Karen Leggett (Children's Literature)
Onawumi Jean Moss is known for her skill as a storyteller, Patricia McKissack for her deep appreciation of African-American culture. Together they have created a story that honors both. Precious is home with a stomach ache, warned by her mama “don’t let nothing and nobody in this house” because, as her big brother insists, it might be Pruella the Boo Hag. Pruella does try to get in with all sorts of guises, but Precious obeys her mama, overcoming her fears and surprising her brother with a combination of song and a little presence of mind. The story is perfect for a robust and enthusiastic read-aloud. The teasing older brother and the discovery of both fun and power in being a young girl alone are universal themes offered in an African-American context. Inside each frame of weathered, paint-chipped wood is a full-page illustration fashioned from fabric, paint, photograph and whimsy. The illustrations are beautifully original and like the book, just a whole lot of fun. 2005, Atheneum, $16.95. Ages 4 to 8.

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2006)
Like any good sibling, Precious’s brother is only too happy to clue her in to the dangers of Pruella the Boo Hag, a tricky and scary creature who’ll “do most anything to get inside” the house. Then he and Mama head off to the fields, while Precious, recovering from a nighttime stomachache, stays home alone. Sure enough, Pruella soon shows up in a variety of tricky forms: as a stranger needing a drink, as Pruella’s best friend Addie Louise, and even as a sparkling new penny. Each time Precious sees through Pruella’s disguise by using her wits and remembering Mama’s orders to not let anyone inside the house. Even the tempting penny doesn’t make it through the door, after clever Precious notices that George Washington is on the front, not Abraham Lincoln. Engaging dialogue and just enough of a spine-tingling edge (including a deliciously scary finale) make Precious’s story a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Kyrsten Brooker’s collage and oil paint illustrations imaginatively capture the Boo Hag in all her incarnations. Honor Book, 2006 Charlotte Zolotow Award CCBC Category: Picture Books for School-Aged Children. 2005, An Anne Schwartz Book / Atheneum, 32 pages, $16.95. Ages 5-8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 24))
A quick-witted child confronts a scary character (here somewhat toned down) from Gullah folklore in this largely original tale. Left alone to nurse a stomachache while the rest of her family works the fields, young Precious isn't sure whether to take seriously her brother's warning about letting the evil, shapeshifting Boo Hag into the house-until the creature herself shows up, flashing "eyes of burning cinder and hair that shot out like lightning." Brooker underscores the story's rustic flavor by surrounding most of her terrific paint and collage scenes with a peeling board frame and gives pigtailed Precious a winningly scared but resolute look. After repeatedly seeing through a series of flawed disguises (the Boo Hag being powerful, but none too bright), Precious drifts off to sleep in triumph, supposing-wrongly, as a nape-prickling final scene reveals-that the Hag has given up. Fine fare for Halloween, or general under-the-covers reading. 2005, Anne Schwartz/Atheneum, 40p, $16.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 6 to 8. Starred Review. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Timnah Card (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2005 (Vol. 58, No. 5))
When Precious stays home alone with a stomachache, Brother warns her not to let anyone in the house, "'cause if you let somebody in, you never know. It just might be Pruella the Boo Hag." Sure enough, while the rest of the family is at work in the fields, the Boo Hag lays siege to the house with tricks and disguises designed to get herself invited indoors. Luckily, Precious uses her own quick mind and the folk wisdom passed on by her brother to keep herself safe from this frightening shape-shifter. Mixed-media illustrations spotlight the action of the story, their bowed lines and angles imbued with kinetic energy and textured dimensionality that makes the inner world of the story seem bigger than the spread of the pages that represent it. The refrain used by Precious to shore up her courage is placed within the illustrations rather than the text, drawing the images and words closer together and providing young listeners with something to shout to chase away their own fear. The prose is nicely vernacular without being stereotypical, and it has a conversational rhythm that lends itself to being read aloud with flair. Readers aloud may want to condense the text-heavy opening for squirmier crowds, but the action quickly gets exciting, making the tale thrilling enough to keep an audience fully engaged. The final spread suggests that Precious will have to outwit the Boo Hag many more times before this battle is won, leaving listeners with a deliciously sinister chill (though one does wonder: will Precious ever be able to leave the house?). The story is set in harvest time, but the implication of an ongoing conflict between child and hag will have youngsters requesting the tale throughout the year, and Precious is an admirable companion to McKissack's clever Flossie (from Flossie and the Fox, BCCB 9/86). Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2005, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2005, Schwartz/Atheneum, 40p, $16.95. Ages 4-6 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2005)
After Mama tells Precious to let "nothing and nobody" into the house, Brother warns her about the Boo Hag: "She's tricky and she's scary, and she tries to make you disobey yo' mama." Illustrations combining the realistic with the fantastic suit the down-to-earth yet magical tone in this lively tale that (despite an ominous ending) is a great storytelling choice. Category: Picture Books. 2005, Atheneum/Schwartz, 40pp, 16.95. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Dawn Cobb (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 18, No. 3))
Precious has a stomachache and must stay at home while her mama and brother go to work. She listens carefully as Mama reminds her of the rules. Precious’s brother warns her about the Boo Hag that might come by to try and enter the house. Once she’s alone, the Boo Hag comes by the house and attempts to trick Precious into letting her inside. Precious is alert. The Boo Hag changes shapes and disguises many times, trying to trick Precious. Each time she is able to stop the Boo Hag. When Mama and brother return home, Precious is very glad to see them. Mama is proud Precious has followed the rules, and she is proud she kept the Boo Hag out of the house. Initially, I didn’t care for this book and was very disappointed because I like Patricia C. McKissack’s books. When I read the book aloud to my students, they really enjoyed it. As I listened to their comments, the students were the ones who taught me to understand the book in an entirely different way. Fiction. Grades PreK-3. 2005, Anne Schwartz/Atheneum, Unpaged., $16.95. Ages 3 to 9.