(2) K-3 Why do amphibians cross a dark, perilous road? To lay their eggs, of course. But sometimes they need help. In the middle of the night, a biracial family dons rain gear over PJs, gathers equipment, and joins the volunteer Amphibian Migration Team. Full-bleed digital art, "informed by woodcut printmaking techniques," immerses readers in detailed, layered scenes. On the title page, a clipboard holding a blank data collection form, a pencil with requisite frog eraser, and a flashlight introduce the mission. Percival's restrained color palette -- midnight blue, reflective yellow, touches of brown and black -- makes effective use of white, notably for casting light and for when the narrator's little sister asks narrative-driving questions: "But how do they know tonight is the night?...Do they taste the warm rain? Do they smell the skunk cabbage blooming?" Childlike line drawings inside thought bubbles share her musings and offer focal points for viewers. Sadly, some of the amphibians don't make it, prompting the narrator to seek a solution. The blue of the night sky becomes the inky blue of building plans and checklists as the girl and her community members lobby, plan, fundraise, and construct an amphibian tunnel. Two double-page spreads of back matter, seek-and-find endpapers, and scientific captioning throughout make this book as informative as it is beautifully illustrated and designed.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. Much like superheroes, some animal species have remarkable abilities. The ten featured species with "superpowers" have notable adaptations that help them to survive. These creatures are indeed impressive, and the book's format enhances the drama: after each animal is introduced, a page-turn reveals the superpower and how it benefits that animal. Examples include Turritopsis jellyfish, which possess "immortality" (they can reset their life cycle in response to injury); mountain-dwelling ibex, which survive by "defying gravity" in their ability to scale sheer cliffs; snapping shrimp, which can produce a bubble that, when popped, resonates at a decibel level that can kill their prey; and dogs, with their "super sniffers" that can help rescue humans and detect dangerous chemicals. Preston-Gannon's colorful illustrations capture the essential details of each species and their environments. The end notes proclaim that "action is your superpower!" and show the impact humans have on each of the featured species.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Cushman, with a little help from the chatty green snake introduced in Wombats Are Pretty Weird (rev. 7/23), once again treats young readers to the wonders of the animal world. This time the discussion is about flamingo features, such as their habitats, coloration, nests, and skeletons. Cushman's conversational, often jokey tone and direct address invite reader engagement. The initial pink double-page spread directs youngsters to "back up a little." Turn the page, and they encounter two pink joints (later identified as ankles, not knees), with further directions to back up a little more. Turn the page and "behold the flamingo." A particularly helpful map pinpoints habitats of the six flamingo species, with the following spread introducing each. Further explanations include why they are pink (the carotenoids they eat) and how and why that color intensifies. Other information includes why they stand on one leg; what protects them from toxic water; and how they eat, a process shown through a clear, uncomplicated diagram. The digital illustrations with a sunny palette humorously amplify the text through both facial expressions and exaggerated antics such as attracting a mate. Back matter consists of scientific information (such as size, weight, and conservation status), a glossary, and suggestions for further reading.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Hannah Salyer. In Ms. Lee's class, students sit in darkness with their heads down on their desks, eyes closed, listening to recorded sounds of the rainforest. They imagine themselves as veeries, "sort of like robins but smaller." Their teacher narrates the birds' journey, starting in Brazil and ending in the class's home of Wisconsin. One child, drawn into the lesson, narrates the quiet text, but Fleischman also provides glimpses into other students' thoughts as they find parallels between the veeries' story and their own lives. (The veery feels "jumpy and can't sit still"; one child thinks, "That's just what my mom said about me last night.") They learn about the birds' flight patterns, biology, and eating habits, as well as weather influences, human-made dangers, and threats from predators: "Schoolkids have bullies. Veeries have raptors. Except raptors eat you." Students and teachers alike will be inspired by Ms. Lee and her compassionate approach to fostering curiosity and empathy through nature. Salyer, who gracefully depicts the birds soaring, captures both their movement and students' imaginations with beguiling patterns in a palette of rich azure, warm teal, and eye-popping copper tones. In one striking spread, illustrating the veery's night vision, a bird's eye overlaps with a child's, eyes closed, who thinks: "I have big, dark eyes, too." Appended with notes about tracking migrations, paying attention to birds in one's own neighborhood, and more.

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

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Deena So'oteh. Readers are immediately immersed in the life of a narwhal as the unseen narrator invites them into the narrative: "You are a narwhal -- / shy, / swift, / small (for a whale)." Thus begins a glimpse into the seasonal behaviors of these distinctive animals. It is winter, and the narwhal jousts with another male, swims in the leads (nicely defined in both text and illustrations), and dives deep for food. A striking and informative vertical gatefold depicts the near-mile-long fishing expedition, while the text explains that at those depths narwhals use echolocation to find food. As summer approaches, the narwhals migrate as a pod, following the same path they and their ancestors have used before. The shallow summer waters hold dangers such as hungry orcas, but this pod outsmarts them. As the days grow shorter, indicating it's time to leave, a blizzard temporarily traps the pod under the ice. As in similar books (most recently Polar Bear, rev. 11/22), Fleming does not overdramatize these challenges but presents them as a natural part of survival. So'Oteh's digital illustrations detail the majestic settings both on the surface and at great depths, while emphasizing the grace of these mammals. Particularly enlightening back matter expands on the text, offering, for example, more detail on jousting, narwhals' deep dives, and questions surrounding how they will adapt to climate change. Fleming provides a glimpse into the research process, ranging from adapting new advances in technology to partnerships with Indigenous peoples. A bibliography completes this fine book.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 In the rainforests of Central America, leafcutter ants live in colonies of up to "eight million sisters." Likening the colonies to human cities, Hevron shows how the division of labor across ant subgroups keeps a colony functioning. We travel along with the ants as they move above and below ground -- within the green foliage of the rainforest floor and canopy, then down through the tan soil into underground chambers that house ant larvae, laborers, and the queen. Each chamber features a different worker group, analogized to human occupations: caretakers feed the young, builders create tunnels, farmers tend to the important fungus that sustains the colony, etc. When a poison dart frog, "hungry for an all-you-can-eat leafcutter ant buffet," intrudes, pheromone alerts go out, and soldier ants rush in. The cycle continues as a young queen gathers fungus, embarks on a "mating flight," and forms a new "city." Hevron's textured, brightly colored illustrations (acrylic paintings on wood, digitally collaged) are filled with columns of industrious ants on the move, endlessly trooping across the pages. Additional information about leafcutter ants and colonies and further reading are appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. A mischievous crow spends his day getting into and out of trouble. He steals a button, bullies some songbirds, snatches a cat's kibble -- and he's just getting started. Each double-page spread is devoted to one of Crow's antics; taken all together, his busy day demonstrates a broad array of documented crow behaviors. Lord's text rollicks along with the avian mischief, variations on the titular phrase acting as a refrain. In one scene Crow hops on a peanut-jar lid and slides down a barn's roof: "He steps onto the lid and pushes off the edge. / Crick, crack, WHOA! / Slippery as snow! / Crow rides his sled to the edge of the roof / and flutter-flaps to the ground. Nice ride!" Paschkis's ink and gouache paintings incorporate her signature folk art–like details, embellishing flowers' petals and birds' feathers with stylized designs not found in nature. But not Crow -- rendered in an inky black with little-to-no individuation of feathers, his matte form draws the eye with its textural simplicity. Young listeners will notice that Crow's exploits lead him into ever greater danger, until he finds himself facing a massive hawk. Happily, one crow behavior is "mobbing" (the term is introduced in the back matter), and with the aid of his friends and family, Crow drives the hawk away before settling for the night. Clever, fun, and informative.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Ariel Landy . Six familiar and quite large dinosaurs or prehistoric reptiles are paired with structurally or behaviorally similar -- but tinier -- species (readers can refer to helpful insets for illustrations showing to-scale size comparisons). The "meat-eating" Tyrannosauru has a smaller relative, Compsognathus, also a carnivore, but with a diet of insects. The "dome-headed" Pachycephalosaurus is matched with the aptly named owner of the longest dinosaur species name: Micropachycephalosaurus. Simple sentences, repeated across the pages, emphasize structure-function relationships. The cartoonlike illustrations of the dinosaurs engaged in hunting, swimming, eating, and flying use soft features and expressive eyes to keep the mood friendly -- even through the meteor strike that killed off the large dinosaurs and left the smaller, birdlike dinosaurs alive. An appended glossary gives the Greek origins of each species name.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Laurie Keller. Holub and Keller (I Am the Shark!, rev. 7/21) are back with another apex-predator smackdown. Brown Bear boldly asserts that it's "the only bear in this book," a statement quickly challenged by Polar Bear. While Polar Bear has "paws and claws. Fur too," the fact that it lives in a snowy climate seems suspect to temperate-climate-dwelling Brown Bear. How can they both be bears? After they compare physical adaptations, diet, and behaviors, Brown Bear lets Polar Bear stay. "We are the only two bears in this book!" Not so fast! They're joined by six more bears, each one providing a species-specific description of its attributes. American Black Bear is "a great tree-climber, thanks to my strong, short, curved claws." Sloth Bear's claws are "good for ripping into trees and mounds to find insects." Keller's collage illustrations (traditional and digital) match the energy of Holub's good-natured text and make the goofy-looking bears easily distinguishable. When a suspicious eight-armed, tentacled "bear" tries to join the group, the bears unite and draw up a definitive list of "Eight Things That Make a Bear a Bear." A final double-page spread provides more information about each bear (and one octopus...and one not-a-bear koala); a list of related books and websites is appended. Will readers like this book? "Duh. Does a bear poop in the woods?"

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Matt Patterson. "Sometime around 240 million years ago--about the time of the first dinosaurs, and 9 million years before the first crocodile--the shell invented the turtle." With this cheekily thought-provoking opening sentence, acclaimed science writer Montgomery introduces turtles to young readers. The text continues with a brief discussion of the anatomy of that shell, a discussion enhanced by Patterson's clear diagram. This pattern, consisting of short, informative paragraphs written in Montgomery's easy journalistic style and accompanied by a detailed acrylic-paint illustration complementing the text, continues throughout. There are world records (such as largest, flattest, most colorful, and stinkiest) and details about various turtle talents (such as problem-solving, hunting, and climbing). The fascinating details about each species (southern Vietnam box turtles whistle, the Chinese softshell terrapin urinates through its mouth) set the stage for individual differences. As in previous titles (The Octopus Scientists, rev. 7/15), Montgomery mentions animal personalities and stresses that each creature is unique. Brief biographies of turtle celebrities include Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island tortoise; and Fire Chief, a snapping turtle who was rehabilitated after being paralyzed. The account concludes with ways in which turtles help our world and several steps that can aid their declining populations. Appended with websites, a glossary, and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(2) K-3 "Do you see our adaptations-- / a tail, / a horn, / a claw, / or beak? / Others aren't so easy to spot. / Can you find them? / Take a peek!" With this introduction, Park invites readers to learn about animal structures that may not be observable until an animal opens its mouth, spreads its limbs, or brushes back its fur or feathers. Page layouts are designed to first hint at the featured adaptation. When the page is turned, an intriguing body part is revealed, accompanied by an accessible explanation of how that part is used by the animal to eat, maneuver, defend, or attack. Crisp, zoomed-in stock photographs of the animals, including pangolins, penguins, owls, and red-eyed tree frogs, clearly show the fine details of their distinctive anatomies. The book ends with a prompt for readers to relate the scientific concept of structure and function to their own bodies: "What's something / we might not see / that makes you, YOU?"

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) YA N.O.A.H. Files series. Fourteen-year-old Noah Prime is late for school and collides with classmate Sahara on his way in, although he can't remember how it happened. But that's not the only strange thing that happens that week. He suddenly freezes up and topples over when confronted by bullies, embarrasses himself on the dance floor with Sahara, and performs a difficult gymnastics routine with ease on the first try. Noah's best friend, Ogden, gradually works out that when Noah is stressed, he exhibits the defense mechanisms of various animals: bird, possum, penguin, chimpanzee, and--when he is accidentally trapped with Sahara in a refrigerated meat locker--walrus. Early in the novel, the reader is given teasing glimpses into further mysteries. A boy named Noah Tercero is captured and killed in Argentina, as is Noah Secundus in England. Do they have similar abilities? And does the same fate await Noah Prime--or can he figure things out with the help of Ogden and Sahara? With brisk pacing, offbeat humor, and endearingly quirky characters, the plot grows more outlandish with each chapter, which is perhaps fitting for a book whose title alludes to a famously nonsensical Beatles song. Shusterman and Elfman (coauthors of the Accelerati trilogy) deliver the goods in this entertaining science fiction romp, leaving readers eager for the next installment.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(1) K-3 "What if your body could make its own light?" In Kuo's gorgeous exploration of bioluminescence, an adult and child encounter organisms that do just that in the air, sea, and underground. The black-backgrounded illustrations creatively employ negative space and a limited palette--almost exclusively blue, orange, tan, and white--to produce images that effectively capture the subdued glow of bioluminescent life. At first, the human pair appears in the illustrations alongside fireflies, foxfire, glowworms, and dinoflagellates, all of which live in locations people can visit. Kuo then invites the two (and readers) to "just imagine..." what it's like deep in the ocean where bioluminescent animals live, where their light helps vampire squid scare their enemies, dragonfish find food, and jeweled squid camouflage themselves. The poetic main text, which encourages observation and wonder, is accompanied by short paragraphs, in a smaller font, that present factual information about the featured organisms. The final pages issue a gentle warning that human-caused light pollution is making this amazing phenomenon increasingly difficult to see.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(1) YA In this wide-ranging, amusing, and informative investigation of the insect world, Maloney features the ways in which insects are remarkable unto themselves as well as in relation to humans and the environment. The book opens with a chapter on the basics of insect anatomy and characteristics, with plenty of examples to illustrate their remarkable diversity, then turns to chapters that center on particular insect themes and meander into related topics. A chapter on the role of insects in decomposition includes discussions about forensic entomology, poop-eating dung beetles, and an escapade involving deer skull scavenging, for example. Maloney herself is the central character: an enthusiastic, unflinching, and unfailingly curious explorer of all things insect. She cooks with cricket flour; mail-orders painted lady butterflies, hissing cockroaches, and an ant farm; conducts citizen science insect counts in her own backyard; and interviews scientists to gather information about cutting-edge insect investigation. Her friendly, engaging text includes many analogies (exoskeletons as "the ultimate power suit") and jokey asides. Interspersed throughout are spot illustrations of insects that combine field-study precision for the bodies with large cartoonlike eyes and expressions. If readers are not already inspired by Maloney's antics, the final chapter provides an exhaustive list of ways to take action and preserve insect species. A suggested reading list and an index (unseen) are appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Chris Sasaki. "Did you know the natural world is a construction zone? Whether they are large or small, in the ocean or on land, animals are amazing architects!" Cherrix (In the Shadow of the Moon, rev. 3/21) explores a number of structures that animals build for shelter, for defense, or to obtain food. Coral reefs, nests of twigs and stones, spider webs, and underground homes for ants and prairie dogs are some of the structures described in short paragraph-and-illustration sequences that unfold across four-page sections. The first pages of each section show in-progress construction of the structure; then the final product is revealed through a sentence split across the page-turn ("As the burrow expands, it becomes... / ...a [prairie] dog town"). Sasaki's (Home Is a Window, rev. 3/19; Paper Son, rev. 11/19) thoughtful illustrations use a variety of perspectives to follow the animals as they gather materials or dig above- and underground, and to allow viewers to look up, down, and through the creatures' creations to see how they're used. Some of the structures, such as nests, are built by solo animals for their personal use; others are constructed by social groups for the benefit of the collective. Many structures also benefit other species in their respective ecosystems, such as the coral reef, which provides shelter for multitudes of ocean dwellers, and the beaver dam, which produces a "brand-new pond that every animal in the forest will enjoy." A list of selected sources is appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(3) 4-6 The table of contents gives readers a taste (ew) of what's in store: poop, mucus, spit, gas, and more. Eamer goes beyond the gross hook, however, explaining in an introduction, "Many of these animals actually survive on revolting substances and thrive on gross habits." A lively and accessible page design includes close-up photos, text boxes, and design elements to up the ick-factor. Eamer's detailed text strikes the right balance between intriguingly disgusting facts (hagfish produce slime "by the bucketful in less than a second") and solid information (scientists are looking at using "hagfish slime as a natural replacement for petroleum-based fibers"). "Some gross extras," a glossary, selected sources, and an index conclude this well-organized offering.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 For some animal species, there are evolutionary advantages to social groupings. "Packs, herds, huddles, and pods. Together, we are better." Salyer introduces young readers to many of the creative words used to describe animal aggregations (an army of frogs, a flamboyance of flamingos, an ­implausibility of wildebeest) but also explains just what those groupings provide: care for their young (elephants, lions); communication to locate food and prey (bats, bees); and safety in numbers (zebras, mongooses). The richly colored illustrations portray the multitudes, often oriented to seem to flow past the observer, or to highlight how animals clustered together make it hard to identify individuals or distinguish them from their backgrounds. The final double-page spread connects the book's message to a familiar social animal--humans--as people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities happily congregate in a village square. "All together...we are better!" Notes at the end of the book identify the exact species portrayed in the illustrations, and caution that many of these species are under threat of extinction. Also appended with a brief bibliography.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Bert Kitchen. Buhrman-Deever imagines the relationships between predators and prey as poetic standoffs. Animal antagonists express their behaviors and needs in a variety of creative poetic formats. Content and cadence are cleverly aligned with the actual behaviors of the animals, and the structure and layouts of the poems also echo traits of the creatures. Illustrations are in soft focus, with stippled green and brown landscapes. Bib.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Mike Shiell. Where there's a stink, there's bound to be something disgusting--that's the charm of this book about the olfactory senses of humans and animals. From rotting flesh to poop to skunk spray, readers learn about many aspects of smell. Cartoony caricature illustrations add to the kid-appeal. The fonts of the chapter titles and subject headings are close enough to make the organization a little confusing. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(3) 4-6 Arnosky explains how the showy appearances or behaviors of animals help them to find mates, scare off predators, and communicate. His excellent illustrations, some across foldout pages, include dramatic portrayals of animals in full display as well as smaller sketches that provide variations across species. Personal notes from the naturalist author-illustrator at the beginning and end add an intimate touch. Reading list.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford