(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lorena Alvarez Gómez. What do you do when “your brain is buzzy, and it’s way too busy”? Call upon the “Marvelous Now,” a small blue creature who is the personification of mindfulness and peace. “Now” helps you calm down by reminding you to count backward, go for a walk, draw, etc. The reassuring rhymes gives readers effective strategies for “keeping your cool!”; the digital art contrasts gray clouds of stress with soothing, colorful flower trails.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amber Ren. Boba tea Mindy, who’s pink, white, and green, stands out against the other brown teas in Milk Tea Town. The grownups fear that Mindy and her colorful friends represent the end of classic milk tea, but the kids teach the adults that their town has always been a place of changing flavors and ingredients. The message about celebrating diversity is cleverly packaged, complete with tea puns; the charming mixed-media art shows off the beverages’ rainbow colors. A history of pearl milk tea is appended.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Moran. A friendly, toothy T. Rex, who pops out at birthdays, holidays, and school plays, can’t figure out why humans aren’t happier to see the “Surprise Dinosaur.” After one too many unexpected appearances, the dinosaur reluctantly agrees to be a statue at the natural history museum. But there are more surprises in store. The eager dinosaur’s efforts to deliver “fun surprises” are comically reflected in the expressive, digital cartoon illustrations.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan. Ali visits his grandparents in Palestine, where they grow olive trees on their land. Ali and his seedo (grandfather) have a close bond; Seedo twirls Ali in the air and gives piggyback rides. It’s olive harvesting season, and they visit one particular tree named Hilwa (“sweet one”) that Seedo planted with his grandfather. Ali’s sitty (grandmother) whacks the branches of trees with a stick to harvest the olives, a method that has been passed down through generations. Olive-gathering is a festive affair: Ali’s cousins collect them in baskets while singing “zaytoon, ya zaytoon” (“olives, oh olives”) and dancing. When Ali and Seedo go to the olive press, Seedo explains that olives are one of Hilwa’s many gifts. Hilwa’s last gift is a cutting that Ali plants upon returning home, while Seedo and Sitty watch via video call. Digitally rendered illustrations authentically represent an idyllic Palestinian home and landscape, but the trees and loving extended family remain the focal points. A gentle story about intergenerational bonds and the significance of olive trees to Palestinians as both sustenance and a metaphor representing closeness to the land. An author’s note explains the basis for the story in a childhood memory; a glossary of Arabic words is also appended.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Park. Three endearing felines, named Big, Little­, and Middle, enjoy a happy life until a scraggly stray cat enters their backyard yowling and hissing. The mother of the cats’ young owner warns the child, who narrates the book, that this furry stranger might have fleas or even rabies, and the other cats regard the intruder with wide eyes and arched backs. However, when the persistent visitor starts exhibiting signs of friendliness (including bringing a dead mouse as a present), the narrator can’t resist giving the kitty some food and a bath. A bond develops, and even the other cats, once ­apprehensive, start accepting this raggedy new arrival. Sumovich fills her clever narrative, spanning four seasons, with such lines as “she appears like a magic trick, mowling like a banshee” that make this entertaining to read aloud. Park gives each cat a distinct personality and look and excels at rendering comical facial expressions and limber body language. The illustrations also deftly mix in some pathos, especially in an evocative wintry spread that shows the child inside a warm house looking out the window at the freezing feral cat. After some climactic drama, the story reaches a satisfying conclusion. Even the endpapers, packed with the child’s cat-centered drawings, are delightful.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Chris Raschka. “A lemony anemone. An anonymous anemone” welcomes human friends but has one request: “DON’T BOOP ME!” Anemones (as an author’s note explains) don’t like to be touched...and the speaker encourages any human readers or listeners who feel similarly to make their wishes known. Vail’s text broaches issues of consent in an approachable and lighthearted way. Raschka creates memorable illustrations with a patchwork feel using “watercolor, gouache, and gesso on fabric, with embroidery floss and yarn.”

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Patrice Barton. An adult warmly shares wishes for a child. Along with the straightforwardly positive (“If I could, I’d write a thousand songs for you to sing”), these wishes include more challenging imagined gifts to prepare the child for life (“I’d give you every tear I ever cried so you can learn from my mistakes”), making for a more complex than usual take on the subgenre of picture books expressing hopes for young loved ones. Engaging and varied mixed-media illustrations depict diverse, loving families.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Monica Arnaldo. Cecilia, a Latine girl, juggles two jobs: kid and interpreter. Text bubbles in yellow for Spanish and blue for English differentiate the languages spoken by Cecilia's "clients" (i.e., her parents) and by those at "grown-up places," including the doctor's office and the DMV. As Cecilia dutifully translates questions, concerns, and instructions, Arnaldo's colorful watercolor and pencil-crayon illustrations elaborate on Abtahi's metaphor -- Cecilia appears to work in an office, wears an oversized suit and tie, and gulps down coffee -- while conveying, through her frizzing ponytail and rumpled jacket, the pressures of "working overtime." When Cecilia is asked about her feelings during a parent-teacher conference and admits the truth, her mother and father console her and promise to get more help. Abtahi, who took inspiration from her own multilingual childhood, strikes an important balance in her resolution: the necessity of interpreting for immigrant parents is not dismissed or shamed, while the pressure it can place on their children is addressed with empathy. After other family members step in to "pick up shifts" for Cecilia, she's able to continue helping her family while prioritizing her primary job: being a kid.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney & Brian Pinkney. When a brush fire begins raging, the animals flee to the river for safety—except for one determined hummingbird. The tiny bird carries drops of water in her beak, releasing them on the flames. The other animals view her efforts as futile until a wise elephant, moved by her persistence, asks why she bothers. “I am do-ing what I can,” the hummingbird says. The elephant responds, “Then I will do what I can.” One by one, the animals follow her example, coming together to fight the fire. Alper’s lyrical text, inspired by a parable shared by environmentalist Wangari Maathai, emphasizes the power of small actions leading to collective change. According to an illustrator’s note, Jerry Pinkney’s sketches for this, his final work, were lovingly completed by his son Brian Pinkney, whose painstaking “paint strokes and brush lines brought [his] father’s work to life.” The collaboration creates a visual experience that feels fresh. One aerial-view spread shows a host of animals—including giraffes, hippos, chimpanzees, elephants, and crocodiles—­joining forces, offering a stirring depiction of resilience and teamwork. The contrast between the hot orange tones of the fire and the river’s cool blues heightens the book’s emotional impact. A stirring tale of courage, unity, and environmental stewardship

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Brizida Magro. This tender, deeply empathetic story, narrated by a child grieving the loss of a sibling, offers a moving exploration of grief's many layers. "There's a hole in the bottom bunk where my brother, Matty, used to sleep," the narrator reflects on the first page. The illustrator visualizes this hole as a black scribble drifting throughout the house, a metaphor for grief that captures its persistent, all-encompassing nature. The hole appears beside Mom and Dad as they try to carry on and, affectingly, over their hearts as the family sits together at dinner. "I hate these holes," the narrator confesses, as classmates react in varying ways: some ignore them, some fail to notice. A friend, Nora, takes a different approach. Curious about the hole, she stays by the protagonist's side as her friend descends into it, spotlighted in the emotional illustrations by a warm yellow light. The story reaches a cathartic turning point when the child collapses in sorrow, shouting out, "I miss you, Matty." In the quiet that follows, Nora encourages her friend to share stories. These recollections bring them to vivid life, later brightening the mood at the family dinner table and offering a sense of connection and healing amidst their shared loss.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dan Taylor. Daddy, Rosie, and Jojo are excited to meet Papa at the airport after his long trip. They load the car with everything Papa might want, from a big glittery sign to a cake to his bicycle to the dog. Of course, while Papa appreciates everything they brought, he is just glad to see them. Digital illustrations bursting with color highlight the delightful chaos of life with toddlers and celebrate the love in a family obviously inspired by the author’s own.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) K-3 The first day of school is approaching, and Yeti is feeling nervous. She comes up with several excuses to stay home (a missing pencil, a lost backpack), but her dad steps in each time to reassure her and urge her to keep her cool. Once she arrives at school, she discovers that other students are anxious too, and that gives her the confidence to make friends and stay calm. Carter’s digital illustrations lean into the humor of the situation, while the text is comforting.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) K-3 “Here is a book” that seeks to connect children and their daily lives to art and the process of creation. Long, list-like sentences meander across multiple spreads, creating a meditative mood while encouraging page-turns. Cooper begins by de-scribing an artist’s garden “made with sun, rain, dirt, shovels, seeds, and love”; her home “built with wood, hammers, paint, brushes, a shingled roof, and care”; and her studio “overflowing with paper, pencils, watercolors, brushes, sketches, drafts, a wastebasket, a light, a desk, a chair, music, tea, days, nights, art, and wonder.” The artist bikes her art to her publisher in a nearby town, who lays it out and sends it to the printer, who distributes the book. Watercolor and pencil illustrations in dreamy blues set indistinct figures with varied skin tones in robust settings, encouraging readers to imagine themselves doing things like working in a printing factory or driving a truck cross-country. The book the artist created ultimately arrives at a school, and a child brings it home to her room “overflowing with paper, pencils, a desk, a chair, stuffed bears, hot chocolate, days, nights, art, and wonder.” Then she begins creating her own book. This reverie made mani-fest will be welcome in classrooms, libraries, and homes that value reading and art.

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

(2) K-3 This picture book's front matter offers an immediate hook: "When will I find you?" Narrator Janie, a young birder with a particular affinity for owls, is searching a wintry wooded area; careful viewers will notice that she has just passed an owl camouflaged in a nearby evergreen tree, underscoring the elusive nature of these creatures. Janie reads about owls; draws illustrations of them; keeps an owl journal; makes a map of the places she's looked; and eagerly seeks information from her teacher, a fellow birder. But she has never spotted one. Throughout the seasons, she and her mother silently walk the woods and visit the shore and even a cemetery, but no owls in sight. Cordell's tranquil landscapes, rendered in pen and ink and soft watercolors, reinforce the character's quiet determination as she continues her search. Her physical characteristics (particularly while bundled up in a puffer jacket, hat, and mittens, with binoculars) resemble those thrice ascribed to owls -- "Perfectly stout. Large, round eyes. Silent, knowing faces" -- giving a visual reinforcement to her connection to these "birds of the night." Both compelling and informational, the story of Janie's quest, like the experience of finally sighting a pair of owls, is "magic."

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John Ledda. There is indeed something odd about Freddie’s new babysitter, who scares the dog, doesn’t talk much, and eats garbage for dinner. Eventually Freddie realizes what is already clear from the digital art—the babysitter is three adorable raccoons inside a trench coat, the top one wearing a hat and moustache. Readers will delight in being in on the joke from the start, and the deadpan narration (“Was this babysitter raised in the wild?” Freddie wonders) amplifies the humor.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Matt James. The team behind I Know Here (rev. 5/10) and From There to Here (rev. 5/14) presents a story about standing resolute in the face of a bully who seeks to diminish one’s self-worth. A loquacious gull finds a rock on a quiet beach and asks what it is. “I am a rock,” it asserts. The gull spends the rest of the book challenging the rock, telling it that it’s not a rock (“I see you as a pebble”), that it could be tossed in the water (“you will sink...there is no guarantee you will find your way back”), and that it’s not anything special. “I am a rock,” it responds, over and over. James’s soft-edged paintings on acetate, wood, Masonite, and cardboard capture the essence of water, sand, and sky; a child meanders on the beach in the background, a visual break from the gull’s relentless harassment. The high-concept messaging may fly over children’s heads, but grounding the story in a lakeside setting gives them something concrete to focus on, and their curiosity about the child in the background will help keep pages turning. Eventually the child spots the rock, chases the gull away, and uses the rock to shape a heart on the sand—a rewarding and cathartic ending.

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

(3) K-3 A newly hatched sea turtle must face her fears to join her siblings in the ocean. Nellie tries several times to enter the water, but each time the big surf sends her back. Finally, she decides to climb to a high spot to get a different perspective. “It was exciting, beautiful, and so much bigger than the parts that were scary.” Seeing this gives her the courage to jump. While some of the digital art is less inspiring, the book's overall message about being brave is admirably presented.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Larry Day. “Romping...Chasing...Grabbing...Leaping­...Chewing...CRASHING!” Tucker, a high-energy, tawny-colored dog, possesses an insatiable appetite for rambunctious play. His undirected enthusiasm leads to chaos in homes not well suited for Tucker’s intensity, which repeatedly lands him in the animal shelter. “Not this dog. He’s trouble,” advises the shelter attendant; that is, until a woman named Laura sees his potential. She brings Tucker home, introducing him to a mentally stimulating game sniffing out flowers tucked into cinderblocks, and rewards his keen nose with the vigorous play he craves. Impressed by Tucker’s performance, Laura tells him, “You’re going to help me save wildlife,” and he is unleashed into a thrilling new life: sniffing out animal scat, locating invasive species, and ­trailing endangered animals with researchers and scientists around the world. Day’s illustrations harness the fluidity of watercolor and use loose line work to convey Tucker’s perpetual movement. Back matter shares the true stories of two conservation dogs who inspired Foote’s story, along with an overview of how conservation dogs help to protect wildlife and habitats

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 The teeny-weeny unicorn is back, just as small, just as smudgy, and just as pink as he was in his original appearance in Thew Teeny-Weeny Unicorn (rev. 1/24). His goal in life remains unchanged -- get bigger -- but this time he has a genuine fairy-tale quest to undertake. A fairy princess charges him with a task: "Find for me something that grows teeny-weeny-er than you." On his epic travels our unicorn encounters a stork (foreshadowing!), a hairy leprechaun, a fierce dragon, and a wise old tree. As with many classic heroes, after a dark night of the soul our unicorn eventually finds his answer close to home. The cover teaser promises that we will discover where baby unicorns come from, and we do, but we also find out the answers to other vital questions such as what do leprechauns say to get attention? and do unicorns blush? An irresistible read-aloud if only for the pleasure of saying "teeny-weeny-er" five times. Fine-tuned wackiness, and an original, deadpan addition to the body of literature celebrating new siblings.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) K-3 Translated by Lawson Polly . As autumn nights grow colder, Mole becomes a frequent, greedy guest at Fox’s house, where Fox tells stories of a raccoon who turns into a “scuffling monster.” Fox’s annoyance with Mole’s freeloading grows to anger, and soon, the tales of transformation become creepily real. This picture book’s smoothly translated text has a storyteller’s cadence and chapter breaks, which help to build suspense. Fox as a striking, slithering, sinister monster is the star of the atmospheric mixed-media illustrations.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax