(4) K-3 Illustrated by Melissa Castrillón . This meticulously researched and dramatically narrated picture book tells the story of Portuguese diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who at great personal risk and sacrifice saved thousands of Jews fleeing Nazi-occupied southern France. In "what may have been the greatest individual act of rescue in all of World War II," he defied his government and in a twenty-three-day period in 1940 issued thousands of forbidden visas, ensuring safe passage into Portugal. The text is thoroughly informative as well as immediate and suspenseful; illustrations are eye-catching and lively (although the use of flags rather than names to identify countries on the maps seems less than ideal in such a location-dependent story). Unusually for a picture book, this is appended with an extensive bibliography and detailed source notes, plus an author's note and timeline.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) PS Illustrated by Melissa Castrillon. "Yellow kayak. Blue sky. Paddle swiftly. Wave good-bye." Clipped, hushed rhymes follow a child and his friend, who resembles a spotted giraffe, as they set off in a rowboat. Together they brave a storm, sleep above active sea life, and square off with whales before returning home. It's a surreal, word-perfect adventure with swirling art in tweaked primary colors.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Melissa Castrillón. This engaging fictionalized account of Mary Anning's scientific curiosity begins in 1807 Lyme Regis, England, where eight-year-old Mary lives with her poor family. Mary shares her father's passion for finding fossils, and after his death she finds, at age twelve, what is later called an Ichthyosaurus. Extensive end notes are appended to the well-researched novel. Reading list.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Melissa Castrillon. An earnest young girl lists a string of "If...then" scenarios: imagining fancifully what she would do if she had a bicycle, a garden, a brother, etc., giving each a conceptual name ("If I had a little bicycle, I would name it Wings") and envisioning it broadening her horizons. The sinuous digitally colored pencil illustrations work in harmony with the sometimes saccharine, loosely metered poems.

Reviewer: Frank Arkage