(1) K-3 Brantley-Newton highlights the bonds, both visible and invisible, that connect family members. Anyiaka's older sister, Sorie, has light brown skin like their mom's and grandma's. Anyiaka's darker skin causes her to wonder about her place in the family. "Everyone in my family is so beautiful and so smart. And then there's me." With the help of family portraits (mostly illustrated with a couple of interspersed photographs) and a set of nesting dolls representing the women in their family, Grandma shows Anyiaka­ that her mahogany skin and thick hair come from her great-grandmother: "Our family has been workin' to make oonuh for years and years." In addition to Grandma's dialect, digital drawings provide more context to the story, set among the Gullah Geechee of South Carolina's Sea Islands. The bold-hued images depict a loving intergenerational family with deep roots. An author's note discusses Brantley-Newton's own Gullah Geechee roots and the group's long history­ on the Sea Islands.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(3) 4-6 Fabien Cousteau Expeditions series. Illustrated by Joe St. Pierre. In this graphic novel, oceanographer Fabien Cousteau (grandson of Jacques) learns of a group of Hawaiian sea turtles ensnared in an abandoned fishing net and sets off to save them. Enlisting the help of "Junior Expeditioners" Bianca and Baylor, Fabien combs Molokini Island's coral reefs to find and free the turtles. The story is inspired by real expeditions and incorporates information about ocean conservation and microplastic pollution alongside search-and-rescue action. Magazine-style sidebars provide additional facts; digital illustrations effectively depict a diverse range of ocean environments and wildlife.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Cunha. Johnson's "love song to the Sea Islands [and] my African friends" opens with a young Black girl running along the beach at "day-clean," the Gullah/Geechee phrase for dawn. Cunha's illustrations capture the oranges and blues of the early morning sky and the brilliant blue of the sea. The second spread shows another Black girl across the sea also greeting the morning. The two girls, while separated by an ocean, have much in common, as shown in Cunha's textured, colorful illustrations and Johnson's engaging text. Throughout the day, each plays with friends on the beach, listens to stories about Anansi the spider, and makes a basket out of sweetgrass. In an appended author's note, Johnson explains that the Gullah/Geechee people are descendants of enslaved Africans who have maintained many aspects of their African culture, and that the Sea Islands along the coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida have been home to them. Through the story, young readers learn about the islands and some of their language and traditions while experiencing the beauty of connection. This story pairs well with Royce's middle-grade novel Root Magic (rev. 3/21), which is also set in the Sea Islands; as well as Hamilton's The People Could Fly, which retells many of the folktales told by Africans throughout the diaspora.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Benji Davies. Morpurgo writes a deliciously old-fashioned story to celebrate Puffin Books' eightieth anniversary, naming his main character after the founder, Allen Williams Lane. The story begins when a lighthouse keeper makes a daring sea rescue after a ship founders; the survivors include five-year-old Allen Williams (who narrates the story) and his mother. The solemn lighthouse keeper, Ben Postlethwait, makes a big impression on Allen, especially when Ben gives the boy one of his paintings. Throughout his childhood, the painting consoles Allen as he copes with such tribulations as a stern grandfather, an abusive governess, and a challenging boarding school. The story follows Allen to adulthood, when he returns to the island, and he and Ben become firm friends. The two nurse an injured puffin back to health and bring the puffin-less island back to life. Davies's atmospheric illustrations depict roiling seas and English landscapes, as well as Allen's own paintings of ships and seascapes. With short chapters punctuated with lots of color illustrations, the story, with its Dickensian overtones and wholly satisfying conclusion, is good both for reading aloud and for independent reading.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi. Kondo, a large yellow creature, and Kezumi, a small orange creature, live on an island full of "berry bushes and flitter-birds and fluffle-bunnies." One day "something new" appears: a message in a bottle that reads "We are not alone." The anonymous message includes a map, and after overcoming fears, Kondo and Kezumi set off in a bathtub boat--with the map!--to explore the islands around them, taking notes as they sail along. At their first stop, the Dairy Isle (get it?), the pair eats their fill of cheddar logs and Gorgonzola gourds. The next leg of their trip brings them dangerously close to the jagged, flaming Fireskull Island. They make their way to Giant Island, where they meet a new friend--who would rather they didn't leave. The vibrant digital illustrations immerse readers in the various island ecosystems--each rife with otherworldly (or simply cheesy) vegetation and populated by whimsical creatures--and all the rough and windy waterways between them. Voyagers Kezumi and Kondo tackle fears, frustrations, and homesickness humorously and realistically, reflecting the many issues that can test a friendship during travel. Their frank discussion of emotions ("That was scary") and their apologies can be seen as models for young readers' own developing friendships. Kondo and Kezumi remind us that we are not alone, indeed.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. In this companion to A Crack in the Sea, Bouwman elegantly twists and twirls two narrations: Raftworlder Putnam and Islander Artie's quest at sea in "the present: 1949," and Princess Rayel's journey a century earlier. An intentional folkloric sensibility is palpable as they encounter fantastical beings and places in the "second world," shown in Shimizu's occasional, dramatic black-and-white illustrations. An engaging, original coming-of-age story with an unpredictable, adventurous plot.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) YA Tower of Winds series. In this follow-up to Isle of Blood and Stone, apprentice mapmaker Reyna crosses paths with Prince Levi when their nations ally against the reclusive island of Miramar. Miramar's prince is leading sea raiders to kidnap ships' crews, including Reyna's and Levi's brother's. Lucier's fantasy world-building is exquisite--deadly sea monsters, siren-like bird-women, exotic customs, elements of magic--and the romance between Reyna and Levi is heady.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(3) 4-6 Nearly Always Perilous Adventures of Archibald Shrew series. In the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Mr. Popli (serious mouse mayor of Garbage Island) and fellow rodent Archibald Shrew (a reckless inventor) rarely see eye to eye. When their island falls apart, they must weather storms, predators, and misunderstandings to survive. Koehler's first novel is full of funny dialogue, and his black-and-white illustrations help readers understand the scope of this tiny, isolated world.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) YA Siren swashbuckler Alosa ([cf2[Daughter of the Pirate King) accomplished her mission for her father: obtaining the map to the siren island and its treasure. Back to captaining her mostly-female crew, Alosa needs help from alluring prisoner Riden to investigate new doubt in her ruthless father's intentions. Fans of book one will happily return to this watery other-world for more fantastical buccaneering adventure.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) YA In a polluted, dystopic future America, smuggler Marin comes from a line of corsarios (pirates). Riots over the Relocation Act--moving impoverished "Shorelings" to the man-made island Pacifica--connect Marin with the president's son Ross, who ultimately needs Marin's help on a desperate sea-faring quest. The dark, atmospheric story's theme of internment (expanded on in the author's note) echoes history, while the climate change–ravaged dystopia rings unsettlingly possible.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. After Kinchen's brother is kidnapped from their fantastical island world, their adoptive grandfather tells Kinchen the story of twins horrifically tossed off a slave ship in 1781. A third narrative strand emerges with a group desperately fleeing 1978 Vietnam in a boat. Bouwman keeps her characters' journeys--physical and emotional--front and center. Vivid interspersed black-and-white illustrations add to the drama.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(4) 4-6 Chipmunk Twig and his woodland friends set sail to find baby dragon Char's lost family on a mysterious island. Danger looms on their ocean quest, but bravery, teamwork, and hope will surely see them through. This sequel to Brambleheart again features Cole's twee storytelling as well as his charming pencil illustrations sprinkled throughout the classic-feeling animal fantasy.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) 4-6 Swashbuckling Cassie O'Pia's pirate ship sails for the Western Island to fix the balance of magic by locating nearly extinct dragons and also to search for Brine's missing parents. This sequel has a lighter payload of puns and goofiness than The Voyage to Magical North, but it reaches deeper into character motivations and conflicts. The nonstop adventure continues the series' high standards of creativity, humor, and heart.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 Four Points series. Illustrated by Rebecca Mock. Twelve-year-old twins Alex and Cleo (Compass South) continue to search for their fabled family treasure. Tensions grow between the siblings, but they must work together to survive pirates and a shipwreck. This second volume of the nineteenth-century-set graphic-novel series travels from San Francisco to the Marshall Islands, extending the diverse cast and again examining issues of gender, race, and class amid high-seas adventure.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Iain McIntosh. The sequel to School Ship Tobermory follows the diverse international boarding-school ship as it sails from Scotland to the Caribbean. The children befriend and help a local boy and all work together to thwart modern-day pirates. Bullies and bad guys exist at sea and on land in the rollicking sailing adventure reminiscent of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) 1-3 Translated by Oliver Latsch. Illustrated by Kerstin Meyer. A humorous adventure starts when Stout Sam and his deckhand, Pip, find a pig washed up on shore. They soon discover that the pig, Julie, can smell treasure. She's a pirate pig! When nasty pirate Barracuda Bill steals Julie, Pip and Sam will do anything to get her back. Lively full-color illustrations add extra sparkle to this enjoyable treasure of a chapter book.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) 4-6 To save his deceased brother's elderly Labrador retriever from being put down, Sam sets sail with Pogo for Malabar Island; the journey is riddled with danger, including storms, sharks, and lack of water. The unfolding of Sam's grief and the almost-spiritual assistance of a one-eyed cormorant provide deeper meaning to an otherwise predictable survival-at-sea story.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 1-3 Jolly Roger series. Translated by Jill Lewin. Illustrated by Annette Marnat. After twins Louise and Benjamin escape from their Parisian orphanage, pirates take an interest in them because of their treasure-map tattoos. The twins are swept up into twisty adventures searching for their real father, legendary pirate Captain Roc. Some unnecessary expository paragraphs stall the otherwise entertaining plots; monochromatic manga-like illustrations add appeal. There are three other spring 2015 books in this series. Review covers the following Jolly Roger titles: Escape from Veracruz, The Pirate's Legacy, and Shark Island.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Trina L. Hunner. This story, accompanied by detailed illustrations, introduces numerous creatures that live near a coral reef. It follows Kiki the green sea turtle as she hatches, avoids predators, grows, and returns to her home beach to lay eggs. The informational text is paired on each spread with a superfluous two-line rhyming stanza. Useful additional facts, activities, and a map are appended.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) 4-6 Not-So-Impossible Tales series. Illustrated by Sarah McIntyre. Ten-year-old Oliver's parents never returned from exploring an unusual archipelago of islands. He searches for them with help from a talking bird; a mermaid in need of spectacles; and a kind, sentient wandering island, encountering an army of sea monkeys and insult-spouting seaweed along the way. A joyous, original new adventure series filled with quirky characters, buoyant illustrations, and plenty of laughs.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca