"The Shine Man" is a wonderful book that will surely
become a classic Christmas story. It reminded me of
my own father's tales of life during the Depression.
It teaches an important lesson in giving as well as
a bit of history and will stimulate family discussion.
Both the artwork and the story are excellent.

This story feels timeless, a real feat for a children's book published this year. From the period details to the lyrical prose, I felt a sense of deja-vu throughout, as if I were reading a childhood favorite. And the last page is stunningly beautiful. I bought it for my daughter, and I'm about to go get another copy for my nephew.

This story of finding the divine in people during the Great Depression is a gentle way of helping children (and their adult loved ones)focus on what's most important about the holiday season. Illustrations are reminiscent of Dickens, but set in the 1930's in this country. I'll think of this story (especially the last two pages)when I behold the stars in a bright December sky.

Grover G. Graham and Me is a great book about a boy named Ben. He lives with foster parents. His mom left him and he doesn't have any siblings. He has stayed with many different families but he becomes really attached to a baby boy in one of them. I really liked it because you always wanted to read on. Sometimes you were sort of worried about Ben and sometimes it was just a fun and happy story. Also you really got to know about the characters and what they would do. That is why I really liked the book!

Jackson Jones and the Puddle of Thorns was a delightful, fun story. Jackson and his friends were real. They spoke like real kids, fought like real friends and had tender, loving hearts....like real kids. I used this book as an opening novel for my summer school class of 4th and 5th graders...mainly boys. They loved it!! We planted a "puddle of thorns" at our school as a follow-up, and had to spend some time looking for packets of seeds for zinnias and nasturiums! A very fun book, well written and illustrated.

This is a great introduction to poetry for young readers. The poems are short, concrete, and colorful yet very lyrical. The illustrations are fun and perfect for the text. You can read one or two poems at a time, picking the ones that suit the season or your child's activities/interests. Most give a real flavor of life in the city which is fun if you live in the city and informative if you don't.

This is a delightful story about a young girl who is conspiring, along with her two aunts, to have a surprise party for her mother (who of course says she doesn't want any fuss for her birthday). Her aunts have some differences in opinions over the party plans, chaos breaks out, and the girl is there to pull it all together just in time for her mom's arrival at the party. This is written from the girl's perspective, which I really like because it gives you insight into her spunky personality. The illustrations are cute, too. I probably wouldn't recommend it for children under 4, but older kids will definitely like it.

The only thing possibly more fun for a child than her own birthday party, may be participating in throwing a surprise party for someone else -- someone like Mama. This book is a wacky retelling of a family story of just such a surprise party. Told through the eyes of a little girl who sees herself as the only organized one in an extended family of true characters, the story is a fun ride through the chaos of planning the party and keeping the secret.

I loved the two principal characters, two aunts who are as opposite as fire and water. One nitpicks every detail of the party plans while the other puts off her responsibilities until the very last minute. And I had to smile at Dad, a quiet, good natured male lost in a maelstrom of female activity. He is left trying to remember the secret party password. Add to that cats, who like to play "Tarzan with the streamers and hippo with the punch," and you've got the recipe for some real commotion.

Told with a rare combination of running narrative and speech bubbles, this story is fun for adults and children. My kids loved reading the speech bubbles themselves while I read the narrative. And the wonderful, bright illustrations add visual energy to convey the absolute bedlam that ensues when the family tries to pull off the big surprise.

This book is really a celebration of family, and a clever look into the elements that make family special. Full of great language and imagery, it's a winner at our house.

This is a children's book that truly will delight adult readers. (Proof: I'm 37 and I've read it several times, sometimes when my two-year-old daughter, Isabel, was napping.) This sunny story is entertaining and speaks to the good (but too often bungled) intentions of families everywhere. Please read it!

My son (age 4) has this book on his frequent reading request list! I like it too, but not as well as he does. He gets very confused by the parts of the book that are set above the ground, and I find them sort of needless---especially since on some pages there is no picture at all of the train underground. My son asks every time we are on those pages---"where's the train?". But that small flaw in our eyes is not enough to make him not like this book very much! His favorite part is the descriptive writing of how the train sounds! If you have a young train or subway lover, I would get this one!

My daughter, Isabel, and I live in DC at the metro stop that Quattlebaum describes in "Underground Train," and we love this book. The language is poetic, the story easy to identify with, and the illustrations nicely fit the action. I heartily recommend "Underground Train" to families with train-riding kids everywhere.