(3) K-3 Illustrated by Katie Melrose. Using underwater microphones, we now know that “it’s NOISY down below!... / Fish GRUNT and GROAN, / fish SQUEAK and MOAN.” The text goes on to explain why and how sea animals use sound, from chirping angelfish to snapping shrimp. The rhyming and entertaining onomatopoeia-filled couplets impart an impressive amount of information; detailed and colorful spreads highlight the variety of underwater life. Back matter includes additional “Noisemaker Facts.”

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Andrea Blinick. This imaginative and informative take on the water cycle begins with the fact that all living things are made mostly of water. “Why don’t you slosh when you run? Because all that water is held in your cells.” A child with long red hair and round turquoise glasses joyfully accompanies readers along water’s journey from the ocean up to the sky, down to the ground, and into our homes and our bodies…and back out into the atmosphere via our breath, sweat, tears, and urine. Blinick’s playful digital illustrations include such fanciful scenes as our young guide taking a refreshing drink of water, their flowing hair having morphed into ocean waves supporting a pink octopus, a mermaid, a surfer, and a sea monster, among other things. Alary’s breezy text encourages readers to consider not only how important this precious resource is but also the fact that “all the water that is is all that ever was.” Our drinking water, for example, “has been many things in many places at many times”—even snowflakes on the coat of a woolly mammoth. Alary doesn’t delve too deeply into these mind-expanding concepts, but the message about the importance of water to life on Earth is crystal clear. An appended author’s note provides more information and a gentle conservation message.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Chris Hsu. In a cheerful picture book populated by Hsu’s inquisitive cartoon humans, Albee traces the history of the number zero. From the ancient Babylonians who invented place value four thousand years ago, to the Romans who developed a system of Vs, Is, and Xs; from the Mayans who had a concept of zero but no way to spread their idea to the rest of the world, to the Indian scribe who invented a symbol for zero and the Persian mathematician who popularized it, the invention of zero was a worldwide effort with triumphs and setbacks. Parts of Europe were perhaps the last to adopt the Hindu-Arabic number system, with Roman numerals persisting into the eighteenth century in some banking operations. (A timeline gives a “blurry” portrait of when various ­developments occurred.) The narrative treads lightly but doesn’t gloss over ways in which Western xenophobia and religious fanaticism delayed zero’s adoption. Meanwhile, the illustrations get into the spirit of archaeological inquiry with touches such as heritage breeds of dogs and sheep in the portrayal of historical communities and a nod to Halley’s comet. Philosophical considerations (“why create a symbol to represent nothing?”) and mention of the fields (e.g., physics, computing) that arose as a result of the Hindu-Arabic number system round out the presentation, while a few notes about definitions, a world map, and a bibliography complete the back matter. Place this book in the hands of a budding numerophile and watch them start to put two and two together.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Manu Montoya. Mixed-media illustrations showcase the vibrant colors of a tropical rainforest and draw readers into this examination of a resident three-fingered sloth. Although slow-moving, the sloth and her young male offspring embark on a weekly “special mission,” the nature of which readers learn as the story unfolds. Small print below the main text provides facts that complement the action in the pictures (e.g., while shown descending a tree: sloths move at one-and-a-half miles per hour, as compared to humans’ maximum of twenty-seven and cheetahs’ of seventy). When our sloth finally lands on the forest floor, she completes that foreshadowed “special mission”: she “takes a big poop,” which consists of about a third of her body weight. Before returning to the forest canopy, she covers her poop with leaves (a behavior, scientists think, meant to keep it intact and thus make it easier for male sloths to locate females); and then she and her baby successfully evade a cheetah. Back matter includes brief illustrated descriptions of the seven kinds of sloths (all of which live in Central or South America) and provides two internet resources for further inquiry. A brief index concludes this entertaining and informative book.

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

(3) K-3 Right-facing pages show photos of baby zoo animals; in the accompanying text, the animals introduce themselves and one of their identifying features (stripes for a baby tapir; stumpy horns for a rhino). Turn the page to see how that baby grows and changes when they get “BIG.” Like other ZooBorns books, this one has a clean layout, suitably adorable photos, and friendly text; closing pages provide additional information about each of the animals and their species’ conservation status.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. “When a sunbeam slips through a window in a certain slant of light, you can see a scattered sparkle: dust!” Light, airy illustrations dotted with golden specks float across the pages, lending a near-magical atmosphere to a story that starts with a mother-to-be in a child’s nursery and then travels through space and time, providing clear and fascinating scientific explanations of Saharan dust along the way. Saharan dust appears in a region adjacent to the now-dried-up Lake Chad in northern Africa and comprises fossilized animals once living in the area. With straightforward depictions in both text and illustrations, the huge plume of dust is shown visible from space (as the text notes, it weighs about the same as “one hundred and twenty million female hippos”). Particles float westward, feeding the ocean with nutrients and plankton with nourishment that is passed on to the marine animals that feed on them. When traveling over the Amazon rain-forest, the dust brings phosphorus, replenishing what’s been washed away with yearly rains. As Brockenbrough concludes, “This dust…of what lived once sustains what lives today.” An author’s note enlarges on the text and includes resources for further inquiry.

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

(1) K-3 Hatteras Island off the coast of North Carolina is the scene for Chin’s latest: an examination of a hurricane (based on several real ones) brilliantly told in segments alternating between actions of island residents and those of scientists. After piquing readers’ interest with a dramatic cover depicting an angry sea and a line of evacuating cars, Chin defines a hurricane and describes early tracking measures by meteorologists who observe the storm. A dual countdown begins. On Monday, the storm forms off the coast of Africa and moves west across the Atlantic as residents warily continue with their daily activities. On Tuesday, scientists follow the storm’s path; residents begin discussing arrangements. And so on. The climax occurs when the storm makes landfall. Short narrative descriptions and spot art depict what is happening on shore: the rising surf, the destructive winds, the calm of the eye, and the hurricane’s return with its change in wind direction. And then it’s over. People return to their homes and help one another with the cleanup. Chin (The Universe in You, rev. 1/23) masterfully juxtaposes the experience of people affected by the hurricane with the larger scientific context; stunning illustrations in pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache bring life to massive weather phenomena and to smaller-scale scenes. Extensive back matter adds useful details about storm formation, meteorology, and forecasting; an author’s note addresses concerns about the importance of the meteorological community’s work and the effects of climate change. Suggested sources for further inquiry complete this outstanding book.

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

(2) K-3 The life of an oak tree is beautifully depicted in this engaging informational picture book. It begins with a simple yet profound concept: "A blue jay drops an acorn, and a tree's life begins." The narrative follows the acorn as it grows into a sapling, matures into a towering tree, and becomes a vital part of a forest ecosystem -- providing shelter, food, and resources to birds, insects, and mammals for more than two centuries. It produces acorns, but the text details reasons they don't necessarily grow into new oak trees. It also effectively depicts the effects of changes over time in the tree's environment, and of human development, as the forest gives way to a town. Cole's detailed, fine-lined pen-and-ink illustrations bring depth and life to the natural elements on each spread. With intricate layers, and endless details to pore over (find the camouflaged creatures!), the black-and-white art complements the minimal text, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature. The text strikes a balance between storytelling and information, educating readers about the oak tree's role in its ecosystem. The back matter provides helpful resources, such as steps to create an ecosystem and a diagram of forest habitat layers.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Worm acknowledges very early on that he can’t actually make a sandwich -- he is a small worm without hands, after all. What Worm can do, and with great enthusiasm, is eat garbage and poop it out to make a nutritious base for dirt in the garden that will grow vegetables for the promised sandwich. The lone human child in the story constructs a compost bin and fills it with plant-based food scraps, while Worm makes eye contact to ask for our patience and shares his favorite dirt recipe: “a little of this, a little of that, and compost.” We watch as the seeds for future-lunch are planted and slowly grow, while Worm’s refrain of “I’m sorry, but the [garbage / dirt / poop] is not for your sandwich” tamps down expectations of eating anytime soon. Under midsummer storm–darkened skies, Worm’s doubts set in: “GUUHHHHH!...Why did you ask a worm to make you a sandwich in the first place?” Then the sky clears, and the star of summer (and lunch) emerges on the vine: a ripe, round tomato. This ode to compost is neither preachy nor grody, and Worm is such a charming guide to the growing season that it’s easy to forget he didn’t actually prepare any sandwiches. Lush, cheerful watercolor and pencil illustrations are complex but not busy, and plants and critters are labeled with hand-drawn lettering. Back matter explains the nuts and bolts of composting.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. "Wings unfurl. Plop! A pearl!" An eastern monarch butterfly lays a small, round egg on a leaf. A caterpillar hatches ("Pop! A girl!") and a chrysalis forms. Then "our caterpillar, tightly swaddled, will make you gasp! She's been remodeled." This sequence will likely be familiar to readers; Hall's adept rhymes and pleasing rhythms breathe life into the information, as do Arsenault's friendly illustrations, which feature smiling caterpillar and butterfly characters and bursts of vibrant colors on pastel backgrounds. As in the creators' The Honeybee (rev. 7/18), the lyrical text and eye-catching mixed-media illustrations provide snapshots of the species' life cycle and behaviors. A butterfly sips flower nectar and lays eggs. Another one finds a suitable mate ("Two butterflies chase. Two butterflies dance") and locates milkweed on which to lay her eggs. A third one joins a brilliant swarm of other eastern monarchs as part of their epic annual migration from Canada to Mexico and back again. Read quickly, the text might seem to focus on one butterfly, but the back matter states that "it will take upward of four or five generations" to complete the "full migration circle." The text hints at this, and sharp-eyed readers will note the subtle difference among the three main butterfly characters in the art (pay attention to the neckwear). An appended author's note provides more facts, including dangers to monarch populations and how readers can help.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stephanie Laberis. Part one of this book about animal play introduces play activities that have a purpose, such as hyenas having a tug-of-war to strengthen their jaws and otters “juggling” rocks to increase dexterity. Part two is about animal play that is just for fun, such as sledding ravens and body-surfing saltwater crocodiles. The text is informative and fascinating (who knew orangutans played dress-up?); the complementary digital illustrations, in mainly muted colors, show a variety of animals having a great time. A glossary and bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) K-3 Tiny Habitats series. This informative picture book describes how a bison’s “steamy poo pile” becomes an important part of a prairie ecosystem. Over the course of a year, insects eat and lay eggs inside it; toads, turtles, and birds come to eat the bugs; flowers and grasses grow in the enriched soil. In the spring, a poo pile from a baby bison begins the cycle anew. Mixed-media illustrations depict the variety of life on the prairie; speech bubbles add personality (“Mmm, these roots are tangy!” muses a munching prairie dog). More background, a bibliography, and further reading are appended.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Hodgson’s friendly science lesson introduces readers to the life cycle of an apple tree. Tree’s story begins when an apple falls to the ground, eventually allowing Seed to take root and begin to grow. As in When Moon Became a Moon (rev. 7/23), characters (e.g., Tree, Seed, Sun, Cloud, etc.) are depicted with expressive cartoon eyes and smiley mouths, and speech bubbles provide their humorous asides. Twelve short chapters highlight different phases of Tree’s growth. Bees, worms, and mushrooms (“I’m a fun guy!”) all make appearances. A handful of humans, with differing skin tones, abilities, and ages, are depicted interacting with trees in various settings. Tree’s role in the greater ecosystem is also highlighted, along with a connection between the protagonist and various trees that grow in other climates and locations. A consistent color palette and inviting aesthetic carry throughout the book. While the natural elements are anthropomorphized, the book solidly explains scientific concepts in an approachable manner, focusing on both the small and large aspects of a tree’s life.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(3) K-3 Stunning nature photography and interesting animal facts make this a compelling title. More than thirty exotic creatures are profiled, with the animals grouped according to their diets: carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, and scavengers. Each profile lists an animal’s classification, habitat, size, and foods, along with the sounds it makes and how many babies it has at a time. Hughes also includes thought-provoking questions throughout. Related activities, a glossary, and additional resources are appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lou Baker-Smith. Winter arrives in the Arctic. The days are shorter, the weather colder. A polar bear searches for a place to make a den, hibernate, and birth her twins. The trek across the ice is more difficult than in years before; ice floes are breaking up, and food has been scarce. Once on land, she finds a south-facing spot and settles down for the winter. The twins are born, she feeds them, and in the spring she and the cubs head toward the sea, where they can hunt for food. But conditions have changed: the ice is disappearing, creating fewer opportunities for them to hunt. Baker-Smith's soft mixed-media illustrations depict the bears' journey and are particularly effective in showing the degradation of the ice floes. Detailed back matter offers the main reason: climate change. In clear language, Jenkins describes the causes of Earth's warming and the effects not just for polar bears but for all life as climate change leads to an increase of extreme weather conditions. He concludes with suggestions individuals can follow to "make a difference when it comes to climate change." This brief glimpse into the experience of one polar bear ends, as it must, on a sober note of uncertainty about the future of the species.

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

(3) 4-6 Grimpy, a rosy-cheeked dumbo octopus, introduces the special features of many types of cephalopods in this graphic-style overview. But what’s special about Grimpy? The other cephalopods explain that dumbo octopuses are built to live in the deepest water on Earth. The approachable text and friendly pink-, blue-, and red-hued panels effectively and humorously convey the amazing diversity among animals in this group. Appended resources include a glossary, bibliography, further reading, and a photo of a real dumbo octopus.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 This picture book serves as a good introduction to the concepts of scientific theory, methodology, and history involved in the role of a 1919 eclipse in proving Einstein's theory of general relativity. Isaac Newton's universal law of gravity stood unchallenged for two hundred years until Albert Einstein proposed his theory that speed affects mass, time, and space. It was a revolutionary proposition, but how could one test such a notion? McCully leads up to the answer to that question with a few pages of biographical information about Einstein and a basic explanation of his theory, establishing uncertainty: "But was it correct?" She explains that the effects of relativity "can't be observed in the everyday world because everything is closer together than in space" and that the theory could be tested only during a total eclipse of the sun. World War I interrupted much scientific inquiry, and Einstein's 1915 publication of his theory was virtually ignored. After the war, Arthur Eddington, director of the Cambridge Observatory, tested the theory during an eclipse in 1919, setting out with a colleague to a remote island on the west coast of Africa. McCully conveys the endeavor's considerable drama—heavy rains obscured the sun that day, with the clouds parting just long enough to allow for the photographic evidence that would prove the theory; "overnight, Albert Einstein's name became a permanent synonym for genius." The text is illustrated with McCully's recognizable watercolor, pen, and ink illustrations in a variety of shapes and sizes from spot illustrations to sweeping double-page spreads. An author's note and source notes are appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(2) K-3 Summer in the northern polar regions finds a pair of Arctic terns caring for their two newly hatched chicks. In lushly illustrated landscapes of sea, ice, rock, and sky, they catch fish and fend off ravens, foxes, and polar bears. By fall, the young birds are strong enough to “follow the sun” thousands of miles south, all the way to the Antarctic, on the longest known migration journey of any animal on Earth. Moore’s poetic lines, just a few on most pages, include essential scientific details about the terns (“With bodies home / to hollow bones, / and wings like sails, / they soar on the wind”) and other animals they meet on their travels. Some of these encounters, as with a fish-stealing skua, are perilous, while others, as with the minke whale, are peaceful. Moore’s delicate watercolors are a marvel of animals in motion: soaring, diving, bobbing, reaching, schooling. Some are solo close-ups; others convey the awesome sight of multiple birds in flight. Back matter provides more information about the terns’ amazing twice-a-year journey.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Hunter. “He was the best dancer with the most powerful moves. He hissed loudly and bravely. He had a long, sleek neck and a fine bill. When he called her, she swam nearer.” And thus, two Canada geese mate for life. Every year these constant companions raise a clutch of goslings, migrate south in the winter, and return to the same spot each spring to birth and raise yet more young geese. But then the male dies. For days the female remains by his body and eventually stays behind and alone when the rest of the flock migrates south. Soft mixed-media illustrations, paired with gentle text, underscore not only the tranquility of the geese’s early life but also the isolation of the female’s existence after the death of her mate. Her seclusion ends a year later when she spots an unattached male and the two begin a life together. Back matter offers facts about Canada geese, validating a mourning period when a mate dies as well as opening up areas for further inquiry, such as habitat encroachment and the threat of lead poisoning; also appended with a brief bibliography of internet sources.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elke Boschinger. Pendreigh outlines the critical role that a tree plays in its ecosystem, both when it’s alive and upright and after it dies and has fallen. Spare, poetic text emulates the thrum of the forest: “Years pass. / Sapsuckers drill, / hidey-holes fill, / bear cubs rub / and claw.” Standing for years, the tree offers shade and resting places for birds and some mammals. Then, after roots weaken and soil lets loose (“crassshhhh!”), the tree takes on a new use as a nurse log, nurturing the forest in other ways. A collection of earth-bound creatures finds “a place to grow, / to rest, / to shelter.” Even as her bark de-cays, the nurse log continues to provide nutrients to bolster new trees growing atop her; she sustains a cycle of life until the next tree can do the same. Boschinger’s detailed digital illustrations amplify the lushness of a diverse forest biome. Back matter follows a question-and-answer format, offering readers more to learn about the roles of nurse logs in their respective environments.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025