(2) K-3 This picture book biography covers director-producer Mack Sennett, father of silent-movie slapstick comedy. The sepia illustrations in a cartoonlike style are perfectly suited to the narrative. How Mack developed a stable of comedians still regarded as classic figures in cinema history--Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, the Keystone Kops--is expertly compressed into the short text. Bib.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2003

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Cook. Lively paintings match the tone and style of this original tall tale that has plenty of appeal for storytellers and their audiences. When the Mississippi mysteriously dries up one day, Jean Laffite, a real historical personage, discovers a trapped whale plugging up the river. With ingenuity--and a packet of cayenne pepper--Jean secures the creature's release. The pace is fast, and the imagery appropriately homespun.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2003

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. Of the many stories about Dr. King, none is as personal and revealing as this memoir-tribute by his older sister. Starting with early family reminiscences, King Farris captures the drama of a life that would lead to the "I Have a Dream" speech. The brilliance of the realistic illustrations, the placement of the precise text, and the oversize format make this a dramatic contribution. With a poetic tribute by Mildred D. Johnson, an afterword, and an illustrator's note.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2003

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Stefano Vitale. Carefully selected and enhanced with robustly elegant illustrations, these fifteen tales, arranged in groups of three, serve as an introduction to comparative literature and to different cultures. The titles for the groups reflect their general themes and identify each group as a set of variations on a familiar tale. This is an outstanding example of what folklore collections for children can and should be. With substantial notes on each tale. Bib.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Fifteen poems have been created especially for this celebration of diverse home places. The poems range from the prairie to the sea, from the desert to the mountains, from a houseboat to an apartment. The verse forms are basic--couplets and quatrains predominate. The meanings of the easy-to-read-aloud poems are extended in Alcorn's bright, abstract, geometrically designed paintings.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(2) 4-6 Beginning with the earliest origins of bridge building, Adkins delves into the engineering skills involved in the task and the development of materials necessary to devise ever more complex structures; he also touches on the political, social, environmental, and fiscal problems that are frequently involved. The author's knowledge of history is as dazzling as his understanding of engineering principles. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2002

(4) K-3 Adapted by Jerry Pinkney. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Pinkney observes that the tale of the nightingale whose song enchanted a kingdom has a universal message that can be adapted to many locations. His selection of Morocco showcases the artist's lush style, but reinventing both setting and characters causes much of the original Andersen to be lost. This is an elegant creation, but one hopes that children will also know of the original.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2002

(2) K-3 In the nineteenth century, Paris-trained Soyer, chef de cuisine at London's Reform Club, also set up Dublin soup kitchens for famine victims, trained those who worked with London's poor to create thrifty but tasty meals, and invented equipment and devised recipes to improve the lot of soldiers in the Crimea. Lively and colorful enough to please a wide audience, this account is written and illustrated with a panache that suits the subject.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2002

(2) K-3 Calligraphy by Deborah Nadel. Based on the Irish legend of Columcille, this picture book biography emphasizes the love of books and learning that helped preserve Western civilization during the Dark Ages. The text is lilting; the sentences vary in length and intensity to make it suitable for reading aloud. The design is dramatic, and the illustrations are almost dreamlike in quality. An informative author's note is appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2002

(2) PS Illustrated by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey. Crafty fox Rosa Raposa and greedy Jaguar are the perfect stock characters for a lively trio of tales adapted from Spanish sources and reset in the Brazilian jungle. In all three tales, Jaguar is outwitted because Rosa Raposa knows how to appeal to his weaknesses: greed, vanity, ignorance. With its brilliant, interpretive illustrations well synchronized with a thoughtfully placed text, this is a real find for story hours.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(2) YA This sequel to The Playmaker is as intriguing and well researched as its predecessor. Once again, events are seen through the eyes of Richard Malory, an apprentice with the theater company with which Shakespeare is affiliated. The plot twists are ingenious; the style evokes the Elizabethan period; suspense is maintained despite the book's length. An author's note distinguishes between fact and fiction.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(2) 4-6 Nelly's story, set in 1821 Indiana, is an evocation of frontier life and also a study of a girl's maturation against fearful odds. Nelly is twelve when her mother dies and her distraught father disappears, leaving her and her older brother to fend for themselves. When their father returns, he's accompanied by a young bride, whom both children immediately hate. The conclusion, despite tragic overtones, is hopeful.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2002

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Azarian. This story has the ring of authenticity, a feeling supported by Azarian's homely woodcuts, some of which resemble period samplers. Information in the brief prologue and afterword provides background for the main narrative, which focuses on how Louisa May Alcott discovers her own "voice" as she listens to the tunes that Thoreau coaxes from his flute. The text is quietly informative, easy to read, and attractively displayed.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2002

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Michael McCurdy. Quietly dignified, with stately black-and-white illustrations, the format of this impressive volume reflects its subject. A brief essay introduces each state, followed by short presentations on the state's delegates, each featuring a cameo-like portrait and an interpretive vignette. A reproduction of the original document and a printed version are included in this thoughtfully conceived and well-executed book. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa. In the latest in the series, Tanya confides her dreams of dancing en pointe like the dancer in The Red Shoes. She finally gets her wish but discovers that the seemingly effortless beauty of the dance requires much work (and produces many blisters). The use of the present tense underscores the conversational tone, adding verisimilitude matched by Ichikawa's marvelously agile, expressive illustrations.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2002

(2) PS Light and deftly concocted, the adventures of Monkey Mo aboard a luxury liner are sure to tickle preschoolers. There are laughs aplenty as Mo tries to imitate the elegant gentlemen on the ship, with disastrous results--until his "monkey see, monkey do" routine makes him a hero. The illustrations blend elegance and humor as they depict an era in which an ocean voyage was a splendid, fashionable affair.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2002

(2) YA Fourteen-year-old Andy, on a southeast-Alaska kayaking vacation, sets off to find the spot where his father had years earlier fallen to his death. A sudden gale sweeps his kayak onto the inhospitable shores of Admiralty Island. A Newfoundland dog leads him to a mysterious cave inhabited by a "wild man." This well-paced, believable survival adventure story is enhanced by a map and an author's note.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2002

(2) K-3 As in Henry Hikes to Fitchburg, Johnson shows why Thoreau is an American icon. He uses a well-known episode in Thoreau's life--his construction of a cabin near Walden Pond. The illustrations are geometric in feeling; the sturdiness of the designs is echoed in the sturdiness of the main character (depicted as a bear). A brief note focusing on the cabin, with a sidebar of Thoreau's cost and materials analysis, is appended.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2002

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Alison Jay. In this rhythmic, rhymed tribute to the wonderful world of "geography," Lewis recommends traveling by poem to exotic destinations. Some of the twenty-six poems inform; others honor those explorers who contributed to geographic knowledge. Still others are commentaries on phenomena or nomenclature. The illustrations are witty yet understated in color so that they complement rather than compete with the subject.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2002

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Maxwell Newhouse. In this fictionalization of a historical episode in Ontario, Lunn tells of one of Canada's little-known heroes. During the War of 1812, Laura Secord discovered an American plot to capture a British lieutenant. Her wounded husband was unable to travel to warn the lieutenant, so Laura did and succeeded in a remarkable display of raw courage. The folkloric rhythm of the tale is underscored in the dramatically colored, naively rendered illustrations.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2002