(3) K-3 Language Is Fun! series. Illustrated by Sandie Sonke. "It all started when a BULL..."(page-turn) "...DOG stumbled upon a piece of paper." In this story of animals on a search for gold, complete with humorous twist ending, each page-turn separates the two parts of a compound noun ("DRAGON.../...FLY”; “SUN.../...FLOWER”). The clever concept adds a tactile element to learning that compound nouns are combinations of two shorter words. Cheerful pastel-hued illustrations add appeal.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) PS An effusively affectionate grandma plays with her little grandchild, expressing wonder at the baby’s cuteness (“Look. At. This. Baby!”). Yiddish words are integrated throughout her exclamations (“Let me kiss this keppie...I see a tuchus!!”). The boldly colored, cartoonish illustrations can be garish at times, but the simple, silly text lends itself to playing and giggling along -- and maybe even learning some Yiddish. A glossary is appended.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Monica Arnaldo. Cecilia, a Latine girl, juggles two jobs: kid and interpreter. Text bubbles in yellow for Spanish and blue for English differentiate the languages spoken by Cecilia's "clients" (i.e., her parents) and by those at "grown-up places," including the doctor's office and the DMV. As Cecilia dutifully translates questions, concerns, and instructions, Arnaldo's colorful watercolor and pencil-crayon illustrations elaborate on Abtahi's metaphor -- Cecilia appears to work in an office, wears an oversized suit and tie, and gulps down coffee -- while conveying, through her frizzing ponytail and rumpled jacket, the pressures of "working overtime." When Cecilia is asked about her feelings during a parent-teacher conference and admits the truth, her mother and father console her and promise to get more help. Abtahi, who took inspiration from her own multilingual childhood, strikes an important balance in her resolution: the necessity of interpreting for immigrant parents is not dismissed or shamed, while the pressure it can place on their children is addressed with empathy. After other family members step in to "pick up shifts" for Cecilia, she's able to continue helping her family while prioritizing her primary job: being a kid.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) K-3 When a sandstorm makes "the city orange -- the sun like a tangerine, the waves like clementine peels," Sakina and her mother spend the day at a museum. While her mother is moved to tears, Sakina is confused by the sculptures of a "chubby crocodile filled with papers," of a jaguar guarding Hammurabi's Code, and of winged lions. She throws herself on the floor in exasperation at "these old, boring, boring things." A few sculptures follow her home, where they cause a ruckus. Sakina realizes the crocodile is stuffed with poems, one of which pleads, "I hope they will remember me." Looking at her grandmother's photo, Sakina cries as she finally understands that the crocodile is a memorial. Watercolor and ink illustrations bring the unnamed city to life as yellow sand-coated landscapes contrast with blue waters, palm trees, and Arabic letters and calligraphic inscriptions that float in the air. Sculptures wink, strut, stretch, and sneak into backpacks. Art (the "uninvited guests") literally comes alive and shows Sakina how the "old" and "boring" can be fascinating and connected to family histories. This imaginative book invites readers to learn more about their heritage through art; the illustrations beg multiple viewings to notice details. An author's note adds context about the ancient artwork and the etymology of the citrus fruit Sakina enjoys.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) 4-6 Lissie travels with her father and grandma to a distant country, where volcanoes overlook the city and the residents speak Spanish. Though initially nervous about the long journey (“We flew on three different airplanes to get there”) and the unfamiliar destination, and thanks in large part to the warm welcome by her father’s longtime friend Raúl, ­Lissie quickly finds commonalities with new acquaintances. Lissie’s engagement with Spanish partially drives the narrative, and she is portrayed as listening closely to gauge the meanings of unknown words and excitedly asking for translations. Chapters are numbered in Spanish, and pronunciation keys of words and phrases she encounters, such as “buenos días” and “el desayuno,” are appended to each chapter and accompanied by line illustrations. Spot art and double-page spreads appear throughout (final art unseen) and feature panels and speech bubbles to highlight the cityscape and meaningful interactions. Perkins does not specify the country they visit, but mentions of pupusas, Mayan history, and the ancient pyramids in Tikal signal a Guatemalan setting. With vignettes both lighthearted and profound (“It made me think that maybe there are a lot of different ways to make a house”), the story also strikes a resonant note of cultural sensitivity when Lissie’s grandma refers to the ancients who built the pyramids as “people who just disappeared” and a local guide gently replies: “We’re still here."

Reviewer: Jessica Agudelo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) YA Pimienta's (Suncatcher; Twin Cities, rev. 9/22) latest graphic novel explores divisions and connections across families, borders, languages, and cultures. Middle schooler Ave has reluctantly moved from Mexicali to Lawrence, Kansas. Living apart from their father and older sister, stuck in a predominantly English-speaking community, and confronted with their family's set of expectations regarding gender roles (e.g., cooking, chores), Ave, who is nonbinary, finds themself in a perfect storm of adolescent frustration. Tensions reach a boiling point when Ave's mother confirms that her separation from their father is permanent. Slowly but surely, Ave develops meaningful friendships with a handful of classmates while simultaneously building a greater understanding of their family members' unique relationships with assimilation. The hand-drawn and inked illustrations have a lively, undulating line, with flat, understated digital colors. Pimienta's storytelling features substantive dialogue ("And you're okay with speaking broken English?" "It's not broken. It's growing"), skillful transitions between past and present, creative use of a largely three-tiered page/panel structure, and employment of silent panels to develop setting, mood, and characterization. Back matter includes an author's note with sketches and reference photos.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) 4-6 Color by Elaine Bay; coloring by Eleonora Bruni; lettering by Rob Leigh. In this wacky and entertaining graphic-novel series starter, readers are welcomed to Scissors City, famous for its superhero-barber team, the Snips. In their spare time, the Snips invent hair-related gadgets and formulas (a "shatterproof peluca"; "drone barber bots") and travel the world to discover "hairstorical artifacts" ("la Trenza de Medusa"; "la Barba de Rasputin"). Member Nubes Cloudhead has even broken the world record for most haircuts in one day -- catching some negative attention from rivals the Bad Buzz Boys, who will go to drastic lengths (i.e., give bad haircuts) to beat the record themselves. With his usual irreverent flair, Raúl the Third (Vamos!: Let's Celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos, rev. 9/24, among others) gives readers a hilarious, thrilling showdown between the two barber groups, putting all the hairdos of Scissors City at stake. The dynamic illustrations (in explosive colors by Bay) are jam-packed with action shots, references to classic comics, and clever details that merit multiple looks. Spanish is naturally incorporated and often translated into English, and an appended "Snippets from Flealix" provides the story of the real-life world record holder for most haircuts in one day.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ernel Martinez. "My mom claims I was rapping before I could speak. / Matter of fact, I freestyled eight days a week." A young MC serves as the narrator of this ode to hip-hop, which introduces readers to rap as an art form that is primarily about wordplay. An early illustration shows three kids drawing on a wall with the word hyperbole incorporated into the art. The word is then defined on the following page, providing an important lesson about language: "Remember that rap is poetry." The text includes several terms that reinforce the use of literary devices -- alliteration, onomatopoeia, and personification -- all of which are defined in an appended glossary. The young protagonist provides a step-by-step guide to writing and performing rap lyrics, with many instructions written on what appears to be notebook paper. Martinez's illustrations in a dreamlike watercolor style include some classic hallmarks of rap: a crate full of records, a cassette tape, a large boom box, shell-top sneakers, and plenty of microphones. The young characters' faces are expressive and lifelike. One particularly effective double-page spread depicts a tree whose branches sprout words and verses. An author's note by Jeffery Boston Weatherford is appended.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) PS Baby Rhyme Time series. Illustrated by Annie Kubler & Sarah Dellow. Bouncy babies and toddlers cavort in this catchy play rhyme that scans well in English and Spanish. Kubler and ­Dellow's cartoon tots, who wear bold colors and charming prints, perform each line of the verse against a white background. One welcome aspect of the entire Baby Rhyme Time series, often available in bilingual editions, is its inclusive diversity. In this offering, youngsters see a range of skin tones, a child wearing a hearing aid on the cover, and a tot with a therapeutic helmet. A Haitian Creole version, Fè Yon Ti Sote! / Hop a Little!, is forthcoming. For more bilingual offerings, try The Fruit Shop / La frutería and The Flower Shop / La ­florería (Candlewick) by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Zara González Hoang.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Krystal Quiles. Pastel-hued gouache and acrylic illustrations sprinkled with small starbursts are complemented by a smooth Spanish version of the English edition of Churro Stand. There are some cultural translations (“Mamá” becomes “mami”), and this version loses the light bilingual element of the English edition, but the text is still lively and full of sweet admiration (tempered with the challenging realities of vending) from the churro vendor’s child. The author’s note and “Una llamada a la acción” highlighting organizations supporting street vendor and food service worker rights remain in the backmatter, though (understandably) no glossary is included.

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(1) K-3 World of ¡Vamos! series. Color by Elaine Bay. Little Lobo, Bernabé, and friends, some dressed as other characters from the series, go trick-or-treating on Halloween night, a time when "neighborhood streets creep and crawl with extravagant weirdness -- a who's who of wonderment." Eventually, and with their candy conveyances filled-to-overflowing, the group shifts gears, helping elders prepare for the next day's start of Día de los Muertos. With Kooky Dooky, whose corn-palace home is adjacent to the cemetery, acting as host for the next two nights, the entire community comes together to pay tribute, through offerings and memories, to those they have lost. Tears are shed, but "happiness fills the air as la comunidad celebrates the lives of those who lived." As usual in this vibrant fictional world, there are near-infinite details, references, and jokes to notice on every bursting-with-life spread; every Halloween costume, every altar and ofrenda. Spanish is naturally incorporated into the main text, illustrations, dialogue, sound effects, and labels. A glossary and a Día de los Muertos activity (unseen) are appended.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gabriela Larios. "The nipa hut is family too." Yelena Mendoza lives in a traditional nipa hut in the Philippines with her family. Made from palm leaves and bamboo, the structure has stood for many generations, lovingly cared for and repaired by its inhabitants when it needs "a change of clothes." During a big storm, the nipa hut "sways," "shakes," and "flinches." A gust of wind pushes the windows open, bringing in rain and cold; are "Yelena and the nipa hut...no match for the storm"? With Papa's help, they make it through -- though afterward the nipa hut is in need of repairs. "'You will be okay,' [Yelena] says. 'Thank you for taking care of us.'" Abalos's warm text is true to a child's perspective; Larios's color-saturated illustrations, teeming with wildlife and plants native to the Philippines, have a compellingly naif quality. Details in the art enhance the story: Papa has a prosthetic leg; a framed portrait on the wall might be Yelena and baby brother Marco's mother, whom the story doesn't mention. An author's note dives deeper into the history and architectural influence of the nipa hut (its structural flexibility inspired the first skyscraper), the Philippines, and climate change and includes a glossary of Tagalog words.

Reviewer: Gabi K. Huesca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. Creature-of-No-Words is content being "furry. And never in a hurry." The large, ungainly fellow enjoys his life, and although he doesn't "know how to say HAPPY" or "YUMMY" or "SAD" (having no words), he expresses himself through body language. Creature-of-Words, on the other hand, loves to use words; when she sees Creature-of-No-Words looking sad, she reaches toward him with outstretched arms and teaches him the word "HUG!" Creature-of-No-Words has a big red nose, his orange body is filled in with squiggly lines, and he's accompanied by eleven white birds. Creature-of-Words is smaller and redder, with a group of critter companions, including a fox, a cat, a squirrel, and two birds. Part of the book's fun is noticing the ways all of the animals interact in the illustrations. The text is written in triplets with occasional rhymes and includes such whimsical thoughts as the wish that pebbles would "burst like bubbles." Kitamura's paintings use intense color to show the pair living in a varied and beguiling landscape as they find joy together, sometimes sharing words and sometimes cuddled up "just listening to sweet silence." This tender tale illustrates the ways in which creatures, and humans, are alike and different from one another, especially in communication styles.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 Luchy's birthday marks the end of summer vacation, and she's excited to start middle school; she and her two best friends, Mateo and Cami, are finally going to be at the same school. But when Cami comes back from visiting her family in Colombia, she's changed, and she expects Luchy to change too. Luchy, whose family is also Colombian, likes who she is -- at least, she thought she did. Her family and Mateo encourage her to be herself, but Luchy thinks she needs to "grow up" to try to save her friendship with Cami. Her efforts only lead to an embittered back-and-forth with her friend. When their schism deepens on the soccer field, Luchy is forced to accept that growing up looks different for everyone, and you never know what others might be going through. Set in Miami with lots of multicultural Latine details (Luchy's abuela cooks Cuban recipes that she learned from her friend; Mateo's family is Chilean) and naturally incorporated Spanish, this is an endearing middle-school transition story that ultimately lands in favor of expressing who you are and being open to new and changing friendships.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) PS There's a lot happening in this clever picture book with an all-dialogue text that introduces the nonsense words used when we can't remember the proper name for something. An adult elephant "can't find the...I forget the word...the...thing-a-ma-jig," so their little one confidently dashes off with a magnifying glass to track it down. Forgetfulness is in the air: a small yellow bird is missing its "hoo-zee-wots-it that makes thunder" and offers to help search. As they investigate, more animals (and stand-in words) join them, including a slug that can't find its "hoo-pull-dee-pewp. It kept the sun off my back" and a squirrel on the hunt for "the shis-moo I was using to carry things from here to there." Is there "a thief in the neighborhood"? Alexander's (You Rule!, rev. 7/23) deceptively simple illustrations, rendered in collaged photographs and hand-cut rubber stamps, are composed of bold primary and secondary colors that pop against ample white space. The expressive animal characters add humor and bring this who(didn't)dunit to life. Three double-page spreads provide a visual hint to what's really happening: the thing-a-ma-jig, hoo-zee-wots-it, shis-moo, etc., are all the same blue bottle cap, which began its journey through the neighborhood when the elephant left it on a tree stump. Spoiler alert: The cap is returned to its bottle, and together the group finds "something for everyone" to replace the multipurpose item, a process that will have young listeners turning back to the beginning to spot subtly placed details in the illustrations. A final spread provides the language of origin for the nonsense words employed in the text.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. In engaging, economical, and colloquial prose, Alonso chronicles the ascent and career highs of legendary right fielder Clemente (1934–1972), who endured racism as a Spanish-speaking Black man while shattering records during his illustrious baseball career. This energetic account begins with young Roberto playing béisbol in Carolina, Puerto Rico, using crinkled-up cans for baseballs and branches for bats. After a talent scout spots him in 1955, the nineteen-year-old travels to Montreal, where he spends more time on the bench than the field. Then he joins the Pittsburgh Pirates and impresses everyone with his ability to hit, slide, and leap for catches. Alonso (a journalist for MLB.com) writes with the immediacy of a play-by-play announcer, whisking readers from one achievement to the next. She directly addresses the extreme prejudice Clemente experienced: crowds heckle him for speaking español; dismissive reporters insist on calling him Bob instead of Roberto. Gutierrez's inventive mixed-media illustrations explode with dynamic colors and kinetic motion. Each double-page spread resembles an intricate mural, capturing jumps in time and changes in locale with swirls and attention-grabbing line work. While Gutierrez employs many abstract touches throughout, he gives Clemente an expressive photorealistic face that shows his determination and drive. Excellent back matter includes a timeline, a bibliography, photos, and an informative note from Alonso.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(3) PS Illustrated by Jon Klassen. Spanish translation of How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? (rev. 11/23). The interplay of Barnett’s “expert” childlike speculation and Klassen’s signature “graphite, ink, and digital...straight-faced brand of humor” works just as well in this edition. Minor changes in meaning do not detract from the story, and at times even add to the ruminative tone (“Pensándolo bien, las luces del árbol son iluminación suficiente para que Papá Noel pueda ver”). An excellent Spanish addition to the Christmas read-aloud shelf, just as wry as the original.

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(2) K-3 Translated by Elisa Amado . Illustrated by Santiago Solís Montes de Oca. Aztec emperor Montezuma is having a bad day in this playful take on Mesoamerican history and mythology. His court can't cheer him up with "a beautiful suit of armor," "a headdress made of a thousand feathers," sacrifices, or dancing. His snake-like helper tries to convince Montezuma to complete his duties and eventually gets fed up: "You are in an even worse mood than Quetzalcóatl, the plumed serpent." The only thing that soothes the angry emperor is an elaborately prepared gourd of hot chocolate. Feeling better, Montezuma declares, "Chocolate for all because it gladdens the heart!" Lively digital illustrations with hand-drawn textures in pinks, oranges, and teals depict the pouty emperor and the human and animal members of his court as mostly friendly (details such as the animal sacrifices are lightly alluded to). The appended glossary includes words in English, Spanish, and Náhuatl and mentions some similarities between the Aztec and Mayan cultures. It also acknowledges both the attacks by Spanish missionaries on the Aztecs and the preservation of Aztec culture through language and -- of course -- hot chocolate.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Tales of the Feathered Serpent series. Illustrated by Charlene Bowles. This follow-up to Rise of the Halfling King (rev. 11/20) tells the story -- again in graphic-novel form -- of Mayan demigod twins Hunahpu and Xbalanke, sons of demigods One Hunahpu and Lady Blood, a royal ruler of Xibalba (the Underworld), "the only good and lovely creature in that place." Wooed by the trapped soul of One Hunahpu, Lady Blood leaves Xibalba to give birth in the Overworld. From the start, her sons are forced to compete with their older twin half-brothers for the attention of their grandmother, the goddess of the cornfields. With the encouragement of Lady Blood to achieve their "destiny" to rescue their father and uncle from Xibalba, the younger twins concoct a musical plan to trick their older brothers and get them out of the way for a bit. Straightforward and humorous language paired with clear, eye-catching comics-style illustrations make this an engaging retelling of a selection from the Mayan Popol Vuh. An appended author's note further explains the origin of the story and inspiration for the series, and a list of characters in the opening pages is helpful for navigating the tale. A Spanish edition, Los héroes gemelos y la magia de la canción, will be published in spring 2025.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Sonia Sánchez. Each year, Grandma makes tamales to sell so she can make Christmas magical for her familia. "With masa in one hand, corn husks in the other, Grandma's just getting started...Grandma is tenacious...Grandma's at it again," etc. Punctuated with this changing refrain, Briseño's inspiring text, from the point of view of a grandchild, is full of awe for this impressive matriarch. The pages count the tamales that Grandma makes -- in dozens -- all the way to "1,000 dozen tamales!" Sánchez's expressive pastel-style illustrations, rendered digitally with handmade brushes and textures, perfectly capture a loving and boisterous family who are happiest when they're together. Concurrently published in Spanish a Tamales para Navidad.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024