-Gr 3—This title examines a variety of ancient mammals. It opens with a brief introduction, followed by a spread devoted to each animal. The creatures are compared to things that readers will recognize (e.g., "size of a small dog"). The pronunciation guide is a welcome feature. The finely detailed watercolor illustrations emphasize the unusual features of each species. This title is more substantive than Helen Frost's Woolly Mammoth (Capstone, 2005) as it focuses on more than one ancient animal in more complex sentences. Add this book if your students are addicted to prehistory.—Christine Markley, Washington Elementary School, Barto, PA

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

School Library Journal : K-Gr 3—This title examines a variety of ancient mammals. It opens with a brief introduction, followed by a spread devoted to each animal. The creatures are compared to things that readers will recognize (e.g., "size of a small dog"). The pronunciation guide is a welcome feature. The finely detailed watercolor illustrations emphasize the unusual features of each species. This title is more substantive than Helen Frost's Woolly Mammoth (Capstone, 2005) as it focuses on more than one ancient animal in more complex sentences. Add this book if your students are addicted to prehistory.—Christine Markley, Washington Elementary School, Barto, PA

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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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