(1) PS Illustrated by Robert Neubecker. This spirited look at a range of mass transportation vehicles showcases some of the vital but less visible jobs involved in making them move. "Who makes buses rev and go / through detours, gridlock, storms, and snow? / Block by block, who smooths the journey -- / potholed, hilly, twisty, turn-y? / IT'S NOT JUST THE DRIVER!" The book goes on to celebrate the role of the mechanic who proactively inspects the bus for safety and keeps it running. Continuing in this pattern, the text and art feature the subway's signal maintainer as well as the operator, the train's ticket agent along with the engineer, the plane's air traffic controller in addition to the pilot, and more. Full of small, amusing details to notice, the bright digital illustrations clarify how a team of people works together to get a complex job done. The engaging pages are packed with vehicles, transportation workers, and passengers. The whirlwind of activity flows visually to demonstrate the efficacy of the busy system running smoothly. This distinctive transportation book with its chirpy, rhyming text appeals to a young vehicle-loving audience while capturing the complicated and often overlooked aspects involved in keeping systems moving. An author's note provides more for readers to consider, including several questions: e.g., "Would you like to work on a team that makes transportation go? Which important job would you choose?"

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

(1) K-3 This overview of ants combines cleverly designed graphics and a funny text to convey major concepts about the familiar insects. Expressive-eyed ants march across the pages, first in a show of their large numbers and then to illustrate key ant behaviors. These are succinctly introduced as "Ants love: Family. Micronaps. Recycling. Helping others. Being caught on camera carrying stuff way bigger than they are." Descriptions of ant colonies, cooperation, communication, and ants' role in creating soil follow. The page design is thoughtful and effective; one especially impressive double-page spread describing how ants communicate through pheromones features a sequenced scenario in which doughnut sprinkles are encountered by a single ant, who then leaves a pheromone trail to communicate the food location to the colony. Humorous yet still scientifically spot-on phrases pop up throughout ("Drone. Male. Does no housework. Takes to sky. Reproduces. Drops dead"). The final pages connect ant behaviors to another social species -- humans -- so that readers can be like ants and "leave the Earth in better shape than it was when you got here."

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

(2) K-3 Neighbors Max and Kenji love wrestling. But Max thinks lucha libre is the "greatest," while Kenji thinks sumo is the "best." When they show each other their favorite moves -- and try to prove which is truly the winning style -- the match devolves into a real tussle. Though the two try to practice on their own (with some unsuspecting pet opponents), they quickly realize, "It's not as much fun being a wrestling fan...by yourself." So they hatch a plan to reunite and stage "the very first-ever SUMO LIBRE match" for the neighborhood, complete with tempura tacos. The text is subtly funny and presents a fresh cultural mashup. Cepeda's (The Best Worst Camp Out Ever, rev. 3/24) brightly colored, hand-painted illustrations in his recognizable loose style are detailed and engaging; the annotated moves on the endpapers may inspire future sumo libre wrestlers (warn your pets!).

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) YA When the Burying Ground ship is destroyed while carrying peace delegations from warring nations Dura and Ariminthia, there are only two survivors. Cast up on a tiny island, Cora, a Duran, lives using all she's learned from "invasion readiness training"; Vivienne, maid to an Ariminthian princess, builds a shrine and believes that the drowned princess, sea, and island are conspiring to care for her and protect her country. When the two girls meet, their very different perspectives prove to be bemusing and illuminating, so much so that the political situation in their countries looks quite different to them by the time they are rescued. Together, they devise a way to fulfill the peace treaty that was the Burying Ground's mission, only to find that powerful interests from both nations connive to perpetuate war. Coats engages vital contemporary concerns -- financial and military interests, environmental heedlessness, political authoritarianism, dis- and misinformation, forms of resistance -- within this intricately plotted, brightly crafted fantasy. Machinations, plots, counterplots, and surprise revelations keep the momentum going right up to a cliffhanger of a last line. That and the two stalwart, earnest, ornery, and devoted protagonists should leave readers eager for a sequel.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) PS A child explores the outdoors on a sunny day, observing living things all around: a tall, verdant tree and animals on land, in the air, and underwater. Author Daniel gives voice to each of these living entities: "I'm afraid," says a leaf in the air. The tree from which the leaf fell tells it, however, that it's not alone. A bird nestled in the same tree notes: "I could fall," and the wind replies, as the yellow bird soars through the air: "I will lift you." And so it goes: the stream provides water to a thirsty skunk; a fish provides camaraderie to a lonely crab; the creek cools a hot bear; the grass comforts a worried deer; and more. Daniel stresses the interdependence of living things, stating in a short appended note that "every single living thing depends on another living thing" (such as, for instance, the story's "bored" mushrooms that accept a mouse's invitation to play). The illustrations in thick acrylics are inventive: in one spread, a butterfly's wing, adorned with a pupil-like shape, overlaps with the child's left eye as that eye looks at a snail needing encouragement, and in the final spread, the child sleeps under a full moon while dreaming of creatures. James personifies the animals, many of them with tears and frowns. It's an empathetic primer for the youngest of readers on the interconnectedness of all living things on our planet.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gardiner Kate. When Francis's family plants Gaawaandagoonce ("little spruce" in Ojibwemowin) in her grandmother's garden located alongside Gichigamiing (Lake Superior), the tree and baby Francis are almost the same height. The two grow together: "While Francis learned to walk on two little feet, the spruce tree walked in her own way -- stretching her roots out into the ground, where they talked to roots of other trees." Grandma knows that "trees, like people, are stronger together," which is why Gaawaandagoonce was planted near older spruces. Drouillard's inviting text naturally weaves information about trees' root systems and species' interconnectedness into a story about adjusting to change. When Francis's grandparents eventually need to move from their Grand Portage home, the family brings the little spruce to Francis's aunt's house. They carefully and lovingly transplant the tree, but acclimating is tough. Slowly, she connects with the other spruces and begins to feel at home again. Children who have had to move to a new place will relate to Francis and Little Spruce. The gouache and colored-pencil drawings' limited palette is a good match for the text's contemplative tone. An author's note explains that the story is based on a real spruce tree, and Drouillard discusses the importance of land and the significance of its loss for the Ojibwe people. Two Anishinaabe uses for white spruce and a glossary of the Ojibwemowin words included in the story are also appended.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Ready to Read: Monster Og series. Illustrated by Elio. In their entertaining second outing (Og Meets Mog!, rev. 3/24), Og (a gentle turquoise monster) and sidekick Mog (a large, round, catlike creature) are using a tool to "make something cool." Feeling left out, Dog snatches the last cog and drops it into a bog. "Og yells once. Og yells again." In some books, the repetition of sounds can become tedious, but Dyckman's agile deployment comes off as charming and allows children who are just beginning to decode print the opportunity to practice and build confidence in service of a cheerful, relatable story. The strong lines and bold, vaguely retro hues in Elio's images add to the appeal. Characters pop off pages that alternate between double-page spreads and spot illustrations, which controls the pace and gives this straightforward, low-stakes friendship story a feeling of movement and drama. The character design rides the line between cute and weird in a way that will encourage young readers to pick the book off the shelf. In the end, Og executes a plan to get the cog out of the bog, Dog makes amends, and then Og, Mog, and Dog create their "something cool" together. Three cheers for this unique and enjoyable story and friendship team.

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

(2) PS Illustrated by Brian Biggs. Hardhat-wearing pigs hurriedly build a road to reach the county fair. While Rosie stays up all night and "plans," "outlines," and "calculates," her peers -- Curly, Pinky, and Stinky -- sleep. At work, the pigs follow a predictable pattern. Rosie directs; the crew messes up; Rosie fixes the problem. When the trio stakes the road incorrectly, for example, Rosie "checks the GPS / and straightens out / their crooked mess." When their load of dirt and rocks misses the dump truck, "Rosie shows them how it's done." And so it goes. Until...poor Rosie needs a nap. Thankfully, Finison doesn't just give Rosie a leadership role in a male-dominated field. Sure, she casts Rosie as a smart, problem-solving construction worker. But when Rosie needs a break, the author gives her one -- and the crew works together to finish the job. Biggs's detailed, motion-filled scenes will delight building enthusiasts. Compositionally, the art also supports the text's theme of collaboration. Early on, Biggs offsets Rosie-in-charge from the others, framed or separated by the gutter, while in later more cooperative scenes, the four pigs occupy the same picture space. And, like any good construction story, this one's packed with opportunities to spot favorite vehicles.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by K-Fai Steele. Max's life can be more than a little hectic. Whether getting distracted and missing the bus, forgetting to do every item on various lists of important things, or careening across the playground like a whirlwind, the protagonist's differently wired mind is always working overtime, which can lead to a lot of fun, or a lot of trouble -- or sometimes both. When you're someone like Max, "that always happens sometimes." Then one day Max is assigned to a group project where each team competes to build the tallest index-card tower, and it becomes the perfect opportunity for Max's creative mind to shine. Frank's first-person narration makes apt use of run-on sentences packed with many clauses and sentence fragments to simulate the frenetic energy of racing thoughts that make constant connections and leaps. Steele's watercolor and ink illustrations add to the zany vibe by depicting the characters' googly eyes with exaggeratedly large whites and tiny beady pupils. The strategic use of visual elements such as the gutter, perspective, and speech bubbles with stylized text reinforces Max's unique personality, perspective, and social relationships. A humorous and empathetic tribute to the neurodivergent kids out there who march to the beat of their own drums.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Frost's tribute to the importance of community and friendly compromise delivers its message through a solid mashup of effective cartooning, witty visual gags, and sentimental (not saccharine) writing. Mouse likes living alone in his tree-stump duplex, especially since it provides him with the control to keep his yard extremely tidy. But when Pak-Rat moves into the adjoining apartment, so does a lot of extra stuff -- including a forest of pinwheels, an army of garden gnomes, and even an inflatable dancing tube person. Unable to cope with a cluttered yard -- but too uncomfortable to speak up -- Mouse resorts to secretly burying his neighbor's possessions in the middle of the night. An amusing twist involving a friendly bespectacled mole unearthing the buried items forces Mouse into an honest conversation with Pak-Rat. "It's not that I don't like your stuff. There's just too much." Pak-Rat is initially surprised but respects his orderly neighbor's feelings, and the pair learns to share their space more equitably -- and have some fun in the process. Frost's writing balances earnest narration with an appealing cadence and more offbeat dialogue told entirely with word balloons. The mix of paneled page layouts, single pages, and double-page spreads transitions seamlessly -- while the numerous bold sound effects ("BOOP" "THWACK" "ZOOP"), streamlined character designs, jam-packed imagery, and vibrant colors provide continuous visual interest. A pleasingly humorous and harmonious tale.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lorena Alvarez Gómez. “Me llamo La Chiva. That’s me! Beep, beep, beep!” But this chiva is not a goat, it’s a bus (helpfully explained in an author’s note) decorated with bright patterns that travels through a town in the Andes. Cheerful rhyming text follows the bus on its way to a market in town, including a stop for a flat tire that the passengers help fix. Painterly digital illustrations in vibrant colors feature a smiling bus, diverse community, and playfully exaggerated steep mountain roads. Also available in Spanish as ¡Me llamo la Chiva!: El colorido bus de los Andes.

Reviewer:

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jessie Hartland. Mr. Tony and his student, Nevaeh, plot during the winter months how to bring their community garden in Harlem into bloom with a spring cleanup and planting party. The nei7ghborhood shows up -- people of all backgrounds, with gardening tools and flowers and seeds and doughnuts for snacking on -- to work together and watch their garden grow. They add a small library, too, and just as they share their library of books, the group shares their library of knowledge, with members who have expertise in cooking, in raising chickens, in plumbing and carpentry. Hartland's illustrations burst with color and detail, a visual feast; keen-eyed readers will notice plants growing and changing from scene to scene. The daubs of paint and visible brushstrokes give the art a tactile feel that pairs well with the vibrancy and hands-on nature of the garden. Children will enjoy the art but also likely appreciate learning (from the back matter) that the book is based on a true story and written by Mr. Tony himself. Steps to start an urban school community garden and a recipe for vegetable soup are also appended. Perfect both for a lap-sit to pore over the details and for community-garden or farmers' market storytimes.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Uma Krishnaswamy. A young girl passes by an unremarkable patch of ground on her way to and from school. One day she notices "something small and gray beneath a clump of weeds." She and her friends clear some of the weeds and accumulated garbage and find "stones upon even more stones." The children tell their elders, and word spreads throughout the neighboring villages. Everyone helps dig until they unearth steps leading to an ancient well. The girl's grandmother recalls stories from long ago about old wells that caught rainwater. And when the rains come, waking up "deep, sleeping springs," they send water to the old well. Slowly the dry and dusty fields turn green, and butterflies, bees, crickets, and other creatures return. Resembling tribal Gond art, the acrylic, poster-color, and watercolor illustrations are rich with details of traditional Indian village life, including people collecting firewood, women balancing water pots, carts piled with fruits and vegetables. Accompanying the lively prose, Krishnaswami's refrain -- "Look! Look!" -- captures the joy of discovery that unites the community. As the villagers work together to clear out the abandoned well, they learn about ancient methods of water preservation that bring the fields, flora, and fauna back to life. An author's note provides context.

Reviewer: Sadaf Siddique | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 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) K-3 Illustrated by Dan Santat. In this entertaining picture book, the duo behind Drawn Together (rev. 7/18) explores friendship and resilience through imaginative play. The two main characters first meet as toddlers after bumping into each other while playing with blocks. As they grow older, their friendship and their creations evolve: the ever-more-elaborate structures incorporate Asian mythological motifs and use a variety of materials, including cardboard, tape, wood, and paint. Each time, their project fails. An argument over the collapse of a creation leads to an important epiphany: "Some things are too important to give up on. Some things deserve to be repaired, no matter how many times they break." Lê's succinct, expressive storytelling and Santat's vivid colored-pencil, watercolor, and digital illustrations are both energetic celebrations of these particular, fictional projects and friendships and a possible metaphor for all such creative collaborations (and those characters do bear some resemblance to their creators).

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 A chaotic household tries to reset by heading out for a forest hike. It's hard to enjoy the serenity of nature, though, when no one will help Mom, Grandpa keeps telling old "worn-out" stories, toddler Willa won't stop fussing, and dog Oni is all worked up. Least cooperative of all is older sibling Smudge, who stubbornly responds to Mom's request for good behavior, "Absolutely I will NOT!" Smudge continues to complain while wandering off -- only to get the entire family lost. Pray depicts the group's less-united moments with empathy instead of judgment and gives Smudge the opportunity to make amends for earlier transgressions by using memories of the day's rocky start ("And here! The berries I threw!") as landmarks to guide them out of the woods. "Maybe being lost together makes us sort of found, too," muses Smudge. Pray uses watercolor inks and colored pencils to contrast the family members' frazzled disconnect from one another with the beauty of the outdoors; the jewel-tone foliage becomes more vibrant and defined as the family grows closer. An ultimately cozy portrayal of a day that begins as memorable for the wrong reasons, only to end with Smudge's loved ones learning to find their way -- together.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) PS A black bear is "quietly walking along, just being a bear." When Bear encounters a fuzzy brown bear, he is immediately wary, though the Other Bear is perfectly pleasant: "Just saying hello." Bear, less prickly now, decides to follow the Other Bear. The two come across a defensive panda: "What do you want from me?" Bear and the Other Bear wish Grunty Bear a good day and amble on; Grunty Bear ("looking a little embarrassed") joins them. A Very Big Bear tells the three to "go away...I don't know you"; they reply, "Okay then. Well, good to meet you." With each encounter, a surly newcomer is disarmed by the others' unflappable friendliness. Rayner's relaxed line work exudes calm confidence, and the initially antagonistic bears aren't threatening, just grumpy. The compositions focus on the characters, with little background detail and plenty of white space. After the group helps a growly polar bear stuck in a tree, the now Unstuck Bear (who's "never actually spoken to another bear") asks why they helped. "Some things are hard on your own." Unstuck Bear wonders why the "all very different" bears are together. The simple answer: "We all just like each other!" Sure, the message isn't subtle, but it's one worth sharing, and the gently humorous tone and lighthearted illustrations offer it in a winning package.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Alligator Bob (Chez Bob, rev. 9/21), proprietor of his bird friends' favorite restaurant, is blindsided when an energetic young alligator rolls into town with an exciting new business: Chez Ryan "delivers pizza while doing cool bike tricks!" Bob doesn't handle the competition well and falls into a funk fueled by sad music, snack food, and self-pity. With Chez Bob's shuttered, the birds flock to enjoy the convivial atmosphere at Ryan's, while Bob follows his jealous thoughts to a dark place: the "internest." Posting under various pseudonyms ("smartbirdwhoisnotbob," "trustworthybird226"), he relieves his anxiety by slandering Ryan and pizza -- and expressing those "very bad things made Bob feel very good." Lest readers think this is an endorsement of internet troll-dom, Shea's comical illustrations turn dark and shadowy as Bob wages his online smear campaign by the light of his laptop. Skilled use of color and perspective throughout effectively conveys mood and plays up the overall silliness. Ryan is understandably furious when Bob confesses, but Bob's heartfelt apology helps Ryan forgive him. In the "sappy ending" that the two chefs agree is "gross," they team up to run a new fusion restaurant serving birdseed pizza. This satisfying second course will be a crowd pleaser.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Many people can relate to the worry that strikes when a pet goes missing. Staake (Bluebird, rev. 3/13) brings empathy, camaraderie, and humor to a familiar experience in this wordless picture book. As a child searches for a missing cat, they discover that other people are missing pets all over town: some common animals and others...not so much. As they go about their pursuit, a series of chain reactions results in surprising twists, newfound friends, and eventually lots of happy reunions. Staake's illustrations invite readers to join the search party. His creatively varied and detail-packed panel sequences keep the plot moving forward, but readers won't want to flip through the pages too quickly. Each spread holds clues as to how the pets and owners will eventually reunite. The judicious use of bold colors over black-and-white backgrounds allows viewers to follow each character through sometimes-crowded scenes, emphasizing their actions and range of emotions (from fear to determination to relief) throughout the entire tale. The entertaining payoff reflects the power that can come from neighbors -- and even their pets -- banding together to assist one another.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(1) YA Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. This poetry collection masterfully encapsulates Watson's experience of Black girlhood and womanhood. Through an array of poetic styles, she weaves together her personal reflections, celebrating the multifaceted nature of her own upbringing. The poems serve as a testament to the diversity of cultural influences she encountered during her childhood. She describes her identity as coming from "east coast hip-hop and island tradition...Baptist hymns and secular jigs," embodying the intersectionality of her experiences. While she celebrates her uniqueness (e.g., Renée is the only one in her family whose name origin is not connected to another family member), she honors and respects that she is part of a broader sisterhood of Black women. From biological sisters to "aunties by blood & by choice" and other "knowing women," the author pays homage to Black women's collective strength and wisdom. The title poem, appearing after definitions for atlas, especially adds depth, with Watson drawing parallels between Black girls and the Greek mythological figure condemned to hold up the heavens. The collaboration with Holmes, whose magnificent collages accompany Watson's words, adds a visual dimension that also spans cultures and experiences. The result is a celebration of the complexities of, and the bonds formed through, Black girlhood and womanhood.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024