(2) K-3 In this tender and restrained story of moving on after loss, a young boy states matter-of-factly that there's a ghost in his house; he suspects it's his beloved cat. The ghost isn't frightening and even brings comfort as the boy can feel the spectral feline curled up on his bed. Atteberry keeps the spreads unfussy--the focus is always on the boy and cat--and even the palette is spare.

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

(2) PS Illustrated by Lane Smith. A young brown-skinned boy, cozy in bed, smiles up at his female caretaker. The imaginative story--told in soothing, rhyming text--proceeds with the many possibilities a day could hold, from the mundane to the playful (encountering a squirrel...named Stu) to the fantastical. The stylized mixed-media illustrations' bright colors and energetic, angular lines capture the boy's city neighborhood and its hypothetical goings-on.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ruth Chan. In this mischievous comedy, as the humans leave in a camper van, bears, beavers, deer, and skunks move into their house. The deer bring a karaoke machine; the beavers take over the kitchen; etc. The animals' week of excess leads to chaos before they all depart, cheerfully promising to return next year. Expressive cartoon illustrations play up the outlandish humor inherent in forest creatures vacationing indoors.

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

(2) K-3 Earthworm Carl is always moving underground, digesting leaves and "turning hard dirt into fluffy soil." When a field mouse asks him why he does that, Carl suffers an immediate identity crisis and asks other animals if they know his purpose. Freedman's light ending allows readers to deduce an earthworm's role in maintaining ecological balance. Carl's existential woes are illustrated via delicate earth-toned watercolors on expansive, full-bleed double-page spreads.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jonathan Bentley. This Australian import opens with baby penguin Gilbert's magnificent view of a seabird-filled sky. As he grows, Gilbert makes repeated efforts to soar, without success. The illustrations of soaring seabirds, snowy vistas, and underwater landscapes are splendid. Cleverly, the text plays with the story's premise: "up up up" at the opening is followed by "down down down" as Gilbert discovers the breathtaking "second sky" under the waves.

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

(2) K-3 In a thoughtful effort to prepare best friend Roger for her move, Adelia teaches him how to climb a tree and "how to fall"; her speech-balloon instructions make good guidelines for life as well as tree-climbing. Circular illustrations show soft objects Adelia collects--for the pile Roger finally falls into with a smile. This tender story is an eloquent metaphor for saying goodbye and allowing memories to cushion the blow.

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

(2) K-3 In this dramatic wordless tale, a commercial fisherman and (presumably) his son fish with a large net. When the boy notices their lines have entangled a whale, the father dives in to free the creature. Lanan's watercolor and gouache paintings are expansive and cinematic; mostly full-bleed spreads place readers at the center of the action. An afterword provides more information on whale entanglement and human-caused environmental damage.

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

(2) 4-6 Emmie & Friends series. Libenson continues to explore middle school's "huge bowl of drama soup." This third installment spans the last day of seventh grade for a group of friends. Popular Celia convinces Maya to text friend-since-kindergarten Jaime and dump her from the group for being too immature. Libenson presents characters willing to face and question their motives. Jaime's point of view is told via text and small interspersed drawings; Maya's is in a comics-style format.

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

(1) K-3 In this follow-up to Caldecott Honor Book A Big Mooncake for Little Star, an impish boy who lives amidst the clouds gives in to temptation and jumps gleefully on his cornflower-blue bed, sending feathers fluttering down; a page-turn shows a rooftop covered in snow. Lin's illustrations are spare but expressive, with copious, thoughtfully used white space. A wondrous and exuberant story to which boisterous listeners and readers will surely relate.

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

(2) K-3 On vacation with his family, a child waits for his friend Chicken Smith, who usually stays at a nearby cabin (observant readers will notice the for-rent sign). Our narrator reminisces about previous summer escapades, including their favorite pastime--searching for whales--while his sister repeatedly calls for him to see something important. Teals, grays, and blacks dominate Mackintosh’s scratchy, loose-lined illustrations in this poignant Australian import about change.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Merrilee Liddiard. During WWII, Sam and Keiko's class is knitting socks for U.S. soldiers. Before Keiko's family is sent to an internment camp, kindly Keiko leaves behind a note and a pair of hand-knitted socks for Sam's soldier brother. Sam (whose family is Jewish) determinedly makes a scarf to mail to Keiko in return, the phrase come home safely taking on new meaning for him. Many of the border-framed illustrations aptly look like vintage photographs. Appended with information about internment camps.

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

(1) PS Daredevil Annie has a big imagination--and a plan. In her sleek racing car, Annie zooms out of her second-floor bedroom window; then, gleefully bypassing all geographical logic, drives up a mountain; through a desert, a forest, and a city; and across a finish line (first place!). Dynamic illustrations reinforce Annie's racecar love with details in her racecar-themed bedroom, where she ends her epic journey, in bed reading a book with her family.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Daniel Egnéus. Lubna befriends a pebble when she and her father arrive at a refugee settlement, telling it about her family, the war, and her prior home. When Daddy finds them a new home, Lubna gives Pebble to newcomer Amir. Meddour's short, simple sentences pack a punch; the cool-palette illustrations, with their frequent use of curved lines, offer a sense of security. This tender story honors the emotional resilience of young people.

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

(2) PS Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. This boisterous adventure is about discovery and friendships forged when least expected--all in the form of a wild log-ride. A river "didn’t know it was a river" until...Bear shows up. Bear doesn't know he's on an adventure until...a frog leaps onto his head. And so it goes until...the animals plummet over a waterfall in an exhilarating vertical spread. Pham's illustrations have a 1980s-cartoon feel yet remain fresh.

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

(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) PS In this playful and informative book, a girl named Zoe speaks directly to water while considering its role inside and outside a home as well as its different forms. Portis's spare and accessible main text makes effective use of figurative language. Water's many permutations are the focus of the crisp, uncluttered, primarily aqua-colored illustrations. Back matter includes notes on conservation and water forms and a simple water cycle diagram. Reading list.

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

(2) PS Illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins. Pet tortoise Truman lives in the big city with "his Sarah." When Truman sees Sarah board a bus with a backpack, he knows he will have to go after her. Thus begins his slow-moving journey...across the living room. The pair's affectionate relationship is the heart of this story that parallels a child's first journey into the unknown that is school. Cummins's relaxed-line, mixed-media illustrations bring the family's cozy world to life.

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

(1) PS This inviting counting book could also serve as a set of inclusivity instructions. A lone boy plays on a slide ("how to one"); when he joins a girl on a seesaw, we learn "how to two." One by one, children are welcomed until there are ten engaged in a jubilant game of tag. Bright watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations on simple backgrounds keep the focus on the children's joyous dynamics.

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

(2) PS Animals and other characters, rendered in Varon's singular offbeat style (e.g., Odd Duck), show readers how hand-holding can provide comfort throughout the day. Varon's creatures hold hands, but we also see toy robots, as well as children and their plush toys, hand in hand; "You can even hold hands with a tree instead." Every pair of hands held is at the center of radiating white lines emphasizing the emotional bond.

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

(2) K-3 This is a companion to Caldecott Honor Book They All Saw a Cat. Over the years, a large stone's qualities appear to change depending on who interacts with it (rough to a slug, smooth to a hedgehog), reminding readers that our perspectives shape how we see things. Wenzel's textured illustrations include pops of color on earth-toned spreads; light and shadow are used to dramatic effect. A thought-provoking meditation on memory and the passage of time.

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