Age 04-08. 4 stars. These stories are based on the real workings of a British rail yard, and they center around the activities of Thomas the Tank Engine, who is likable, hard-working and often cheeky. He and his friends the other engines have distinct personalities, and many of their adventures and conflicts hinge on character flaws and lessons learned through mistakes. Although sometimes heavy-handed, Awdry’s well-written stories illustrate the consequences of pride, self-importance and foolishness as well as the importance of friendship and respect….. While all children who like trains ought to enjoy them, these stories will probably have a special appeal to young boys.

Age 04-08. 5 Stars. Children who have enjoyed Charlotte’s Web and James Herriot’s Treasury for Children will love this story, which is exceptionally well written with humor, pathos, and drama… The characters are wonderfully drawn, and Babe exemplifies loyalty, courage, determination, and courtesy… An outstanding read.

Age 00-04. 4 Stars. Pelle, a young Swedish boy, has a lamb which he cares for himself. When he begins to outgrow his coat, he shears the lamb and seeks help from his family and community to card, spin, weave, dye, and sew the wool into a suit…. Pelle not only demonstrates responsibility in caring for his lamb, but also contributes to the priorities and needs of others as they care for him. The story also gives a picture of how clothing and fabrics were laboriously crafted before the advent of industrial mass-production, and the cooperative nature of the project emphasizes a value for community. All these elements combine to create a book which is both enjoyable and educational.

Age 04-08. 5 Stars. This beautifully written story follows a year in the life of a 19th-Century New England family….. The hard work of colonial life is made very attractive in this story, as the children cheerfully pitch in and the family works together to build their life and homestead. The rhythmic text is gentle and spare, with just the right tone of anticipation for what will come next. Cooney’s beautiful paintings, with earth-toned colors and straight lines, evoke a feeling of peaceful simplicity that encourages the reader to look back to those bygone days with romantic nostalgia. A beautiful book.

Age 08-12. 5 Stars. Travis Coates is a 14-year-old boy, left alone to protect his mother and younger brother on his family’s 19th-century Texas homestead…. [He performs] an extraordinary act of moral courage, but it comes at the end of a story filled with ordinary acts of responsibility. In this outstanding coming-of-age story, Travis’s manhood is achieved at great cost, and in this cost he proves his worth as a man.

Age 00-04. 4 Stars. Murdley Gurdson is a clumsy, absentminded boy whose frequent misfortunes are usually his own fault…. The deliciousness of this story comes from its kid-level humor. The chain-reaction of blameshifting is hilarious in its absurdity, and the slapstick jokes will be savored. Murdley’s unfortunate experiences invite small children (who know all about clumsiness, blameshifting, and unintended consequences) to identify with him, and his willingness to admit his own fault in the end demonstrates a likable sense of personal responsibility.

Age 08-12. 5 Stars. This is a masterfully crafted science-fiction fantasy about a widowed mouse and her young family, who live on the edge of hunger at the Fitzgibbon farm…. she discovers that an advanced rat society exists under cover of the rosebush. The rats have escaped from a place called NIMH (the National Institute for Mental Health) and are planning to end their parasitic existence on the farm, where they use the Fitzgibbons’ electricity and other resources. Their plans are disrupted by the coming of representatives from NIMH, who have been trying to recapture them since their escape…. A great science fiction premise, convincingly anthropomorphized animals, several heroic characters, a strong tenor of loyalty, friendship and family, all combine under the pen of a skillful writer to make an unforgettable story.

Age 04-08. 4 Stars. A very funny fantasy in which a boy, bored with going on errands with his mother, is surprised to discover that rather than the lollipops and balloons he is used to receiving, all the businesses they visit are giving out free living dinosaurs with all purchases….. The story is pleasingly illustrated and winningly plays on the natural fascination children have for dinosaurs.

Age 00-04. 4 Stars. Corduroy is a stuffed bear who lives on the shelf of a department store. One day a girl named Lisa spies him and exclaims over him, but her mother points out that he is missing a button from his overalls, and the two depart without buying him…. There are several elements of this charming story that have made it popular for decades. Corduroy has a flaw that he cannot repair by himself — his missing button. This produces in him a helplessness and dependence on others that children, who understand their own dependence on adults, will respond to with empathy…. Lisa’s family is not a wealthy one: Lisa’s mother cannot buy the bear because she has “spent too much already,” and Lisa and her parents live in a fourth-floor apartment rather than a large house. But the little home is a secure one, filled with warm touches and supplied with the tools needed to replace Corduroy’s button. This is far better than the cold “palace” in which Lisa found him. Corduroy’s homecoming is to a place of humble, nurturing love.

Age 04-08. 4 Stars. In a creative and sly twist on the traditional Red Riding Hood story, a little girl named Flossie is sent through the woods to bring the neighbors a basket of eggs, because a fox has been terrorizing their henhouse…. The book is illustrated with beautiful paintings, evocative of the historic rural American South, and the little girl is rendered charmingly in a number of pleasant outdoor scenes. The text, however, is the great drawing point of: the story is told in a warm voice characteristic of the African-influenced English that grew up in the South…. Flossie’s victory over the fox keys on her quick-witted verbal banter (a quality especially valued in African-American culture), and she demonstrates intelligence and strength of will throughout the interaction…. She has matched her wits against an animal known for quick-wittedness, and has won the day. This is a delightfully enjoyable excursion.