(4) K-3 A girl narrates this fanciful story about her best friend Ruby, who has moved near the shore. Among Ruby's beach-treasure finds is a shell that conjures up a mermaid who provides needed companionship. The sunny art draws the reader more to the characters than the labored text does.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) K-3 Six friends work together to grow potatoes, carrots, beans, and other crops in their garden. The deep color photos of the children at work are evocative (if not instructive), and while the instructions are too vague to act as a gardening guide (the hand-and-foot layout measurements for the rows are confusing), the first-person descriptions of the work will appeal to budding gardeners. A recipe is included.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by James Coplestone. Moonlight the horse is scared by his shadow, which looms large on this snowy moonlit night. The art is stronger than the text, which sometimes stumbles with imagery that should soar. Distinctive watercolors use flat background colors (stark white for the snowy field and indigo for the night sky) to create a dramatic stage for the dapple gray horse and his darker shadow.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) PS A rhyming text celebrates the personality of one striped cat. Sometimes sweet and playful, and sometimes a tough fighter, Timothy Tib personifies the typical inside-outside pet who is as comfortable roaming the night with other cats as he is curled up for a nap in his owner's lap. On each double-page spread, a realistic painting faces a white page that includes the text and a sketch of Timothy leaping, looking, pouncing, or sleeping.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) PS Illustrated by James Coplestone. After a walk in the rain, Storm the dog shakes water all over his cat friend, Sunshine. The two best friends have a falling out, but soon they make up. Placed on a white background and defined by only a few black lines, the loosely drawn watercolor figures are full of life. Children will relate to this simple story of a friendship hurt and healed.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) PS Tilda likes to grow sunflowers. Starting with seeds bought at the store, she plants and tends them until they are much taller than she. The largest flower is harvested for seeds to keep for next spring. Large, clear photographs illustrate the simple story of a girl who looks about five. While the oversized book is handsome, some of the line breaks are awkward. Detailed growing instructions are appended.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(4) K-3 When the rabbit Hyacinth Hop gets hiccups, her brother takes her on a search for the cure and gets such suggestions as a syrup of figs and nutmeg or stewed rhubarb and toothpaste. At the store, Hyacinth "hic-hops" into a grocery cart, which crashes around, finally curing her. Watercolor illustrations, reminiscent of Rosemary Wells's Max and Ruby, accompany the amusing but undistinguished story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 In this Grimm tale retelling, Bear insults the princeling wrens, leading to war between feather and fur. Wallis's lush, meticulous, realistic paintings of diverse animals star in this oversized volume, which climaxes with the furred animals following Fox's flamboyant tail into battle. Despite the wordy, pedestrian text, readers will chortle when a well-placed hornet's sting makes Fox lower his colors.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam