(2) K-3 A young space explorer records the ups and downs of intergalactic education in this lighthearted, affirming take on the perennial first-day-of-school tale. Clad in a tiny space suit, wide-eyed astronaut James lands a rocket and bounces delightedly across a novel planetary landscape before reporting to the bus stop. Our narrator is curious about new alien classmates, but the dizzying UFO ride to school kicks off a disorienting day in an unfamiliar environment. The bathroom is too perplexing to use, the rules of recess slime-ball don't seem human-friendly, and nobody can say James; his optimism beaten down by mid-day, James retreats to "this little book" and writes about the day's experiences in solitude. With candy-colored pencil and digital landscapes and smiling goggly-eyed students, Kwan establishes a quirky extraterrestrial atmosphere that feels strange but not threatening. Diary-style prose captures James's earnest, often charming perspective: "I can even see my old home, like a faraway blueberry." The protagonist's gift of observation provides a pivotal point of connection when, after recess, James offers the journal up for show-and-tell; riveted classmates are now quick to share the bathroom code and their excess slime and generally welcome the new kid into the fold. This reassuring, accessible story speaks to both nervous newcomers and their future friends.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(2) K-3 In this offbeat existential exploration of what it means to be a someone, a second-person narrative speaks directly to readers: "You are a boat." The boat, with cavernous rooms and one big "furnace-heart," sails some perilous seas, but strength, smarts, and an eye to the horizon see her through. The scratchy, cartoonlike illustrations are by turns ominous and reassuring in just the right places.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(3) K-3 "Dear Yeti, / We're searching for you. / Sincerely, / Hikers." In this sweet, suspenseful tale, two friends search for the elusive yeti, who readers will delight in spotting in close proximity to the unaware hikers. In Kwan's pointillist-precise art, the yeti has a human-like face that reflects its compassion, as when it saves the hikers from a grizzly bear.

Reviewer: Nell Beram