(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Patrick Benson. In literary prose ("my thirst had become so strong that I could think of little else except the need to satisfy it") a poetry-composing mouse relates the episodes of his life: his birth and sale to a pet shop, his first owner, falling into the wrong hands, escaping, and finding a new owner for a happy ending. Black-and-white sketches illustrate this gently refined tale.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Both amusing and informative, this charming collection of doggerel about dinosaurs boasts some clever turns of phrase. But the strength of the book lies in its pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations by a master of anthropomorphism. A helpful pronunciation guide is provided.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) 4-6 In seventeenth-century England during an outbreak of Plague, thirteen-year-old Nell Bullen witnesses the decimation following a neighboring town's choice to isolate itself with the infection rather than spread it. Wise draws the connection between fleas and plague a few hundred years too early, but the well-realized setting and the consequences of the town's courage and sacrifice are otherwise entirely engrossing.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam