(2) PS Illustrated by Sean Qualls. McGhee and Qualls present an exuberant celebration of dads and their babies. A recurring, multiracial cast of father-and-baby pairs enacts the fun, with McGhee's rhythmic, rhyming text backgrounding the mood: "Give me that tie / and I'll tie you a bow, // Give me your foot and I'll give you a toe. // Your drumming, my strumming. // Your beats. / My treats." In Qualls's illustrations, a baby plays with some neckties before their father fashions one into a bow for his little one; another one balances on their pop's feet while they dance together in the living room; yet another tot gleefully bashes pots and pans while their dad cobbles together a fruit cup. While there's nothing in the text to suggest that the narrative voice is male, all the parent figures present as such, and one sports a T-shirt that reads "SUPER DAD." Qualls's trademark bubbles and swirls decorate the pages, the mixed-media application--acrylic paint, colored-pencil, and collage--lending the compositions an improvisational DIY look that suits these dads' collective aspiration for their babies: "Wherever you are and whoever you'll be / just know that you're already perfect for me. // My baby, oh baby, oh baby, just...BE." In a market where the mother-child bond is still more prominently featured than that between fathers and their children, this bouncy outing, while not exactly unique, feels fresh.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls & Selina Alko. Classmates Irene (white) and Charles (black) are paired for a poetry-writing project in this clever collection. Each spread contains poems from both their perspectives. As they get to know each other, the poems traverse trickier areas (e.g., slavery, police violence). Acrylic, colored-pencil, and collage illustrations range from ordinary classroom scenes to double-page spreads that visually connect the characters' experiences.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. Young Zazi and Ziwelene find a photo of their great-grandfather, Nelson Mandela, at their grandmother's house, which inspires them to ask her about him. The book's question-and-answer narrative seems contrived ("Why did Grandad go to jail?"; "What is justice?"), but Grandma Zindzi's answers are nimbly worded. Qualls's acrylic, collage, and colored-pencil art has a stateliness worthy of the book's subject.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Illustrated by Sean Qualls & Selina Alko. A boy and a girl of different skin colors board a subway car. Each child quietly ponders questions posed by the lyrical text: "Why am I me...and not you?" Textured illustrations, in acrylic paint, colored pencil, and collage, reflect the beauty and diversity of the other people pictured. When the two children finally speak to each other, their simple "hi"s offer connection across space and difference.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls & Selina Alko. Sitting down to tea, real-life friends Anthony and Douglass discuss their ideas and plans for action. An accessible text gives a broad picture of each civil rights leader's work; striking mixed-media and collage illustrations depict scenes from their lives. Though they fought separately for freedom and voting rights, the book captures the unifying themes of combating injustice. An informative author's note is included. Bib.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls & Selina Alko. Richard Loving (white) and Mildred Jeter (black) fell in love and married, then were arrested for miscegenation. Their 1967 Supreme Court case legalized interracial marriage. Alko does a mostly admirable job of shaping the story (some terms are hazy) and the legal proceedings for a young audience. The book's optimistic message and tone are reinforced by mixed-media illustrations by Alko and Qualls (themselves partners in an interracial marriage). Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2015

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. A first-person narrator addresses readers conversationally (sometimes irritatingly so) in this biography of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century African American poet. Dunbar's poems are placed throughout the book, introducing both his work and life story. Qualls's black-and-white illustrations are full of action and emotion, enhancing the informative text. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. Yeboah, born in rural Ghana in 1977 with only one functional leg, grew up to become a national hero and disabilities activist. Learning to ride a bike brought him to the national stage: he embarked on a 400-mile bicycle ride through Ghana, spreading his message that "being disabled does not mean being unable." The text is clearly written; mixed-media illustrations match its upbeat tone.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2015

(2) PS Illustrated by Sean Qualls. "My little dark baby, / My little earth-thing, / My little love-one, / What shall I sing / For your lullaby?" Not all poems make for great picture book texts, but this one has just the right cadence and all the right line breaks for smooth page turns, especially when accompanied by Qualls's superb blue-hued pencil, acrylic, and cut-paper collages.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(3) K-3 Candlewick Biographies series. Illustrated by Sean Qualls. In jazzy prose, Orgill tells of young Ella's sad childhood and up-from-her-bootstraps rise to fame. Interspersed in the main text are lyrics from songs Fitzgerald made her own (e.g., "A Tisket, A Tasket"), giving the volume an improvised feel. Qualls's acrylic, pencil, and collage illustrations hum with the energy of a night out in Harlem. This "reformatted edition" includes a list of recommended recordings. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. Walker's rhythmic text imagines young Henry's moods expressed as songs. The story follows his life as a slave, his devastation when his wife and children are sold away from him, and his clever yet dangerous plan to escape to freedom hidden inside a crate. Qualls's use of space and color captures the nuances of Brown's incredible story.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. Inspirational (if somewhat cryptic) text encapsulates the principles by which world leaders and heroes live: determination, fortitude, humanitarianism, courage, etc. The front and back endpapers provide pithy quotes from such figures (e.g., Harriet Tubman, Albert Einstein, Langston Hughes). Qualls's symbolism-rich mixed-media illustrations help underscore the interconnectedness of all people.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. In alternating chapters, three preadolescent African American narrators--Hibernia, Otis, and Willie--reveal their deep private pain. As their lives intersect during the year before Joe Louis wins his heavyweight championship fight, the three young people prove resilient and receptive to friendship. Despite its serious issues, a humorous tone ripples throughout this well-researched, well-voiced historical novel. Reading list.

Reviewer: Betsy Hearne | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. In this tale inspired by the Aesop fable "The Bundle of Sticks," blue-haired doll-like Little Cloud longs for a life on earth--until Lady Wind takes her on a tour of the sky and shows her her true worth. The heavy-handedness of the allegorical story is somewhat mitigated by Qualls's lovely and unpretentious blue-and-purple-dominant illustrations.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. In jazzy prose, Orgill tells of young Ella's sad childhood and up-from-her-bootstraps rise to fame. Interspersed in the main text are lyrics from songs Fitzgerald made her own (e.g., "A Tisket, A Tasket"), giving the volume an improvised feel. Qualls's acrylic, pencil, and collage illustrations hum with the energy of a night out in Harlem. A list of recommended recordings is appended. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. A girl talks about how her relatives lived their lives, asking: "And what will I be, Lord? What will I be?" Through Nelson's words and Qualls's mixed-media illustrations, each person becomes distinct and memorable. The story touches on serious topics (racism, slavery), but its overall tone conveys the warmth of the family members' love and their devotion to God and one another.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. In 1772, Phillis Wheatley's poems were subjected to an "examination" by eighteen men. This book begins with Phillis's walk to the exam, then pulls back to describe her past, from girl in Africa to slave to educated and talented young woman. Qualls's acrylic and paper collages display a grace and serenity about Phillis even when she's faced with injustice.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. In four-line stanzas Weatherford lists the sounds and experiences that made young Coltrane into the great musician he became. Qualls's paintings show John listening, focusing, soaking it all in. By the end, he's making his own music, and the collage, acrylic, and pencil illustrations shift from the realistic to shapes and colors evoking music. An appended author's note includes selected listening. Reading list.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. John (later Dizzy) Gillespie was fired from several bands because of his lack of seriousness. But his sense of play and hot-dog musicianship allowed him to become an innovator of be-bop as well as a great jazz trumpeter and singer. Winter's rhyme, repeated text, and unexpected line breaks reflect Dizzy's musical style. Qualls's mixed-media art provides a masterful combination of narrative and emotion.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2006

(4) YA Illustrated by Sean Qualls. The compiler excerpts significant rhetorical pieces by three dozen influential African Americans ranging from Benjamin Banneker to Lauryn Hill. Brief and useful biographical essays accompany each selection, but the design and two-color illustrations are textbookish. Chronology, source notes. Ind.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn