(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Diaz. This exploration of life in the barrio culminates in a quinceañera celebration. Chocolate's prose includes sensory images ("rain-washed murals," "silver-streaked tenements"). Diaz's distinctive mixed-media illustrations use a bold color palette to bring the neighborhood to vibrant life. The book as a whole gives a tangible sense of community united through joyous traditions.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Leslie Tryon. This chapter book features an ebullient potbellied pig named Harriet. In each episode, Harriet faces challenges, such as helping a friend overcome her fear of heights and winning a swim race. This is familiar, perhaps mundane, territory, but the writing is lively and characters are full of personality. Amusing black-and-white illustrations are included.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(2) K-3 The piano man's granddaughter proudly relates his pianistic triumphs in silent-film accompaniment, on Broadway, in medicine shows and vaudeville, and, after the talkies took over, in piano tuning. This is a heartening slice of African-American family history that is refreshingly short on role-modeling and long on joy and visual glamour, as provided by the beautiful glossy woods of Grandfather's pianos.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.