(1) K-3 The "strongest guys in the whole forest" are the Little Guys--small pastel-colored creatures with acorn-cap hats and stick arms and legs. This presumed root-for-the-underdog story takes a humorously unexpected turn as close observation shows the Little Guys obnoxiously stealing food from the other forest animals ("None for you! All for us!"). Brosgol's jewel-toned mixed-media illustrations are imbued with humor both subtle and exaggerated, enhancing and extending the spare text.

Reviewer: Emmie Stuart | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Katie Hickey. Inspired by the British women of the Women's Timber Corp, Davis relates their journey to the forests and back again, as well as their daily lives learning to cut trees. Hickey's pastoral scenes are warm and nicely detailed. The text's constant incorporation of numbers ("Six painful blisters heal and strengthen over time. Two hands willing to work...") distracts from an otherwise interesting slice of WWII history. Historical note appended.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) K-3 Squirrel Otto discovers a spiky ball; the small creature within declares Otto "MOMMY." "Pio" grows larger and larger (and thus more inconvenient as a roommate), but he also cooks, tidies up, and is good company. Full of funny details, the watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations move the plot along. This tender story about the value of taking care of each other also quietly considers the meanings of home and family.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kayla Harren. As a teenager in 1979 northern India, Jadav Payeng was concerned that many snakes died after flood damage to the eroding Brahmaputra River region. He planted twenty bamboo saplings...and ended up many years later with a protected 1300-acre forest teeming with animals. Hopeful and inspiring, this true-life ecological story is illustrated with evocative, verdant art. Appended with endnotes and a planting project.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amanda Strong. Little girl Awâsis loses her Kôhkum's (grandmother) famous bannock on the way to her relatives' house. With the help of her friends in the forest, Awâsis is able to collect all the ingredients she needs to make a new one. Soft, naive illustrations make it easy for readers to understand the Cree words used in the story; a glossary/pronunciation guide is appended, along with a recipe.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery

(3) YA Koch's eye-opening text, well-illustrated with color photos and diagrams, unveils the semi-invisible communication happening among trees. Chapters center on individual scientists' discoveries, providing readers with a glimpse into their innovative research. Koch emphasizes that trees are living beings essential to human and nonhuman well-being and concludes with a convincing call for sustainable forest management. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(2) K-3 His dried fruits missing, forest creature Thomas despairs about making a wintercake for Winter's Eve. Bird Lucy overhears a "vile beast" say he found the fruit--then witnesses the stranger returning them. After baking a wintercake for the (now) "noble chap," Thomas and Lucy undertake a dark, perilous journey and find him, alone and sad. Descriptive language and dry humor shine in this warm-hearted winter story. Perkins's earth-toned illustrations are rich in detail, patterns, and textures.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Bowen. In 1882, surveyors mapping northern Minnesota made a mistake; subsequently an old growth forest was ignored until 1958. The protected forest still exists today in Chippewa National Forest. Root includes surveying details and the ecology of such pine forests that once covered the northern U.S. Bowen's painted backgrounds and survey-notebook inserts capture the texture and colors of fresh-cut pine or yellowing maps. Substantial back matter serves as a field guide. Glos.

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

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Maria Luisa Di Gravio. A child romps through the forest during a winter bird count, spotting a nuthatch, chickadee, and more while seeking now-retired-down-South Gramps's favorite: a dove. Amstutz light-handedly weaves ornithology facts throughout the well-paced story. Di Gravio's evocative (if slickly Disney-esque) illustrations are full of footsteps in the blue-gray snow and plenty of delicate birds. Further ornithology information and a bird count checklist are appended.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(2) 4-6 A series of eerie mishaps on a school field trip strands sixth grader Ollie and her classmates near a Vermont farm exactly like the one in Ollie's book about a sinister "smiling man" and his army of terrifying, once-human scarecrows. Only two other students believe her insistence that they're in danger. This supernatural thriller is a page-turner; Ollie's journey through grief over her mother's death and into friendship makes it memorable.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) 4-6 On the cusp of WWI, a group of Polish boys makes a game of stealing buttons from the changing cast of soldiers invading their village. Power-hungry and cruel group leader Jurek controls the contest; protagonist Patryk believes he can win and become a benevolent leader. Short, staccato sentences build dread, leading inexorably to tragedy. Readers are left with the consequences of one boy refusing to speak up.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(2) 4-6 The magical shield around the fairies' kingdom is weakening. When siblings Wynn and Elric (The Silver Gate) venture beyond the protective boundary and into the Nightfell Wood, their bravery and openness to friendship help to resolve an impending crisis. An abundance of visual description and drama--conveyed in relatively simple language and sentence structure--makes Bailey's tale both satisfying and eminently accessible to young readers.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) 4-6 The Faeran, magical wood-dwellers, have always lived peacefully alongside the Cherokee in this story set in the Great Smoky Mountains in 1900. Now, loggers and settlers move in, threatening the region's beauty and inhabitants. Young Faeran Willa, who's been taught to fear humans, flees her restrictive clan and finds herself seeking refuge with a human and helping him. Beatty reminds readers of the strength and sacrifices renewal demands.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA Allison's world has been upside-down since her brother died. She runs away with her boyfriend and ends up at an occupation protesting the logging of an old-growth forest in Washington State. There Allison discovers her strengths, what to let go of, and what to protect at any cost. Set in the 1990s and based on real protests, this is an affecting story of resistance and coming of age.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) PS Illustrated by Marco Bucci. These bedtime books employ the familiar structure of wishing others goodnight. Santa says goodnight to each of the reindeer, elves, and toys, but Rudolph needs an extra reminder to turn off his bright red nose (Reindeer). And readers follow a variety of forest animals from rising to "sleepy time" in Forest. Rough but simple rhymes are coupled with blurry detailed illustrations. Review covers these titles: Good Night, Forest and Good Night, Reindeer.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(2) K-3 To take their minds off their missing dog, Cy and Poppy play a game of hide-and-seek in the woods. Watercolor illustrations alternate between Cy's hiding in a pile of branches and Poppy's suspenseful search for him, with the eerie, intricate backgrounds suggesting other visual finds. The illustrations strategically make the children look extremely vulnerable--until they both hear a noise that leads to a reunion with their dog.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Robert Meganck. Nineteen poems (in various forms) accompanied by bright digital illustrations provide information both whimsical and scientific about inhabitants of the brown food web--the layer of leaves and soil where organic matter breaks down and plants grow. Each poem is accompanied by a smaller-print scientific explanation. Suggested experiments, critter size comparisons, and notes on poetic forms round out this information-packed poetry volume. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nick Wroblewski. As a father reads bedtime stories, the animals outside are preparing for winter. Alongside poetic rhyming text, beautiful woodcuts show foxes, loons, beavers, and other animals getting ready for cold weather. Winter arrives on the last page as the child and father sleep. Back matter with additional information about the animals would have been a useful supplement.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. Nix, an impish woodland fairy, is left behind when the other fairies go to the Summer Country. He's lonely, but still he's outraged when "a people" (read: a person) moves into a cottage in the forest. Nix soon finds out that he has more in common with this "man-people" than he had suspected. Fanciful, detailed black-and-white illustrations complement the mysterious tone of the text.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) YA Sixteen-year-old Lady Silvie of Loughsley must flee her privileged life to escape her cruel brother John's control. She founds a forest community bound by love and care, which expands to take in all those exploited by corrupt aristocrats until the balance of power shifts. A glorious gender-swapped reimagination of the Robin Hood legend, with flavors of matriarchal mysticism along with restorative economic justice.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian