(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Peter Brown. Jasper Rabbit, protagonist of the picture book Creepy Carrots! and its sequels (most recently Creepy Crayon!, rev. 9/22), serves as the Rod Serling-like narrator of this early-chapter-book series opener. "Creepy things lie on the following pages...You may possibly find yourself peeing your pants." Duly warned, readers meet Charlie Marmot, who is scheduled to have his tonsils removed and plans to keep them in a jar for show-and-tell. But when the time comes for the procedure, the tonsils are already missing...and then it gets weirder. The tonsils are sentient, they have their own lines of dialogue, and they're out for revenge. Sophisticated vocabulary and turns of phrase ("regardless of the cause, there are no tonsils currently residing in Charlie's throat") make this title, full of both horror and humor, a good choice for confidently independent readers or for reading aloud together in ominous tones. Mixed-media illustrations, some of them chillingly stark, in a pitch-perfect palette of black-and-white punctuated with tonsil pink, add to the cinematic feel. Hand to readers demanding scary books -- if they're willing to swallow quite the premise. Needs new series title: Jasper Rabbit's Creepy Tales!

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Brown. Brown compiles capital-L Life Lessons from everyone's favorite aardvark. On double-page spreads, Brown's words pair with a picture-book page or TV still (original sources labeled) meant to exemplify the lesson. Loosely organized into thematic sections, the book's coverage is broad and ranges in depth. Many of the pairings offer genuine wisdom or insight on topics from racism to disinformation to appreciating childhood; other spreads feel didactic; some are theme synopses. The volume should be useful as bibliotherapy and also as an annotated visit with the beloved characters. Back matter includes biographical notes, including "How Arthur Came to Be."

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Keith Henry Brown. What could have been a straightforward story of a boy meeting his idol becomes in Pinkney's (Martin Rising, rev. 3/18; Loretta Little Looks Back, rev. 11/20) skilled hands a tapestry of intertwined stories looking back to the past and forward to the future. Pinkney introduces Tybre Faw, who as a great admirer of civil rights icon John Lewis attends one of the annual marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which leads to a life-changing meeting with Lewis. Interwoven is the parallel story of John Lewis, who as a young man wrote Dr. Martin Luther King a letter, which led to a life-changing meeting, a lifelong friendship, a life's work. And just as, after Dr. King's death, Lewis was left to "carry on Martin's dream for peace. / To stitch the seams / of his legacy," so "legacy's threads" will stitch in Faw's hopes and bright promise. Pinkney's free-verse text skillfully reinforces the connections between Faw and Lewis, using similar language to introduce them ("When you're a kid from / Johnson City, Tennessee... When you're a boy / in Troy, Alabama") or describe galvanizing incidents (Faw reading about Lewis's activism "lights his dream on fire"; Lewis hearing Dr. King's voice on the radio "lit a light in John's heart"). The telescoping nature of the narratives--starting with Faw and looking back to Lewis and King and thence to "Harriet, Frederick, Sojourner, Du Bois"--encourages young readers to acknowledge the shoulders of giants each generation stands on and to themselves work toward "a brighter tomorrow." Brown's (Birth of the Cool, rev. 5/19) watercolor and pen art is emotive and introspective, focusing on character and connection rather than on events or action. Appended with a lengthy author's note, a timeline of the life of Rep. John Lewis, photographs, and the text of the poem "Invictus" read by Tybre Faw at Lewis's funeral.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 Creepy Tales! series. Illustrated by Peter Brown. Reynolds and Brown (Creepy Carrots!; Creepy Pair of Underwear!, rev. 9/17) are back to haunt another innocuous item: your crayons! Jasper Rabbit could use some help with his schoolwork, and he gets it from a purple crayon with an expressively drawn cartoon face. That at-first-friendly visage eventually shows its sinister true colors as the crayon goes from helpful (magically improving Jasper's spelling) to downright possessive (scrawling "YOU NEED ME" on a mirror). Purple pops as the only color besides the noirish black-and-white of the illustrations (other than cameos by green underwear and orange carrots). Harold and the Purple Crayon meets Faust, and the imaginative, humorously written result is so ridiculous that it's hard to stay really scared.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) PS Illustrated by Reggie Brown. Deja believes in Santa, but...how can he get into her apartment without a chimney? And there aren't any parking spaces on her city street--where will he put his sleigh? The adults in her life--Mommy, Mr. Ortiz from the corner bodega, her aunts and uncles--do their best to (very creatively) answer her questions, but Deja isn't satisfied. On Christmas Eve, her plan to stay awake so she can quiz Santa herself fails. But she awakens on Christmas morning to find proof that Santa has been there--a message from him, just for her. Lively digital illustrations portray a close-knit Black family and urban community in a story that will reassure kids with the same concerns as Deja's.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Brown. Sharing, fairness, choice, respect, ­truthfulness--most young people are well acquainted with these concepts; the Browns (Dinosaurs Divorce; Dinosaurs Go Green!; and many others) use these principles to help deliver an engaging civics lesson. The inviting second-person text speaks directly to "kid citizens," encouraging them to view themselves as participants in our government. The lively panel illustrations, featuring Marc Brown's green cartoon dinosaurs (back after a decade-plus hiatus), expand on Laurie Krasny Brown's text and add levity to the discussion. Each of nine sections focuses on a concept, relating it to daily life and then demonstrating how it manifests in a democracy. "Share Equal Rights" explains equality this way: "You probably know how it feels to be left out or included. Inviting kids into your game is also sharing." This leads to a broader interpretation: "Sharing also takes place in a country. When no one gets left out, then everyone has equal rights." Describing fairness as "a way of showing respect" and stating that "good rules help make fairness possible" lays the groundwork to talk about justice. Sections on how to be a judicious consumer of information ("Look for Truth") and what free speech means (including tips on "How to Have an Argument") should be required reading for all of us--of any age. This optimistic and accessible guide to civic responsibility concludes with the charge to "Stand Up for Democracy"--a message now more important than ever. "Words for Kid Citizens to Know" are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Keith Henry Brown. Loose free verse with pared down language picks up on the sounds of Miles Davis's (1926–1991) childhood as he hones the trumpet style that will later make him a jazz great. Text and illustration alike for this picture book biography have an appropriately improvisational feel; Brown's unfinished-looking ink drawings are enhanced by energetic watercolors. Interspersed quotes from Davis in a handwritten font lend immediacy to the text.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Rod Brown. The author recalls her father telling the story of how her famous grandfather, the singer Paul Robeson (1898–1976), "stopped a war." In 1938, his singing for the soldiers on the front lines of Teruel temporarily halted the Spanish Civil War ("The battlefield grew silent. No shots were fired"). The story's humanity is underscored with paintings by a sure hand.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elbrite Brown. In this fifteenth-anniversary edition of the 2004 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe illustration winner, an African American girl's family members all perform in groups that play different types of music. Each spread sets a different musical scene, with the girl always participating. Readers come away with the impression of a close-knit and loving--and musically diverse--extended family. Cut-paper-collage illustrations exude warmth and vibrancy. Glos.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) 4-6 Edge Books: Drawing Mash-Ups series. Illustrated by Alan Brown. Learn how to draw animals (cat, tortoise) and legendary monsters (minotaur, werewolf) that assume human or machine characteristics (gymnast cat, bread-baking werewolf). These how-to books include step-by-step instructional sketches for thirteen "mash-ups" each that progress from sketched shapes to detailed colored pictures. An introduction encourages creativity and experimentation and offers suggestions about different media to use including pastels or chalk. Reading list. Review covers these Edge Books: Drawing Mash-Ups titles: Draw Amazing Animal Mash-Ups and Draw Scary Monster Mash-Ups.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales series. Illustrated by Alan Brown. Fairy tales told as choose-your-path adventures may be an ideal match of form and genre. Readers addressed as "you" first select one of three scenarios (including fantasy, wacky humor, and sci-fi) and make narrative choices until reaching a happy, sad, or neutral ending. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations support the texts. Background about the source tale and critical thinking questions are included. Reading list. Review covers these You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales titles: Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) PS Illustrated by Alison Brown. Little Owl is crestfallen when he sees Mommy Owl's new egg: "I'm your baby owl. You don't need a new one." They imagine what's inside the egg--a penguin? an elephant?--until Little Owl concedes that another owl would indeed be best. The sweet and silly text combines well with soft acrylic-paint and colored-pencil illustrations to create a reassuring new-sibling story.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by James Brown. This eminently browsable, nearly poster-size book is a self-described "essential miscellany of fascinating facts." Platt devotes double-page spreads to thirty wide-ranging topics, from knot types to music notation to human organs to the Periodic Table. Brown's screenprinted, monochromatic illustrations are stylized infographics preceded by informative text that will appeal to all ages and may inspire further, more systematic research.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Peter Brown. In this companion to Creepy Carrots, young Jasper Rabbit begs his mom to buy a pair of green glow-in-the-dark underwear with a Frankenstein's-monster face. But once he's alone in bed in the dark, Jasper's fears take flight. The humorous text captures Jasper's not-quite-a-big-kid dilemma. Brown's noirish, digitally colored and -composited pencil illustrations--accented with Day-Glo green--heighten both the silliness and the spookiness in equal measure.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Lisa Brown. A goldfish ghost wafts around a seaside town looking for companionship until he meets the lonely ghost of a lighthouse keeper. In this straightforward quest story, emotion is conveyed by color: the world of the living is all warm pink and beige; the ghost world slate-gray and dark teal, with typing-paper-white ghost figures. In the field of pet bereavement narratives, this stands out for its tenderness, originality, and subtlety.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Brown. Mary McScary can scare everyone around--except her cousin Harry. Mary throws increasingly large (and dangerous) animals at Harry, but he befriends every creature instead. There's nothing left to do but kiss him ("EEEEEEEEK!"). Stine shows his horror-humor skills, though the repetition grows a bit wearying. Brown's illustrations humorously balance the everyday elements with the creature-feature details.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown. For flower girl Emma, her cousin's wedding is full of surprises--her "celery" dress just bears the color, not the veggie, and by the way, there are two brides. Some of the misunderstandings are forced, but this cheerful story, which treats both Judaism and same-sex marriage as relatively incidental, is celebratory in tone, with plenty of smiling faces in the green-accentuated illustrations.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) PS Illustrated by Petra Brown. In this sentimental companion to Grandma Loves You!, a grandfather rabbit expresses his unconditional pride in, love for, and devotion to a baby rabbit. Tender moments with the "cutie pah-tootie"--including kite-flying, joke-telling, and bedtime cuddling--bond the pair. Treacly rhymes, pastoral illustrations, and an appended space for a letter and picture from grandfather to child perfectly suit the intended audience: gift-givers.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) 4-6 Jonny Jakes Investigates series. Illustrated by Alan Brown. The mysterious undercover reporter of banned school newspaper The Woodford Word must conceal his identity. "Jonny Jakes" exposes an alien principal, who will do anything to block those snarky headlines (Hamburgers), and stops a punishment-happy ghost-principal from ruling the school (Ghoul). Despite the over-the-top situations and predictable outcomes, these first-person journal-style stories, dotted with (bland) spot art and occasional newspaper clippings, are entertaining. Review covers the following Jonny Jakes Investigates titles: The Hamburgers of Doom and The Old School Ghoul.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Jonny Jakes Investigates series. Illustrated by Alan Brown. The mysterious undercover reporter of banned school newspaper The Woodford Word must conceal his identity. "Jonny Jakes" exposes an alien principal, who will do anything to block those snarky headlines (Hamburgers), and stops a punishment-happy ghost-principal from ruling the school (Ghoul). Despite the over-the-top situations and predictable outcomes, these first-person journal-style stories, dotted with (bland) spot art and occasional newspaper clippings, are entertaining. Review covers the following Jonny Jakes Investigates titles: The Hamburgers of Doom and The Old School Ghoul.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum