(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

(2) PS Mother duck sits on her nest full of eggs one night, when things take a turn. The rhyming text says, "One egg hatches... / and then another... / Seven little ducklings are up before Mother!" Soft-hued ink and watercolor art captures the personalities of the mischievous little hatchlings, who decide to spend their first hours exploring unchaperoned. When Mama wakes to a nest of empty shells, panic ensues. She sets off to round up her new brood, launching this lively counting story into action. Every baby she finds has landed in a more amusingly precarious position than the one before it. Readers counting along will recognize early that she has accumulated more than she started with and that one of those babies is clearly a turtle and another likely a swan. While Mama mulls over this conundrum -- they all seem like family to her -- a struggling mouse floats by and she rescues it too, along with a few more ducklings. Mama observes, "They can't all be mine," but "then she looks at their faces / and knows that it's fine." The sunny palette, singsong rhymes, and ragtag collection of funny, wide-eyed creatures keep this family story engaging and surprising all the way to the bedtime end -- as one last headcount reveals.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 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) PS Illustrated by Tim Miller. An egg tumbles down a mountain and lands beside another egg. The jostling causes them both to hatch, one after the other. First out comes Duckie, wide-eyed, loquacious, and looking for a friend. Then there's Snaps, a crocodile who'd just as soon beat it: "Well...Goodbye!" Duckie lays out a convincing case for staying to play, but just as Snaps seems ready to relent, an adult-looking croc comes by: "No. You cannot be friends" because "We. EAT. Duckies!" Snaps is confused: "I had no idea! I JUST GOT HERE!" After some hysterics on everyone's part, a creative culinary solution leads to the promise of lasting friendship and appetite satisfaction (fun fact: crocodiles do eat fruit). Speech bubble-heavy text with thoughtful use of repetition enhances comprehension and enjoyment. Digitally colored pen-and-ink illustrations (a mix of scene-setting introductory spreads, varied panels, and single pages) feature crisp black lines, bold hues, and slapstick-y interactions between an unlikely duo -- who, in terms of friendship, turn out to be very lucky ducks.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) PS Bunny peers out into a blustery, unpleasant day and decides tea is the remedy. Gathering herbs and petals, Bunny makes some; the scent of a fresh brew attracts Opossum, also in need of a cuppa. The larger animal drinks all of Bunny’s tea, so Bunny sets out again to collect ingredients for a second pot. Just as Bunny is about to drink the tea, Opossum and her four babies arrive, startling Bunny, who spills it. Now clearly annoyed, Bunny sets out to gather more ingredients in larger quantities, but this time with the quiet assistance of one emotionally attuned Opossum baby, who senses the rabbit’s frustration. After the Opossums enjoy Bunny’s hospitality, there’s no tea left, and Bunny goes to bed without. The next day, a cheery pink teapot that matches the morning sky appears at the doorstep, and as Baby Opossum watches from a distance, Bunny finally has that elusive cup of tea. Short, direct sentences using clever repetition tell the story, while clues about the passing of time appear in the boldly textured illustrations. Readers will sense the animals’ moods through their body language and expressive eyes. Themes of sharing, gratitude, and unlikely animal gatherings call for paired readings with books such as Bear Snores On; Mine! (rev. 7/23); Mother Bruce; and The Little Red Hen, whether at bedtime or with a story-hour crowd.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca | 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

(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) PS An effusively affectionate grandma plays with her little grandchild, expressing wonder at the baby’s cuteness (“Look. At. This. Baby!”). Yiddish words are integrated throughout her exclamations (“Let me kiss this keppie...I see a tuchus!!”). The boldly colored, cartoonish illustrations can be garish at times, but the simple, silly text lends itself to playing and giggling along -- and maybe even learning some Yiddish. A glossary is appended.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) PS Mama, Papa, and Sister lovingly put Baby to bed at eight o’clock, but “sleeping is for koalas and teenagers. This baby intended to stay awake forever.” At nine o’clock it’s time to throw binkies, at ten o’clock Baby is overly curious about Papa’s face, and so on throughout the night. Climbing, falling, crying, and dancing don’t wear out this tot. “At 3 o’clock...Baby’s eyes...began...to blink,” but after a slight doze, it’s full steam ahead into a new day, if only “her lazy family” would wake up. Throughout, Salsbury channels sleepless, stressed-out parents and the mindset of a baby (“At 2 o’clock, Baby laughed at a joke only she understood. At 2:15, Baby yelled a bit. At 2:30, she laughed at her own yelling”). Humorous illustrations show her well-intentioned family becoming increasingly frazzled when nothing works to calm her seemingly relentless energy. Speech bubble dialogue, motion lines, and baby sounds add to a dynamic layout featuring a mix of spreads, singles, and spots, the last of which really pop against their white backgrounds in stark contrast to the cool hues of the nighttime illustrations. Hand this picture book to all the bleary-eyed parents and older siblings of rambunctious babies who just don’t want to sleep...ever.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) PS Illustrated by Stevie Lewis. Snuggle up with this cheerful day-in-the-life depiction of a mother and her baby. Mama is clad in overalls, ready for an active just-the-two-of-us day with her child. Simple phrases, all containing the word mama, grace almost every page, and rhyming lines create a rhythmic cadence. Affection permeates the scenes as baby first awakens (“Mama cuddle / Mama swing // Mama dance / Mama sing”), then plays inside and out all day (“Mama horse / Mama hug // Mama chair / Mama tug”) before settling down at night with a bath and a book (“Mama pillow on a Mama bed // Mama dreams in baby’s head”). Straub’s verse focuses on toddler-friendly activities such as playing peek-a-boo, naming body parts, walking and climbing, laughing, and eating; through it all, “Mama love grows and grows.” The mainly warm color palette in Lewis’s digital art reflects the tenderness shared between these two throughout the day, while a cool palette accompanies bedtime calmness. An ideal read-aloud (à la Raschka’s Mama Baby, rev. 3/20) for mama-obsessed toddlers.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(3) PS Animal Lovers series. Photos are an apt choice for illustrating board-book nonfiction. Here, the striking full-bleed photos of penguins ­caring for chicks, diving in water, and waddling through icy landscapes will captivate animal fans. The text, which has one to two sentences per double-page spread, is clear, direct, and enlightening: "A group of ­penguins in the water is called a RAFT." For more simple nonfiction, look for Maisy Loves Bees, Maisy Loves Trees, and Maisy Loves Water [Maisy's Planet] (Candlewick) by Lucy Cousins featuring the iconic (fictional) white mouse.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) PS Illustrated by Ingela P. Arrhenius. This high-contrast, padded cloth book presents a common animal (and, in one case, a smiling acorn) on each verso. A different critter appears on each recto tucked behind a colorful, securely attached felt flap. While the text is serviceable ("Here's an Owl! / Where is the rabbit?"), Arrhenius's illustrations are clear and eye-catching for newborns learning to focus. A middle page is embedded with a crinkling material for auditory stimulation, and the final page features a baby-safe mirror under a felt flap paired with the prompt, "Where are you?" A stroller handle with a Velcro attachment allows for play (and maybe reading) on the go.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) PS Baby Rhyme Time series. Illustrated by Annie Kubler & Sarah Dellow. Bouncy babies and toddlers cavort in this catchy play rhyme that scans well in English and Spanish. Kubler and ­Dellow's cartoon tots, who wear bold colors and charming prints, perform each line of the verse against a white background. One welcome aspect of the entire Baby Rhyme Time series, often available in bilingual editions, is its inclusive diversity. In this offering, youngsters see a range of skin tones, a child wearing a hearing aid on the cover, and a tot with a therapeutic helmet. A Haitian Creole version, Fè Yon Ti Sote! / Hop a Little!, is forthcoming. For more bilingual offerings, try The Fruit Shop / La frutería and The Flower Shop / La ­florería (Candlewick) by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Zara González Hoang.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Patricia Casteleo. fter Bob and Ruby have taken turns narrating the past couple of books, it's only fitting that Ivan (The One and Only Ivan, rev. 1/12) returns as the narrator for the fourth and final volume of the quartet. The gorilla protagonist now lives a good life in the wildlife park, far removed from his traumatic past filled with abuse and neglect at Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He is surrounded by close friends, both human and animal, who sustain him and understand him, many having gone through trauma themselves. Now Ivan and his mate are about to be parents and must grapple with what this means: "'But it's my job to protect them from the world,' I said. 'It's our job to prepare them for the world,' Kinyani responded, arms crossed over her chest." Offspring aren't the only means of extending Ivan's legacy: he is the subject of a forthcoming documentary. Tragedy almost strikes at the premiere when the filmmaker's son finds himself in the gorilla enclosure with an enraged silverback bearing down on him. Ivan rises to the challenge, both as a father and as a leader. This volume doesn't stand alone as well as the others, and that's okay. It's a wonderful farewell tour for these endearing characters and the themes that they have come to embody so well: adversity, resilience, and hope.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(1) 1-3 Illustrated by Emily Hughes. Fans of Atinuke's beloved chapter-book series know that Anna Hibiscus "lives in Africa. Amazing Africa" and Too-Small Tola "lives in Lagos, unbelievable Lagos." Now we meet protagonist Beti, who lives with her mother, father, and baby brother in a "little round house in the green woods under the mountains," with no running water or cellphones but with friendly farm animals and close friends and good neighbors nearby. In four brief sections, each set during a different season, readers follow this lively child's small-scale adventures. The book opens in spring, on Beti's birthday, with party preparations, including helping Mam bake a cake and then foraging for flowers to decorate it ("and pick some salad too!" says her father). She refuses to wear a party dress; her friends arrive; her birthday gift is...unexpected, as is her reaction to it. Beti is a classic Atinuke protagonist, with her age-appropriate highs and lows; her individuality and three-dimensionality; her moods, mischief, and creative problem-solving. The setting is painted through homey, specific details in the text and in Hughes's (illustrator of the Charlie & Mouse early readers, among others) frequent spry, eye-pleasing illustrations, a mix of black-and-white and color, spot art and full-bleed section openers. Atinuke's introductory note describes living in Wales in "a roundhouse built of straw and clay in the woods. It was a life of magic, and of mud," both on display in this engaging and memorable chapter book.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Ivan Bates. Mamma Duck is leading her ducklings to the lily pond, and little Puck, with his downy feathers and tiny feet, always seems to fall behind. When Mamma encourages him forward ("Keep up, Duck!"), Puck first hops on a paddle boat to catch up, then a skateboard, bicycle, and others. The text has a gentle rhythm and uses a lot of onomatopoeia ("Whizz! and Whirr! went all the wheels. Whizz! Whizz! Whirr! Whoooo!"), perfect for reading aloud. The watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations make beautiful use of delicate lines, subtle textures, and pastel colors, particularly the gradations of blue and green that abound in the water and the landscape surrounding it. The spreads are at once peaceful and full of motion, particularly with Puck, who is a pop of sunny yellow that jumps off each page, leaving confused creatures and mild chaos in his wake. In the end, Puck winds up ahead of his family and gets to shout, "Keep up, Mamma!" On a wordless page, Puck quivers with joy in his accomplishment, and when the family is reunited, Mamma has the good grace not to look irritated. Humorous and charming.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh. A jaunty, rhythmic text sets the mood for considering similarities and differences among people: "Somewhere in the big big city across a beep-beep street...up two tall buildings...two happy babies look out their morning windows at the very same time. / This baby. / And that baby." Rich, textured mixed-media art showcases an urban environment full of color, music, and life. The two babies set about their similarly structured but individual days. They both like games and songs, but not the same ones. They both require frequent diaper changes, get hungry, and need naps. The illustrations create humorous distinctions in the parallel routines, and the well-paced story offers plenty of room to pause and notice these details. When one baby's nap ends in tears and the other's failed nap ends in grumpiness, both are whisked out for walks headed in opposite directions. In an appropriate conclusion to this cheerful compare-and-contrast story, the babies end up at the same park bench, each one delighted to see the other.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Joaquin Camp. In this vibrant and absurdist Argentinian import, young Elisa cries so loudly that her narrator sibling says she sounds "like a fire truck instead of a baby," and all the neighbors in their apartment building are disrupted. As her wails grow throughout the night, the adults around her offer increasingly creative attempts at soothing (piggyback rides, flowers, stories, etc.) until the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur into whimsical chaos: e.g., a storybook character cries with her; Elisa is featured on a jumbo screen in a bustling city "on the other side of the planet." When her grandmother moves Elisa's legs "as if she were riding a bicycle in the air," the baby finally gets relief; her humongous fart blasts the apartment complex up like a rocketship and then back to Earth, where it lands upside-down. Relieved, Elisa (and everyone else) finally gets some sleep. The narrator remains unseen until the story's final pages, where they are depicted with the same bizarre playfulness, shown along with the rest of the cast dozing atop frozen desserts. The rich, humorous text is full of similes, and the illustrations appear to be rendered with markers, offering a layered and textured style. Blue nighttime hues contrast with brighter colors, centering action while exaggerated forms deepen the fantastical elements. Dazzling and dreamy.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Leah Hong. The passage of time can seem painfully slow to young children who haven't yet mastered how to measure hours, days, weeks, months, or years. This is especially true when a child is waiting for something to happen after a certain duration of time. In Conklin's text, a little girl awaits her mother's return from a weeklong business trip. Her father and baby sibling are home with her, and they cross off days on a calendar and fill their time with trips to the local pool and with window shopping in town. Throughout, Hong's watercolors create a reassuring depiction of the child's family and environment, with a calming, cool palette of mostly blue and green settings and soft, rounded forms. This comforting visual atmosphere is reassuring as the girl repeatedly appears dejected despite her father's loving care. While anticipating her mom's return is her main concern, other kinds of waiting underscore her longing. Standing in line at the pool or bemoaning how long it takes to get big enough to ride a two-wheeler, she often pulls on her father's arm, as if willing him to change his pace would hurry time along. Small pleasures punctuate the waiting time, and the family's joyful reunion provides a satisfying conclusion, augmented by a new bicycle as the cherry on top of this sweet story.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) PS "Emma was a large dog with many small dreams." She dreams about her favorite things, such as rolling in the grass and splashing in water. In Cooper's (most recently Yes & No, rev. 5/21) cheerful black-outlined watercolors, Emma's dreams are pictured as small bluish-gray dogs frolicking vision-like above her. When not dreaming, Emma sometimes worries or feels all alone, and sometimes "her whole body [feels] strange." Readers may wonder if our protagonist is sick or elderly, but -- surprise! -- one day, out from Emma's body emerges a tiny puppy, arriving headfirst into the world. Big Emma (literally "full of wonders") hasn't been thinking back to her frisky puppyhood, but rather ahead to her future, very-active puppies. Re-reading is a treat: audiences will now see that lumpy Emma is obviously pregnant, her "favorite things" are her soon-to-be-born pups, and her growing dreams are her seven growing babies. Once again, small dogs cavort around Emma, this time, brown-and-tan like mom and solid as can be. Cooper's small line drawings of a plump Emma adorn the book's opening endpapers while chubby puppies romp about on the closing ones. There's much to appreciate in this story about a gentle giant of a dog whose "dreams came true."

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024