K-Gr 1-Sweet Briar, a small and slightly odiferous female skunk, is new to Miss Chickory's class and is shunned by the other students. However, the school faces bigger problems since a local wolf has been spotted in the nearby woods. When he snatches one of the youngsters during recess, Sweet Briar bravely acts to save the loudest of her tormentors and earns the friendship of all. Warm watercolor art with a broad range of cartoon animal expressions fills the pages of this traditional story of a misfit who forces those around her to look beyond the surface to see her sweet nature. Children just entering school will relate to her determination and swing of emotions. They will also appreciate the sweet smell of success.-Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

"Sweet Briar was a skunk, and she smelled like one too. As Sweet Briar grew, so did her aroma," writes Wilson (Bear Snores On). Though named for the roses growing in her yard, Sweet Briar still suffers the slings and arrows of classmates who make fun of her strong scent. One day Wormwood Weasel coins a taunting rhyme-"Stinky Sweet Briar,/ She's no rose!/ When she walks by,/ Plug up your nose!"-and the next day the students show up with paper clips on their noses. All this leaves the skunk in a miserable, tail-dragging mood until she puts her odiferous powers to work to save Wormwood from a wolf. Empathizing children (not to mention those who identify with the heroine) won't find much comedy in the cruelty of snickering classmates, and even the nickname Sweet Briar's parents call her takes on an unfortunate connotation ("Little Squirt"). Pham's (Before I Was Your Mother) sympathetic full-color spreads and spot illustrations focus on those heartbreaking first days at school; one scene shows Sweet Briar peeking out forlornly from under a desk during a game of hide-and-seek in which no one bothers to look for her. The watercolors feature wide-eyed anthropomorphic expressions and soothing hues that wrap the tale in a velvety coziness; she dots the woodland browns and mossy greens with the bright colors of the animals' clothing. This tale of childhood teasing rings all too true-to-life, but ends conveniently when the benefits of having a skunk for a friend outweigh her use as a scapegoat. Ages 4-8. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

When Sweet Briar the skunk starts school, everyone teases her because of her smell. Then a wolf creeps into the schoolyard and snatches a classmate--Wormwood Weasel--one of Sweet Briar's chief tormenters. Without thinking, Sweet Briar aims for the wolf and does what skunks are famous for, and she becomes a hero. Appealing watercolors in woodland hues accompany this pleasant but predictable story. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.