Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
Eddie lives on the second floor of an apartment building. Although it is called “Peaceable,” the people living there always seem to be fighting with each other and yelling at him. Eddie decides to draw everyone’s picture. Pencil and paper in hand, he stops first at #4, where he apologizes for banging his ball against the wall before drawing her. Mrs. 4 in turn complains about the trash outside #5. After picking up the trash, Eddie asks Mr. 5 if he can draw his picture. Mr. 5 complains about Eddie setting off the smoke alarm. Eddie says he is sorry about the alarm, but the current smoke is coming from #6. There Mr. 6 is barbecuing and Eddie has to apologize again. In #1 and #2 as well, folks are complaining and Eddie is saying he is sorry and drawing their pictures while trying to make them happy. It is at the unveiling of his composite portrait that Eddie surprises them all and changes the atmosphere to a peaceful Kingdom. Johnson creates his stylized images and settings using colored pencils and paint, leaving parts of each page as unpainted drawings. It will take time for the reader to become involved in each scene to appreciate the complexities of the page design, details like Mrs. 2’s shadow appearing as a wolf’s. The story is a bit perplexing, but the illustrations carry it along. 2005, Houghton Mifflin Company, $16.00. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 17))
Eddie's kingdom is an apartment building that houses a mixture of eccentric tenants. In fact, their idiosyncrasies can be downright irritating, leading to mistrust and misunderstandings. Eddie is being blamed for setting off smoke alarms, playing loud music and making babies cry. One day he decides to draw a picture of each neighbor. While drawing, he discovers the real culprits and he makes suggestions to solve the problems. When his task is complete, he invites them all to the roof to view his masterpiece. When he unveils it, there is great hilarity, for he has depicted each person as an animal. Now there are smiles and laughter in the building, and it has become a peaceable kingdom. Johnson's goofy illustrations are childlike, with skewed perspectives, and a mixture of black and white and color, as if Eddie himself contributed his artistic skills. Fun for all. 2005, Houghton Mifflin, 32p, $16.00. Category: Picture book. Ages 4 to 8. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Marcia Beckwith (Kutztown Book Review, Fall 2007)
Eddie visits his neighbors in his apartment building so he can draw a picture of all the residents. The angry, feuding neighbors are brought together by Eddie's drawing. The author of this book has a good message for children about how a young boy can make a difference in his community and bring together neighbors of an apartment building who argue and avoid each other. Unfortunately, the drawing, revealed at the end of the book, is confusing and an adult would need to explain the concept to children. (The adult might need a little time to figure it out first.) The illustrations are colorful characters on black line drawn backgrounds reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, and the characters' eyes are an interesting, original design I have not seen used before. Category: Fiction. 2005, Houghton Mifflin, $16.00. Ages 3 to 9.

Laura D'Amato (Library Media Connection, April/May 2006)
This picture book presents an unusual, yet positive, solution to learning to get along with other people. Young Eddie lives in an apartment in the Peaceable Building. All of his neighbors are quite disagreeable and blame Eddie for their problems. He visits each in turn and draws his or her picture. His final drawing portrays each neighbor as an animal, which breaks the tension between neighbors as they look at themselves and each other in new ways. The story builds nicely as the reader wonders what Eddie's final drawing will look like. Eddie is polite in his interactions with his neighbors, and it is admirable that he seeks to use his drawing talents to make peace among the grown-ups in his building. One small flaw is that Eddie is unsupervised by a family member as he enters each stranger's apartment. Colored pencil and paint illustrations, in D. B. Johnson's signature style, provide a great deal of detail (the logo on Eddie's shoes is a peace sign) and warmth. Some detail of the illustrations is lost in the centerfold of the book. This is a welcome story with its young hero and his unique method of bringing peace to his building. Recommended. 2005, Houghton Mifflin, 32pp., $16 hc. Ages 5 to 9.