Sherlock Holmes never looses its appeal and this version of him is still going strong in this republished story.

Basil and Doctor Dawson learn how to be great detectives through observing the great Sherlock Holmes, himself. The reader discovers that Basil and Dr. Dawson are mice that live in Sherlock Holmes’ building. Basil and Dawson often sit quietly in the corner of Sherlock’s apartment as they discuss their cases. Now, Basil and Dawson are called in to find twin mice who did not return home after school. Basil chides Dr. Dawson, ” ‘You are not making full use of your deductive powers.’ ” (24) after the ransom note is delivered for the twins release. Using a magnifying glass on the dirt left behind from the messenger’s boots, Basil is on the trail to find the missing children. Basil and Dawson disguised as seamen gain more information by casually talking with the innkeeper in a seaport town. Later, they set a trap for the kidnappers by talking just loud enough so they will definitely be heard while eating dinner at the cafe. What the kidnappers do not know is that Basil has gotten the local constable involved in the plan. Basil and Dr. Dawson rescue the twins, but not without a scratch or two to themselves.

The reader will enjoy the text along with the pencil sketches, in every chapter, giving the reader a look at fashion and decor from the late 1800s.

Introduction to the next book- Basil and the Cave of Cats.

Spring has sprung and Nanny informs Eloise she needs a new hat. Eloise tries on all the different hats worn by the employees of The Plaza hotel where she lives on the “tippy-top floor”. Each time Nanny comes up with a reason why the hat is not suitable: too tall (chef’s), no brim ( room service’s), and not colorful enough (bell captain’s). Finally, Nanny brings out a hat box just for Eloise with a hat that meets all of the requirements. Precocious as ever Eloise, ” ‘ Oh, I love, love, love hats!’ “

Chloe Zoe, the little elephant, remembers  making special cupcakes, a heart wand, and fancy paper flowers last year for Valentine’s Day. This year, Chloe Zoe’s class made shoe box mailboxes. Chloe Zoe has a valentine for all her classmates. She is making three extra special ones for her two best friends and teacher. When it is Chloe Zoe’s turn to hand out her valentines, George’s is missing. Tears form in her eyes. The entire class helps her look for it. George tells Chloe Zoe, ” ‘ You and Mary Margaret are my best friends. I know that even without a special valentine.’ ” Just then, Mary Margaret finds George’s special valentine stuck to the bottom of Chloe Zoe’s backpack from all of the glue she’d used. Everyone cheers.

Jane Smith’s artwork is simple yet strikingly intricate, too.  The brightly colored solid blanket on the bed has stripes where it is turned down by the pillows. Half of the valentines are solid color with black outline, while the other half each have a unique design. Chloe Zoe’s ears are patterned with diamond stars and white polka dots, while the rest of her body is a solid yellow. Each elephant has a different pattern on their ears. The balance between solids and patterns is very pleasing to the eye!

Chloe Zoe, the elephant, is celebrating all the secular customs of Easter. Chloe Zoe is sure she will find the special golden egg this year at the park’s Easter egg hunt. Her friends each have a particular item they want to find at the egg hunt.  Mary Margaret, the crocodile, wants only  pink eggs, her favorite color. Later, when Mary Margaret’s basket is still empty Chloe Zoe gives her pink egg to Mary Margaret. “After all, I think, there’s still plenty of time to find the golden egg.” George, the giraffe, and Chloe Zoe help Mary Margaret find pink eggs. Then, Mary Margaret finds the gold egg and Chloe Zoe’s “cheeks get hot”. Chloe Zoe’s mother comforts her with, ” ‘look at all the goodies you did find– eggs, toys, and candy!’ ” Chloe Zoe realizes, ” ‘ I am having a lot of fun, especially finding pink eggs for Mary Margaret…’ “.    When Mary Margaret opens the golden egg there are three sparkling gold coins, ” Three coins for three best friends.”

Looking forward to reading It’s Valentine’s Day, Chloe Zoe! to see if it has as wonderful a message about friendship as this book’s.

Jane Smith’s artwork is simple yet strikingly intricate, too.  The brightly colored solid pink blanket on the bed has pink stripes where it is turned down by the pillows. Half of the colored Easter eggs are solid colors with black outline, while the other half each have a unique design. Chloe Zoe’s ears are patterned with diamond stars and white polka dots, while the rest of her body is a solid yellow. Each elephant has a different pattern on their ears and each giraffe has a different pattern for their spots. The balance between solids and patterns is very pleasing to the eye!

” The creators of the internationally bestselling Bear Snores On Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman” bring us Big Bear, Small Mouse. These two friends meet and greet pairs of their woodland friends on the way to Bear’s den. These pair of friends is compared presenting the reader with a set of ‘opposites’ which are visually reinforced through the colorful artwork: small – big, slow-fast, high-low, quiet-loud, and cold-warm.

Buster is the new puppy in the Roger’s house. Phoebe, the older dog, is tricking Buster by taking his bones while his back is turned. Phoebe the Trickster, might be a better title for this book.

Phoebe convinces Buster his bones need training to stay in place. When Phoebe runs barking out the dogie door, Buster follows. Then Phoebe returns first hiding Buster’s bone. Phoebe tells Buster she’ll help train his bones to “stay”. Each time Buster leaves to see if his bones “stay”, Phoebe takes one, telling Buster, ”  ‘It was not a smart bone… The smart bones will stay. Try again. ‘ ” (13)  Roger watches as Buster growls at his new bone, runs outside, and then back again. ”  ‘ That is one smart bone,’  said Phoebe.” (16)

The second half of the book continues with Phoebe now wanting the bone of the big dog next door. Phoebe pushes Buster through the loose board in the fence.  While Buster is innocently trying to teach the new dog’s bone to stay, Phoebe takes the bone. When caught with the bone in her mouth, Buster reasons that Phoebe is simply returning the bone.

Twenty-one poems and six recipes grace the pages of this book as collage animals romp around their page of food.

The free verse poems,  in one, two or three word lines, usually describing the food’s outward appearance. The poems run from five to twelve lines, but one or two have as many as eighteen or twenty-five lines.

Strawberry Jamboree

So many strawberries

costumed in red–

they carry green parasols

to shade their heads.

Tatseless, or tasteful?

You decide.

They wear their seeds

on the outside.

My fresh green salads are never this much fun! There is something whimsical about freshly photographed vegetables printed with inked faces smiling at you. Juana Medina’s salad preparation consists of counting smiling vegetables on their way to the salad bowl:

“1  one Avocado Deer, 2  two Radish Mice, 3   three Pepper Monkeys” , 4  horse carrots, 5 turtle tomatoes, 6 alligator cucumbers, 7 radicchio lions , 8  flying bird walnuts, 9 romaine dogs, and 10 Clementine segment kittens.     Wait, don’t forget to make dressing for the faceless salad. Olive oil in a porcupine bowl, a birdy salt shaker, and 2 piggy lemons come to the rescue.

Otto, the robot and his mouse friend Pip come full circle in this pre-level one story about Pip wanting a balloon.When Otto shares his balloon with Pip, Pip floats away until  a sleeping Zee, the bee, flies into the balloon popping it. Otto comes to Pip’s rescue only to crash into a palm tree sending Otto and Pip down into a pond. There Pip points to the baby hippo’s balloon.

David Milgrim’s illustrations answer all of the questions the minimal vocabulary does not provide.

Years ago, the Warming came and it was destructive. Now, everyone in the meadow and city is assigned a job. The keepers enforce rules, the catchers track rule breakers, the computers are those who conduct all the mathematical computations. Jeremy Finn is a dreambender. He and the other dreambenders secretly analyze people’s dreams and adjust them to avoid danger and violence, fear and anger, music and art. It is those things that bring about emotions which are thought to bring about another Warming.

Callie Crawford lives in the city and works as a computer, but is dissatisfied with her work. One night, Jeremy encounters Callies’s dream of singing, and he finds it beautiful. Jeremy questions the rules of a dreambender, and he allows her singing dream to continue. Because of his choice, he is banned from his job as dreambender. He decides to escape the meadow and travel to the city to find Callie, telling her about the dreambenders which causes a domino effect of changes for those in the city and the meadow. Changes of hope.