(1) PS Illustrated by Chioma Ebinama. Young Emile, his dog at his side, frequents a field that is "wide and blue" and filled with flowers, bumblebees, and his favorite maple tree. Throughout the seasons, Emile talks to the field, asking if it misses things it doesn’t know, such as the sea, and marvels at what the field does know, such as the stars in a mesmerizing night sky. When he visits one winter day with his father, Emile expresses his dismay over having to share the field with others (i.e., a group of loud children, sledding). His father's response brings him comfort and ­purpose. With gentle rhythms, Young's verse captures the boy's observations with an emotional honesty (Emile wonders why the sledders didn't secure his "say-so" to visit); with an authenticity true to the impassioned feelings of ­children (Emile is described as being "in love" with the field); and with a tenderness that is touching but never ­saccharine. Ebinama brings this story of a Black boy having an immersive outdoor ­experience to life with delicate lines and lush and ­atmospheric watercolors; Emile in his puffy red coat, making a snow angel, is a reverent nod to Keats's Peter in The Snowy Day. The yellows, in ­particular, nearly glow in the form of flowers, bumblebees, and the golden hues of fall. What Emile learns from his father ("The field would not, could not be bought! or belong to anyone") is a satisfying conclusion to this exquisite story of one boy's unfettered delight in nature.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gaby D'Alessandro. Our young narrator, who shares a bedroom with a snoring older sister, is jealous of the guests who get to sleep on the cot in her family's living room overlooking the George Washington Bridge. "It would be so much fun to have the whole living room to myself! I'd stay up late and play, look at the tiny cars outside, maybe watch TV and sneak into the kitchen for an extra cookie or a little dulce de leche." Instead, a girl named Raquel ("Boring. She never plays with me") gets the cot while her father works the hospital night shift; on another night, Edgardo gets it while his mom, a singer, performs until 3 a.m.; and little Lisa has a turn while her grandmother cleans offices. "It's not fair" is the protagonist's refrain, with added resentment about having to share her ­parents' attention. After her own longed-for night on the cot proves less than thrilling, and even a little bit scary, she gains empathy for the guests and reacts with kindness. "It's Wednesday and Raquel's dad is working the night shift again, so she has to sleep on the cot in the living room. All by herself. She must really miss him. It's not fair." She invites the girl into her shared bedroom, cot and all. And though the space is tight, "the cot fits perfectly. And so does Raquel." D'Alessandro's pastel-hued digital illustrations feature soothing patterns and motifs, some of them compiled on endpapers resembling a quilt. Burgos's story is effective in its specificity to one child's experiences--and in the highly relatable emotions and reactions common to many young kids.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) PS This contemporary fable begins on its title page with a cat's-eye marble falling to earth from the sky. The mysterious object is soon investigated by a cast of garden critters. The item confounds each one in turn, from a grasshopper who states that the marble is "most likely a fallen star, a comet, or perhaps even a small planet" to a Luna moth who (in a breathtakingly luminescent evening scene) attempts to hatch the marble, believing it to be a chrysalis. Finally, a greedy spider (clad in a bow tie and a top hat) effectively gaslights his neighbors into his taking possession of the "Wonder from the Sky." The spider's scheme to charge exorbitant prices to view the "Wonder" eventually unravels due to a combination of disgruntled customers, bad weather, and, worst of all, an "Unexpected Disaster"--a child, who takes the marble away. Remorseful, and inspired by the night stars' willingness to shine for all, the spider decides to use his web to catch new objects from the sky (LEGO bricks, thumbtacks, a pocket watch), this time to share with everyone. The graphite illustrations are meticulously drawn, with particular attention to light, surface texture, and page-to-page continuity (for example, the locations of air bubbles within the marble remain constant). Extensive crosshatching and shading provide a strong sense of form and depth, while a soothing sepia wash serves as the dominant hue for nearly every character and background--allowing the full-color marble (plus a few other key objects) to visually pop off the page.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(1) PS Illustrated by Mercè López. Young Musa and his sister hop aboard the daladala that will drive them from town to the Zanzibar shore. The vehicle is already crowded; nevertheless, when the driver sees an elderly man walking his bike, he stops. "It's hotter than peppers out there in the sun! / Come in, there's room for everyone!" offers the driver, which becomes the text's lively and welcoming refrain. As more and more people--and goods and livestock and milk pails and open umbrellas and stinky fish--board the daladala, Musa expresses his dismay: "'But, Dada,' said Musa, 'can there really be / enough room for a cycle, two goats, and me?'" His sister reminds him--and without a hint of didacticism--that there's always room for another person in need (yes, even scuba-diving tourists). Khan's rhymes are electric, her wordplay flawless, and her sound effects entertaining to say aloud. López's (Lion of the Sky, rev. 3/19) marvelous illustrations, in acrylic, ink, graphite, and digital media, employ a multitude of patterns and textures, hustling and bustling right along with the constant, colorful activity. A glossary and "Note on Zanzibar" are appended. Pair with Margot Zemach's classic It Could Always Be Worse, another uproariously overcrowded cumulative tale (based on a Yiddish folktale) with an underlying message about generosity and gratitude.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) K-3 In this gently funny and fantastical picture book, readers are introduced to a quiet village, to a "modest dojang...a school of martial arts," and to Sunny, the dojang grandmaster's small daughter, already a black belt. As Sunny proceeds through the activities of a typical day in the dojang (helping the other students, sweeping the floors, practicing with her nunchucks), readers are exposed to some of the basic elements and vocabulary of Tae Kwon Do. When the students practice their kihaps--"a breath, a shout; power from the belly through the mouth!"--dragons from nearby mountains awaken and attack the dojang. The students defend themselves, but the fight is derailed by "the biggest enemy of all--their growling stomachs," and the combatants call a truce and share a snack. The text is soothingly rhythmic, with lots of alliteration and onomatopoeia. The color palette is warm and comforting, with the soft orange of the nearby persimmon trees and the sunset conveying calm. A brief summary of the principles of Tae Kwon Do is appended, but this is less an informational book than a whimsical slice of life that will appeal to many small warriors.

Reviewer: K Rachael Stein | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Katie Kath. Some junior rock collectors are budding geologists, interested in the origins and classification of rocks. Some have that completist gene and are hot on the quest for the perfect geode. Others just want to arrange their rocks into families, or learn to skip them, or use them for crafts. Author and illustrator of this joyful book give equal respect to every kind of rockhound, following a jaunty blue-haired girl with a sidelong grin who collects, sorts, paints, makes mosaics, pitches, and contemplates. Some of the similes are a bit clichéd ("People are like rocks. Some sparkle right away, while others seem ordinary at first, but have treasure deep inside"), but the energetic illustrations, with their mini-subplots (see the startled fish and grumpy raccoon), keep it all grounded and child centered. Gorgeous colorful endpapers introduce us to such delicious rock words as feldspar, banded gneiss, and actinolite. Up-to-date suggestions for further reading include both fiction and nonfiction. This offering joins such titles as Reid's Picture a Tree (rev. 5/13) and Tamaki's They Say Blue (rev. 7/18) in the category of appreciative musings about the natural world.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(3) PS Illustrated by Margaux Meganck. "All we need / is a belly that's filled, / to give us the strength to grow and rebuild." The message that emerges from Wolff's patterned rhyming text is that once our basic needs--for air, water, education, shelter, food, family and friends--are met, we can fulfill the need to share with others. Families from different ethnic backgrounds, religious traditions, and configurations are featured in Meganck's summertime-warm watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations. A neighborhood potluck at book's end brings everyone together in a celebration of inclusiveness and community.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Dale Blankenaar. This retelling of the traditional "Stone Soup" tale stars a porcupine named Noko, hungry, tired, and seeking hospitality in a small village; and features animals of South Africa--monkeys, meerkats, aardvarks, and warthogs, who refuse to share their obvious plenty. Noko plucks three of his quills and sets about making soup, "just how His Majesty likes it." The text is engaging and readable ("his brain was as sharp as the quills on his back"), albeit with few of the structural hallmarks of an oral tale (and no source note). It is South African artist Blankenaar's imagery that pulls readers into the story. Stylized shapes in strong colors spill off every page. The illustrations, with the texture of block prints, are bold and flat. The animal homes, seen in a cutaway side view, are an intriguing jumble of natural and human-made elements (for instance, rabbits live underground in warrens but use electric light fixtures and ladders). Opening endpapers, in black, white, and shades of gray, set the stage for Noko's hunger and isolation. The book closes with colorful endpapers when "with a full tummy and a happy heart, Noko the traveler went to sleep at last." Birds, snakes, tree branches, and animals' tails twine together, creating an interconnected world in which animals will eventually--even if they have to be tricked--accept a needy stranger into their community.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) K-3 Somos8 series. Translated by Cecilia Ross. Teaching sharing to a potty humor–­loving reader, this book (originally published in Spanish as ¡Esta caca es mía!) is a perfect choice. It begins with a dog blithely going about his regular daily business, leaving his customary "little present" in the garden. Lola, a "very flitty fly," stakes her claim on this "enormous steaming mountain," ­planting her flag and declaring: "This poop is mine!" Enter Fiona, the "laziest and most ­loudmouthed of all flies," who swoops in with her own assertion: "This poop is mine!" Relatable retorts about not-­fairness and here-first-ness ensue. And then the poop-slinging begins. It's all humorously, and disgustingly, shown in Gusti's bold-hued, black-outlined illustrations. The two scrappy flies are clad in all-black and ready to rumble, Lola being squatter and rounder with yellow eyes, and Fiona taller and more rectangular with purple eyes. The scenes in which they stomp their feet (four each, plus two arms) are particularly...poo-kicking, with zum zum sound effects enhancing readers' sensory experience, for better or worse. It's not a total gross-out: the illustrations' textured backgrounds are quite painterly, and the twilight-set scenes chronicling the insects' equal separation of the spoils are surprisingly serene. The story doesn't end there, though, and true détente between the critters comes only after a human puts their foot in it.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Qin Leng. A clueless panda bear and a wandering kite interrupt a series of unfriendly animals in this mostly wordless book. Loose ink and watercolor illustrations capture panda's missteps in sequential images; as the protagonist topples a pangolin's drum and disrupts a raccoon's game, the offended animals only point out what is "mine" and what is "yours." This visually appealing animal story gently reinforces the importance of community.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) K-3 Rodale Kids Curious Readers: Dealing with Feelings series. Illustrated by Kushnir Hilli. In Jealous, the narrator envies the attention-getting new girl. Scared finds a (different) narrator worried about swim lessons. Both books feature adults who help the children recognize emotions ("What am I feeling? I am feeling scared") and react appropriately ("We practice breathing deeply"). The easy-reader stories, with their "Dealing with Feelings" message and somewhat static digitally-colored pencil illustrations, are reassuring if a little bland. Review covers these Rodale Kids Curious Readers: Dealing with Feelings titles: This Makes Me Jealous and This Makes Me Scared.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Katy Wu. When Luna outgrows her stroller, she passes it along to the family that lives downstairs. The boy, upon outgrowing it, gives it to another family, and so on across the miles and years; sunny digital art captures each family's particular composition, heritage, and interests. While the storytelling in this celebration of sharing is a bit treacly, the book's premise is grand.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Walker. Sadie loves her sparkly silver shoes so much that she keeps wearing one after losing its mate. Then Sadie meets Ellie, who has a silver shoe just like Sadie's--the very one, in fact, that Sadie lost--so Sadie decides they'll share the shoes. Colorful watercolor and collage art alternates vignettes of home and school life with the lost shoe's journey. A satisfying celebration of individuality, friendship, and footwear fidelity.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(1) K-3 In this playful wordless book, spacesuit-clad students arrive on the moon for a field trip. One child hangs back, finds a hidden spot to draw...and falls asleep. Stranded but self-possessed, the student soon has company: one-eyed moon creatures with whom the child shares some crayons. This sly but easy-to-follow linear narrative is told through a well-paced mix of panels and full- and double-page illustrations, with highly effective pops of color.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi. On the African plains, a small bird is ready for some well-deserved rest in her new nest, but "Oh!" A large hoopoe has taken over. "You can build another." She grudgingly does so on a different branch, and "Hey!" A fennec fox moves in... And so on. Sterer's to-the-point speech-bubble text is brought to life in the richly colored illustrations with nimble, energetic lines that adeptly convey the characters' reactions.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019