(2) K-3 Little Mouse is playing Supermouse when Mama says it's time for bed: "Even Supermice have to sleep." The affable protagonist settles into bed without complaint, Mama turns off the light...and then Little Mouse notices that the closet door is open. Smith's (long-awaited) sequel to his 2010 Geisel Honor winner, Little Mouse Gets Ready, employs a cartoon format to tell the story. The bulk of the text appears in a handful of speech bubbles at the beginning and end, when the two main characters interact. The middle, when Little Mouse reckons with the cat-shaped shadow in the closet, is told with fewer words; the panels here are dominated by deep blues and violets. This palette stands in contrast to the cheerful, light-filled panels that bookend Little Mouse's dark night of the soul, in which mother and child's affectionate gazes and gentle interactions telegraph security. In the dark, Little Mouse is believably frightened, but readers will feel safe as the mouse creeps out of bed and confronts the "monster" in the closet. Little Mouse screams, Mama comes running, everyone chuckles over a misunderstanding, and Little Mouse is tucked safely into bed once more. A satisfying romp for new readers building their own confidence.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(3) K-3 Color by Tom Gaadt. Smiley Bone (of Smith's graphic novels) stars in a large-paneled picture book that serves as both a counting book and an introduction to comics conventions. A dreaming Smiley climbs a tree toward, and then takes flight with, an increasing number of birds that then depart one by one after Smiley scares off a hawk. Cheery pastels create a pleasant, spring-like mood, despite the brief scariness.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Color by Steve Hamaker. Greedy Phoney Bone is run out of town, and his cousins, Fone and Smiley, join him. This tenth-anniversary edition of the comics collection includes Smith's "An Ode to Quiche," nine pages of "Pinup Art" from the book, and a "Tribute Gallery" by sixteen comics artists, including Dav Pilkey, Dan Santat, and Raina Telgemeier.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) 4-6 With Tom Sniegoski. Using a campfire tale framework, this companion to the Bone series features collected tall tales of Big Johnson Bone, founder of Boneville. Like a cross between Davy Crockett and Paul Bunyan, Big Johnson battles Old Man Winter and takes on the Queen of the Rats. The improbable legends will entertain fans while providing more history about the Bone universe.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 Color by Jeff Hamaker. This final volume in the popular graphic-novel series takes Bone and his companions on one last journey: to seek out Thorn's vision, a "Crown of Horns," in the hopes that it will return peace to the kingdom. As all parties converge on the royal city for battle, Smith packs the pages with action, adventure, and a satisfying conclusion.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) K-3 Toon Book series. Little Mouse prepares for a trip to the barn by painstakingly putting on his clothes--underpants, socks, pants, shoes, and shirt (pesky buttons and all). His running commentary will reassure youngsters still intimidated by the task of dressing themselves, while the closing twist--"mice don't wear clothes!" says Mama--keeps everything light. Spacious, dynamic illustrations focus squarely on the pint-sized protagonist.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Charles Vess. This Bone series prequel explains how Princess Briar and Princess Rose first took divergent paths that led to the rise of the evil Lord of the Locusts and the ultimate showdown for the battle of Northern Valley. Vess's art is faithful to Smith's originals and ably captures the spirit of an earlier age in the Bone mythology.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 Colored by Steve Hamaker. The creator of Bone tries his hand at superheroes in this revival of a DC classic. Life gets interesting for orphan Billy Batson after he starts timesharing his body with Captain Marvel. He faces giant robots, angry monsters, and a fiendish U.S. attorney general, and he discovers he has a sister. Politics are clumsily incorporated, but Billy and friends are smart, fearless, and likable.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Jeff Smith & Steve Hamaker. Things are heating up in this graphic novel series as Bone and his friends prepare to face off against the Hooded One while Thorn begins to understand her place in the Valley and among her people. Newcomers will need to back up quite a bit to understand references made in this installment.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Jeff Smith & Steve Hamaker. Phoney Bone has most of Barrelhaven fooled into thinking he's a mighty dragonslayer, in this fourth book in the series (originally published in comic-book form). Meanwhile, the evil rat creatures, pawns of the hooded one and the Lord of the Locusts, have drawn the townspeople into war. The humor and action will leave fans satisfied, but the plot will likely confound first-time readers.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Jeff Smith & Steve Hamaker. When greedy Phoney Bone is run out of town, his cousins, Fone and Smiley, join him. Fone makes friends with a country girl, her no-nonsense gran'ma, and a dragon; Phoney must contend with ferocious rat creatures who are led by a mysterious "hooded one" and who want Phoney's soul. This graphic novel (originally published in comic-book form) is slow paced but nevertheless imaginative.

Reviewer: Mark Adam