(2) 4-6 In this fast-paced historical novel, Danilo is a Black Panamanian living in a neighborhood destroyed by the United States' invasion of Panama in 1989. Since the first night of the attack, life has become more and more difficult for him and his family. Papá left them prior to the military action in search of better opportunities in the States, but lately he hasn't been calling or sending money home. As a former baseball player, Papá introduced Danilo to the game and nurtured his considerable talent, but in his absence, Danilo decides to stop playing. But then, ironically, Danilo's skill as a baseball player provides him with the chance to reconnect with his father by playing and training in California for a few months. Ultimately, he must decide if he wants to follow in his dad's footsteps to become a baseball player or pursue a different dream. Burgess has created a sympathetic character in Danilo, a kind, hardworking boy who has PTSD and copes with microaggressions and stereotyping in the U.S. The scenes involving baseball are particularly well written and feel authentic. This novel may hold special appeal for baseball fans, but one needn't be an aficionado to enjoy the story.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) 4-6 What makes this book about puberty stand out is its inclusiveness. For example, Carnagey refers to changes that typically occur in those whose bodies "produce higher levels of estrogen and progesterone" and those who have "higher testosterone levels." The book defines gender and sex in clear language. Masturbation is also handled with sensitivity, and readers are encouraged to discuss these topics with a “trusted adult.” Additionally, the book covers how to deal with gossip and bullying. Frequent spot art, by Brianna Gilmartin, is included throughout. Back matter contains additional resources, a glossary, and a source list.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(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

(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

(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

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Levi Hastings. In clear language, Lukoff explains that “not too long ago” it was illegal to be gay in the United States, and queer people used the innocuous-sounding titular question to find one another. While some laws have changed for the better, the text lays out how LGBTQIA+ people still face discrimination. Fittingly, Hasting uses muted colors for those who sought to oppress gay people and bold, bright colors for scenes that show queer people happy and at ease. A solid and entertaining introduction to an important part of history.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jonathan Eden. “There’s no such thing as a better or worse way to be a person.” In simple, age-appropriate language, this primer about disability teaches children about physical and mental differences among people. Terminology related to disability is explained, and misconceptions about what it means to be Disabled are dispelled. The illustrations, whose cartoonlike style detracts a bit from the overall presentation, feature casual diversity in ability, skin color.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tracy Subisak. Grace convinces her parents to let her have a dog, but it must be one she creates and buys herself. Her robot dog is hard to put together and then she has to code the dog to act properly. She soon discovers a dog that obeys her every command is boring, and she rewrites the code to add mischief. The pages devoted to coding are a bit tedious, but the pencil and digital illustrations add levity.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) 4-6 In this historical novel in verse, fifth grader Cooper Dale is growing up near Pittsburgh in 1963 and grappling with issues concerning her identity as a Black child attending a predominantly white school. While her family encourages her to embrace who she is, Cooper doesn't always feel that way: "Sometimes / I don't want to be black." Mama tells her that she has to "study harder" and "shine brighter" in school due to racism. Wade Carter, a racist classroom bully, makes things even harder, calling Cooper "Mud Face" and "Tar Baby." Things get worse when Cooper's mom takes a job as the Carters' maid. At first, this is just another thing for Wade to lord over her, but it ends up being the impetus for Cooper to see her tormentor in a new light and for him to change his behavior. Wade's mom is seriously ill, and once she learns this, Cooper slowly begins to feel compassion for him and fully embraces Mama's call to "be radiant" along with their church's beliefs about mercy. Nelson has created a likable character in Cooper, and this quiet, introspective novel (with some moments of levity; e.g., Cooper's embrace of Beatlemania) effectively examines what it means to forgive along with the importance of family.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) 4-6 In this coming-of-age Western, twelve-year-old Will Samuels and his father, a stoic, formerly enslaved man, leave their sharecropper home in Texas for the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889. Along the way, they encounter Caesar, a Black former Union officer who makes the journey with them. The group encounters perils such as wild animals, gunslingers, and, most dangerous of all, former Confederate soldiers who are still fighting the war. Will and Father grow closer during the brutal trek. Eventually, circumstances force Will to show leadership and bravery to help his family lay claim to land. Rhodes's storytelling is at its strongest during times of high drama, such as when Caesar is shot and when the trio traverses the treacherous Red River. The writing isn't quite as successful during quieter moments, and the use of relatively modern terms such as "Black" and "enslaved" is a bit jarring in a historical novel. Still, readers who love adventure will find much to enjoy here, and the book would pair well with Cline-Ransome's One Big Open Sky (rev. 3/24). An afterword addresses how the land rush was made possible by the subjugation of Indigenous people and links this fictional story with the Tulsa Race Massacre that saw racist whites kill successful Black residents, many of whose families participated in the 1889 land rush.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stacey Chomiak. In this counting book, a boy who enjoys wearing colorful clothes puts them aside because "they make me different." His mom invites him to a place where “everyone is a rainbow.” At a Pride parade with his parents, he counts symbols of pride such as “FOUR boys in sparkly dresses” and “EIGHT signs with LOVE IS LOVE.” Although some of the dialogue is a bit stilted, the positive message is conveyed effectively, and the illustrations show the beauty of diversity.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eleanor Davis. Ella Jenkins (1924–2024) longed to make music from the time she was a little girl growing up in the segregated Bronzeville community of Chicago. "Ella is a South Side girl, a Bronzeville bird, skipping in streets that smell of sweets and black-eyed peas." In this engaging picture-book biography, Todd writes lyrically about the girl who would become a celebrated musician and release more than sixty albums for children. Ella was surrounded by music and rhythm throughout her childhood, whether it was the choirs she heard at local churches, "recess rhymes," or her uncle Flood's "silver slip" (harmonica). She was also introduced to world music through record stores and saw artists such as Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong perform. After high school, she moved to San Francisco, where she lived in an integrated community for the first time and was exposed to new forms of music. She went to college, became a teacher, and learned to play the conga drums. Upon returning to Chicago, she participated in civil rights protests and continued to teach before becoming a full-time musician. Davis's digital illustrations, with lots of rich, saturated colors, are detailed and energetic. Double-page spreads on black backgrounds with pops of yellow musical notes and stylized stars showcase musicians and dancers, capturing the excitement and joy of live performances. Gatefolds at the back of the book contain an author's note and additional information about Jenkins. Front and back endpapers feature a timeline of her life. A selected bibliography is appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ernel Martinez. "My mom claims I was rapping before I could speak. / Matter of fact, I freestyled eight days a week." A young MC serves as the narrator of this ode to hip-hop, which introduces readers to rap as an art form that is primarily about wordplay. An early illustration shows three kids drawing on a wall with the word hyperbole incorporated into the art. The word is then defined on the following page, providing an important lesson about language: "Remember that rap is poetry." The text includes several terms that reinforce the use of literary devices -- alliteration, onomatopoeia, and personification -- all of which are defined in an appended glossary. The young protagonist provides a step-by-step guide to writing and performing rap lyrics, with many instructions written on what appears to be notebook paper. Martinez's illustrations in a dreamlike watercolor style include some classic hallmarks of rap: a crate full of records, a cassette tape, a large boom box, shell-top sneakers, and plenty of microphones. The young characters' faces are expressive and lifelike. One particularly effective double-page spread depicts a tree whose branches sprout words and verses. An author's note by Jeffery Boston Weatherford is appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. In the style of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," this picture book uses a diverse group of children and adults to show readers various ways to help protect the planet. A week before Earth Day, they all come together and plan. They embrace recycling, biking, and walking and plant a community garden. Then the night before, they dream of a celebratory butterfly release. Wing’s rhyming text would make for a pleasant read aloud, and Wummer’s colorful illustrations enhance the story’s pro-conservation message.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) PS Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey. This look at Juneteenth celebrations through the years opens in 1872, seven years after the first Juneteenth on June 19, 1865, when a major general in the Union army told enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, that they were free. Wynter begins with a series of thoughtful questions such as “How would you dress after so many years of mending your clothes with rags?” and “How would you eat after so many years of making your meals from scraps?” Answers come through Pumphrey’s vibrant acrylic and digital illustrations that show a formerly enslaved family trading in the tattered clothes of bondage for fine garments and lesser cuts of meat such as pigs’ feet for fried chicken and ham. In spare, lyrical text, the book showcases commemorations over nearly 130 years. On the cover and in one internal image, a pair of black hands in silhouette holds up a globe encircling free Black people. Similar hands are used in images that depict an enslaved person sewing and cooking. All of the images of the enslaved are presented as silhouettes. Wynter revisits the family from 1872 at the end of the book. “Oh, how you would celebrate…so many years…of a life, fully yours…fully free.” An informative author’s note provides more historical detail (though the phrasing that “most” enslaved people had no say over their lives when in fact none had say is illusory and unfortunate), and the lyrics to “Lift Every Voice and Sing” are appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) 4-6 In this Southern Gothic horror story, a twelve-year-old boy mourning the loss of his mother goes to live with an aunt he barely knows and her new husband. Orphaned Roddie finds that his family's ancestral home, Dogwood House, is more of a "monster of a place out in the middle of nowhere" than a residence. While there, he learns several things about his mom and her upbringing, including that she grew up adhering to hoodoo, an African American spiritual practice. The plot centers around hoodoo beliefs about the need to burn shed hair to avoid "evil spirits" and the ability to rely on ancestors for help. Roddie rejects these tenets until he discovers the inherent risks of tossing shed hair aside and finds notes left behind by his mom that lead him to shocking discoveries. The tween finds it confusing that his mother never mentioned the house she departed as a teenager, leaving her younger sister behind. Royce (Conjure Island, rev. 7/23) effectively builds suspense around this question and the odd things that happen at Dogwood House while cleverly interweaving facts about hoodoo. She also provides a realistic portrayal of the way grief ebbs and flows amidst a kid-friendly scary story that includes a quest for answers, a confrontation with a monster, and a house that transforms to reveal family secrets after dark.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(3) K-3 Words by JaNay Brown-Wood. “Brown girl, / you were born to take that stage.” Wallace-McMillian's stunning photography, primarily of Black ballerinas, is paired with empowering poetry by Brown-Wood in this celebration of dancers of color in ballet, an art form that remains primarily white. The photographs include a nice mix of experienced dancers en pointe and those just starting out. The dancers appear to range in age from toddlers to tweens. Various skin tones are represented, and one dancer uses a wheelchair.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) YA Common early adolescent issues and those particular to Black girls are covered with depth and heart in this short story collection by fifteen authors. The protagonists are all in middle school, and many of them are struggling to fit in with their peers. Several entries deal with the fissure that often develops among friends as children transition from elementary to middle school. In "The Sleepover" by Kekla Magoon, for example, Cordie is mortified when a group of girls discovers that she's brought a stuffie to her first slumber party. "This humiliation would follow her for the rest of her life, she was sure." Fans of fantasy and magical realism will also find tales to enjoy, such as "First Bite" by Dhonielle Clayton and "The House Downstairs" by Amerie. Reneé Watson's prose poem, "Black Girl, Be," sums up the theme of this anthology: "Your birthright is brilliance and creativity... / Be Black girl. Be."

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) PS "Mr. Santa? Is it really you?" A child wakes up to find Santa Claus delivering gifts to their house and proceeds to show him around, pointing out pet fish and sharing gingerbread, all the while asking him questions about the big night. The two later take off in Santa's sleigh, and more questions follow as he makes his rounds. Jarvis has chosen a nice mix of straightforward and silly questions ("Can reindeer talk...Can you eat clouds?") that young children may want to ask, and his digitally rendered illustrations give the book an old-timey feel perfect for an inviting bedtime story.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Huy Voun Lee. With Sambat Meas. The threat of landmines in Cambodia is explained with sensitivity in this nonfiction picture book that tells the story of a native deminer and the "HeroRAT" who helped her do her job. At first, Malen was skeptical that a rat could find deadly landmines, but she later grew to rely on the sensitive nose of Magawa, a giant African pouched rat who had been trained in Tanzania, to sniff out explosives. Lee’s digital illustrations help to demystify the difficult job. Extensive back matter is appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton