(2) K-3 Illustrated by Chloe Bristol. "Ursula Nordstrom was a grown-up who never forgot what it was to be a child." Kephart's picture-book biography of legendary Harper editor Nordstrom (1910-1988)--who published so many classics of mid-twentieth-century children's literature--captures her passion for her work, her close relationships with writers and artists, her eagerness to discover new talent, her affinity for child readers. The book begins with Nordstrom's rather solitary and fraught childhood (her parents often fought, then divorced) before moving on to her adult life (rising through the ranks to become head of Harper's children's division). Kephart hits her stride when describing Nordstrom as an editor, backing up every general statement with an example and often a quote. She liberally sprinkles the text with Nordstrom's own words ("'Answer that!' she'd yell at her assistant when the phone would ring. 'That could be the next Mark Twain'"), treating readers to her distinct voice and personality and lending the text unusual immediacy. Bristol's illustrations nicely establish time and place and include appearances by some of the stellar creators Nordstrom nurtured, including E. B. White, Margaret Wise Brown, Maurice Sendak, and John Steptoe. Leaving aside the question of what Nordstrom might have thought about the child appeal of a picture-book biography about a book editor (however groundbreaking and remarkable), this is an excellent encapsulation of a seminal figure in children's books. An author's note and bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Claire Keane. This story spans decades, introducing two artists separately until Nancy Schön (born 1928) begins work on her sculptures of Robert McCloskey's (1914–2003) beloved duckling characters for Boston's Public Garden. Kunkel (­Digging for Words, rev. 1/21) dips into and out of each creator's story line smoothly and effectively, advancing the narrative to get to the heart of the book: how an illustrator's drawings were re-envisioned by a sculptor as three-dimensional public art. Keane's digital illustrations on sepia-tinted backgrounds have an appropriately vintage look; her loose lines and energetic compositions are a good match for the conversational (and lengthy) text. After some brief background about each artist's early years, three double-page spreads neatly outline McCloskey's path to the publication of Make Way for Ducklings in 1941. Schön's artistic career is more circuitous (raising a family is her priority), and she receives less recognition; once she conceives of the duckling project, Kunkel focuses on the sculptor's meticulous process, along with the added pressure of interpreting a living artist's iconic characters. Scenes of meetings between McCloskey and Schön reveal how the two navigated a potentially tricky collaboration. An author's note and timeline provide more detail about the subjects and the sculptures. For more on McCloskey and the creation of his Caldecott Medal–winning book, read Smith's Mr. McCloskey's Marvelous Mallards (rev. 11/22).

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

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Brian Floca. British illustrator Randolph Caldecott (1846-1886) transformed illustrated books for children ("stiff, full of pretty poses and cluttered scenery") into picture books (ones that featured stories that "tumble[d] forth like life"). Markel briefly covers Caldecott's boyhood, emphasizing his love of drawing and of the outdoors, the latter despite a weak heart. She speaks directly to readers, telling them to move fast ("Quick!") or they'll miss the boy McClintock depicts as racing across the page. As an adult, Caldecott works in a bank but keeps drawing and begins illustrating travel books and, eventually, books for children. Markel emphasizes the artist's ability to capture action on the page and fills this lively text with bustling active verbs (lunging, strutting, pounce4), set off in larger letters and a different font color. Likewise, McClintock's exquisite, energetic illustrations depict Caldecott at the drawing board, creatures bursting forth from his paper. Several instances in the book reproduce the artist's drawings, and one stunning wordless spread showcases the illustration from The Diverting History of John Gilpin that adorns the Caldecott Medal. (The book's abundant back matter includes notes on where Caldecott's art appears in the book.) Children and/or animals appear on nearly every spread of this exuberant tribute to the illustrator who revolutionized children's books.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(1) 4-6 Reflecting on some memorable moments of his life, celebrated author-illustrator Pinkney offers an intimate look back to his childhood in this poignant, posthumously published memoir. The book opens in 1949 in a close-knit African American community in Philadelphia, where nine-year-old Jerry's days are filled with the camaraderie of his "buddies" and their escapades in the neighborhood. Having drawn for as long as he could remember, Pinkney recalled, "It was my way of living in my imagination, and breaking free of the constraints I was growing up with. Everything I saw, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled, I'd think of as a picture." He thrived in a nurturing, sometimes chaotic home; his supportive family recognized his talent, but he faced challenges in school due to undiagnosed dyslexia. At age thirteen, while working at a newsstand, he met a comics artist who invited Pinkney to visit his studio, leading the young man to believe "that my talents might lead to an actual profession." Pinkney's conversational text, printed in a dyslexia-friendly font (per the book's introduction), is accompanied by equally energetic and copious sketches that weave in and out of the pages; final art had not been completed upon his death. An opening editor's note explains Pinkney's vision for the book, which he had been thinking about and working on for a decade, until he died in 2021: "This book has been visually composed in a way that differs from Jerry's intention but hopefully still captures his goal...to believably bring readers into the world in which he grew up [through] a visually immersive approach." A list of key dates and selected accomplishments of this extraordinary artist is appended.

Reviewer: Pauletta Brown Bracy | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Brown. Brown compiles capital-L Life Lessons from everyone's favorite aardvark. On double-page spreads, Brown's words pair with a picture-book page or TV still (original sources labeled) meant to exemplify the lesson. Loosely organized into thematic sections, the book's coverage is broad and ranges in depth. Many of the pairings offer genuine wisdom or insight on topics from racism to disinformation to appreciating childhood; other spreads feel didactic; some are theme synopses. The volume should be useful as bibliotherapy and also as an annotated visit with the beloved characters. Back matter includes biographical notes, including "How Arthur Came to Be."

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. On page one of this true story behind the making of the 1942 Caldecott-winning Make Way for Ducklings, readers see legendary author-illustrator McCloskey hard at work in his studio. After completing his first children's book (Lentil, 1940), he wants to put mallard ducks into a story but struggles to draw them correctly. He brings home a box of "very alive (and very LOUD)" ducklings after deciding that he needs "live models." They wreak havoc, but he "was willing to do whatever it took to make these drawings perfect," and in the end, the drawings were "absolutely top-notch!" Smith emphasizes her subject's determination (respectfully referring to him throughout as "Mr. McCloskey"), with the spreads depicting the ducks' "terrible mess" and "infernal quacking" being sure to delight young readers. Stadtlander captures it all in thickly textured gouache and colored-pencil illustrations. Back matter includes a note from McCloskey's daughter Jane; information about publisher Viking's May Massee, the exacting editor depicted in the story; a timeline; and more. Children's literature aficionados will note mention of McCloskey's roommate (who was, in point of fact, illustrator Marc Simont) and will also note the story's absence of red wine, which he and Simont fed the ducks to slow them down for easier drawing. This is the children's version of that tale, after all--and a satisfying one at that.

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

(2) PS "Girls and boys come out to play, / The moon doth shine as bright as day. / Leave your supper, / Leave your sleep, / And come with your playfellows into the street." Pearson's single-rhyme Mother Goose opens on a contemporary nighttime scene of a diverse neighborhood of children getting ready for bed. Then Mother Goose appears and issues the titular invitation. The children frolic briefly in the street, after which Mother Goose leads them "up the ladder and down the wall"--in this rendition, a demarcation, as the setting now changes to a more pastoral traditional fairy-tale world inhabited by such nursery-rhyme characters as Humpty Dumpty (and all the king's men), the dish and the spoon, and Little Boy Blue. (The players are helpfully identified on the CIP page and on endpapers containing eight additional rhymes.) A moment of humor arrives when Mother Goose realizes that just one halfpenny roll will not feed them all, as the rhyme claims, and everyone pitches in to make more "pudding." Sprightly watercolor illustrations in a mix of double-page spreads and vignettes pace the action perfectly; the many details will keep and hold youngsters' attentions--a small child who hangs back ("Come with a good will...or not at all"); Jack and Jill's pail being used to milk the cow to make the pudding. In the end, with full bellies and having been read a story (from a Mother Goose book, natch), the now-yawning children head home for bed, and Mother Goose flies off into the night. "Good night. Sweet dreams."

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) 4-6 Companion to Haidle's Before They Were Authors, this illustrated collective biography features six successful children's book artists with varied life circumstances: Wanda Gág, Maurice Sendak, Tove Jansson, Jerry Pinkney, Yuyi Morales, and Hayao Miyazaki. A double-page spread introduces each subject, showing the artist as a child next to one of their well-known books with a speech bubble highlighting a personal quote. A brief timeline with a few important dates and events appears at the bottom. From there, a comic-panel narrative provides an effective overview of the illustrator's life, including challenges and motivations, and details how they become established in their careers. Haidle's illustrations ably reflect each illustrator's work. In an introduction, Haidle explains what the six illustrators have in common: "In all cases, inspiration from someone else helped pave the way: another artist, animator, cartoonist, or painter whose books, films, or paintings moved hearts and imprinted themselves on minds." Source notes and a bibliography are appended. An accessible entry point for aspiring artists.

Reviewer: Julie Roach

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Abigail Halpin. Picking up where Anne Arrives left off (but also understandable on its own), this chapter book relates events from Anne’s early days at Green Gables, faithfully but with brief paragraphs and copious white space that should appeal to newly independent readers. Illustrations from spot art to full-bleed spreads convey the rural setting and capture characters’ emotions as Anne forms lasting relationships.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sarah Jacoby. Barnett is openly admiring of Brown's legacy in this picture-book biography. In forty-two pages (because Brown lived forty-two years), he weaves facts about her life with information on how her books were received, in particular by notable librarian Anne Carroll Moore. Barnett conveys the sense that Brown's stories felt as strange and wondrous as life itself can be. Jacoby's mixed-media illustrations are appropriately impressionistic and playful. Bib.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) YA Bryan was a nineteen-year-old art student when he was drafted into a segregated army unit of stevedores, where he used every opportunity to sketch and record his experiences, from training to D-Day and its aftermath. Bryan's present-day text serves as a kind of voice-over to the scores of images included: original paintings and drawings, letters, journal passages, photos, maps, and army posters. The dynamic book design and lavish production choices make this a fully immersive experience. Ind.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) 4-6 Britain’s first ten Children’s Laureates, from Quentin Blake (1999–2001) to Lauren Child (2017–2019), discuss their writing and/or illustrating processes, supply creative prompts, and show samples of their own work. The result is an encouraging set of examples for young creators of how ideas can become stories or illustrations. With twenty additional “ideas for creative projects” appended and "More About the Laureates," this volume should serve as a useful resource.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Morstad. Japanese American artist Fujikawa (1908–1998) helped break the color barrier in picture books with her 1963 now-classic Babies. Maclear lucidly outlines a remarkable life of art and creativity, of struggle and perseverance. Growing up in California, Fujikawa "sometimes...felt invisible among her mostly white classmates." This feeling continued into adulthood and an art career in New York City, especially when her West Coast–based family was incarcerated in WWII internment camps. Morstad's illustrations effectively vary in style and coloring to match events. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Abigail Halpin. Eight chapters relate the beginning of Anne of Green Gables's story, remaining faithful to the events--and often the language--of L. M. Montgomery's original but with short paragraphs and plenty of white space. This inviting introduction for newly independent readers includes color-saturated mixed-media illustrations that capture the spirit of the characters and the Prince Edward Island setting.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax