Food allergies get an understanding appraisal in Howe and Walrod's third picture book starring Horace, Morris and Dolores. The three school-age mice naturally adore cheese: "They ate string cheese and Swiss cheese on Sundays. They ate Muenster with mustard on Mondays." These rituals end when Dolores breaks out in itchy blue spots and starts sneezing. Dr. Ricotta performs a series of tests-accurately pictured in a comic-strip array of shots, urinalysis and eye/ear checks-and pronounces Dolores allergic to cheese. Dolores and her mother look aghast. The Everything Cheese Festival is nigh, and Dolores can't get cheese off her mind. With Dolores's exclusion from cheesy activities, Howe and Walrod indicate how food taboos influence not just children's diets but their social lives: alone, Dolores binges on cheesecake, only to regret it when she sees her blotchy face in a bathroom mirror. Wordless images and word-balloon dialogues show Dolores's struggle and her realization that she can concoct tasty cheese-free recipes to share (or sell) at the cheese fest. In addressing this timely topic, Howe and Walrod encourage the no-gluten and nut-free crowd to seek opportunity in a common setback. Ages 4-8. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Mice pals Horace, Morris, and Dolores return, happily eating cheese (the many varieties of which are noted throughout). You don't have to be much more than a preschooler to figure out the cause of Dolores' ailment when she breaks out in itchy spots. But without cheese, her diet is on the boring side, dominated by peanut-butter sandwiches. Only after her friends start adding treats like raisins does eating get more interesting. The story line, while amusing, is less involving than in previous books, but the artwork captures the trio's winsome ways even as it finds new opportunities to make jokes about cheese. Especially for fans.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2009 Booklist

K-Gr 2-The three mouse friends are back in a story about Dolores's new and unfortunate allergy. When she eats cheese, she sneezes and breaks out in itchy spots. "Dolores could not imagine life without cheese. It was her favorite thing to eat!" Can she quit it cold turkey? Even with the town's "Everything Cheese Festival" coming up? Soon Dolores learns that she can go on after a setback, and also that, when it comes to making lunches, a little creativity goes a long way. Fans of the other books about these appealing rodents will find the same rhythmic ease in the writing, and the same light touch with a message. Walrod's colorful cartoon-style artwork adds lots of humor and personality. Allergy sufferers will find this reassuring in a nondidactic way, and all kids will smile, even without saying cheese.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Primary) It's hard enough to be a kid allergic to dairy -- imagine being a mouse who can't eat cheese. Mouse friends Horace, Morris, and Dolores are cutting and pasting pictures and recipes into their cheese scrapbook when Dolores breaks out in itchy spots and starts to sneeze. A visit to Doctor Ricotta confirms the worst: she's allergic. Walrod's illustrations of the three mouseketeer pals keep things lively with dialogue balloons and the occasional use of comic-strip panels; the abundance of cheeses and crunchy snacks pictured will have cheese-lovers drooling -- and feeling for Dolores. With help from her mother, Dolores learns to live without her favorite food, but when she sees a poster for the upcoming Everything Cheese Festival, she finds she can't stop obsessing over it. Howe's story sensibly avoids a fromage-y ending, with Dolores discovering on her own a way to spice up her cheese-free life and even introducing her friends and community to some delectable new foods. Kids with food allergies will adore Dolores and admire her take-charge attitude. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.