(2) K-3 In a somber and serious first-person voice, a polar bear wanders through northern landscapes and across seasons in search of food and describes her survival practices. As summer ends, she moves to land--not her natural habitat--to patiently wait for the sea ice to return. In Moore's blue-saturated illustrations, ice, sky, and sea dominate. Back matter explains the effects of global climate change and includes an illustrated guide to fellow Arctic creatures.

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

(1) K-3 Fox + Chick series. Ruzzier presents three more brief comics-format adventures about odd-couple friends Fox and Chick (from The Party and Other Stories). Pastel-hued pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations are easy to follow from panel to panel and spread to spread, with tantalizingly off-kilter details and fanciful supporting characters. The protagonists seem to have mellowed somewhat from the previous book, with fewer examples of sniping and more of sharing.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Anoosha Syed. Pakistani American boy Bilal and friends help his father make daal, a thick lentil stew common in South Asia. They cook then play for hours, because "daal takes time." As they prepare, patiently wait, and enjoy the dish, Bilal's friends demonstrate open-mindedness to cultural differences. Colorful digital illustrations accentuate humorous antics in the kitchen and at play. Author's note and recipe included.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam

(4) K-3 Translated by Annie Prime. Elderly Bo lives with young Koko, who greets every direction with "I DON'T WANT TO!" Bo doesn't press, knowing that Koko will eventually see the logic behind wearing a coat (it's cold outside), getting out of bed (how else to get breakfast?), etc. Readers yearning for bratty Koko's comeuppance may be disappointed, but this sweet intergenerational-friendship tale from Sweden features beguiling skewed-line illustrations.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. Massive elephant Poe is sitting in the middle of Prickly Valley's only road, and he "won't go." The perturbed townspeople encourage Poe to leave, but all attempts fail until a young girl asks him why. It turns out that Poe has been waiting for--and unknowingly sitting on--his friend Moe, a monkey. This humorous, offbeat story's outlandish scenarios are nicely supported by quirky, playful acrylic and pencil illustrations.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) PS Taylor's dejected after a crow topples the child's wooden-block structure. A chicken urges Taylor to "talk, talk, talk about it!"; others offer well-intentioned but unhelpful advice. Expressive illustrations depict Taylor with closed-off body language. Finally, a rabbit sits beside Taylor, silent until Taylor decides to talk: "The rabbit listened," patient and compassionate, letting Taylor work through complex emotions without pressure, culminating in a positive ending.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jay Fleck. Curious and absentminded Flo, the smallest panda, likes taking her time and lounging ("her number-one saying is 'Get floppy!'"). Although this frustrates the other pandas with their daily tight schedule of activities, her "floppy," relaxed ways are more appealing after a near-disaster. Spare, brightly drawn illustrations and occasional speech-bubble dialogue complement the simple message that slowing down can be a good thing.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) K-3 This significantly longer follow-up to A Home for Bird includes three short stories instead of just one. Patient toad Vernon gets some unexpected help from a snail, he goes on a nontraditional fishing outing with Skunk and Porcupine, and his two friends cheer him up when he misses Bird. Unfussy mixed-media illustrations perfectly capture Stead's laidback dry wit and lovable, oddball animal characters.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(2) K-3 In this follow-up to Leaves, Bear wakes from hibernation. He patiently keeps busy during spring and early summer, trying his best (but failing) to forget that it's not yet time for his favorite snack: honey. Repetition and steady pacing make for compelling page turns. Stein's uncluttered compositions keep the focus on the endearing protagonist, who is depicted in relaxed, carefree lines, with warm yellows and greens dominating.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Vivienne To. Always on the go, Amy's family does everything in a hurry. When Amy brings home a sloth, he slows down the family, and they learn to appreciate one another and life around them--to Amy's relief. This story about the drawbacks of today's rapid-fire life and the benefits of taking time out will resonate with both jet-propelled readers and those who move more purposefully.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) PS Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer. Forget Godot: Bear is waiting on a bench for Goliath. The seasons change, but Bear doesn't lose faith. His patience--like the reader's--is rewarded when spring comes and so does Goliath, who turns out to be a snail ("I came as fast as I could"). This German import is an endearing ode to friendship, with photographed art of what looks like a paper-based three-dimensional set.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Daniel Rieley. A clever layout and engaging illustrations invite readers into Arthur's world, where his autistic brother's needs and unpredictability make Arthur feel nearly invisible. An enormous polar bear named Mr. P. turns up at his door to help Arthur learn patience and understanding--and is a lot of fun to boot. A sweet story likely to start always-welcome conversations about differences and acceptance.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Sofia Martinez series. Illustrated by Kim Smith. In Sofia's large Hispanic family, even a mundane event--here building a time capsule (Abuela's) and shopping for school supplies (Shopping)--can cause excitement. Though the stories' initial scenarios are amusing, the light plots are low-stakes. The accessible English texts are peppered with Spanish words in pink type and amusingly illustrated. Discussion and writing prompts are appended. Glos. Review covers these Sofia Martinez titles: Abuela's Special Letters and Shopping Trip Trouble.

Reviewer: Siena Leslie

(3) PS Illustrated by Matt Phelan. In an amusing twenty questions–like scenario, an inquisitive badger tries to answer the titular question with the help of a not-so-forthcoming rabbit. As the badger--and readers--decipher the rabbit's cryptic replies, soft, earth-toned illustrations in varied layouts feature the two animals exploring the natural world together over a day. Different-colored text delineates the speakers, while the big reveal (in a dramatic vertical spread) encourages rereading.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Carin Berger. Two dapper pear seeds perform a vaudeville comedy act. During the show, readers learn that the seed-to-fruit process requires patience, soil, rain, sun, and time. Illustrations that look like mixed-media and paper collage show seeds onstage conversing in short-sentence word balloons. Slight but amusing for young children and grownups with a love of wordplay and botany. "5 'Peary' Smart Facts" are appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) PS Jelly Bean is a kind blue giraffe with black spots whose head accidentally becomes home to a bird's nest. Jelly Bean's animal friends entertain her while she waits for the eggs to hatch. The short, simple sentences highlight themes of friendship and caring. Set against the mostly white background, the bright collage illustrations (containing torn tissue- and construction-paper and twine) are full of texture.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) PS As Mr. Panda (Please, Mr. Panda) whips up something special to eat, a parade of other black-and-white animals marches through the plain light-blue background asking him what he's making. Only Penguin is willing to wait for the (surprise) answer. Mr. Panda's repeated obliviousness to Penguin's presence is frustrating, but in the end, Penguin's patience is rewarded with a giant, tasty doughnut.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) K-3 In their second book, overeager penguin Virgil finishes polar bear Owen's joke, his sandwich, and so on. The book is like a primer in navigating a friendship's occasional snags: while kids can't roar their anger like Owen, they can use their words, and, like Virgil, say "I'm sorry." The pen, watercolor, and gouache art captures both the tenderness and the slapstick.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Tim Warnes. In this instructive tale, Otto, a young rhinoceros, wants everything "NOW!" Emotive illustrations focus on Otto as his smiling parents calmly use a planned vacation to encourage patient behavior. Otto's eagerness slows only when he loses a toy en route to the airport--a confusing diversion from the central theme. A bit muddled, but still a useful introduction to the virtues of patience.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova. A cynical narrator explains why a T. rex crashing a birthday party might not be as great as it sounds. The dinosaur's antics will have young readers laughing out loud until the surprisingly sweet ending. Simple and inviting pencil illustrations filled with primary colors and pops of green, created digitally and with watercolor, sit on all-white backgrounds.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes