(1) K-3 Illustrated by Philip Bunting. Ben-Barak and Bunting have impressively produced a thought-provoking, scientifically precise, and accessible explanation of the origins of life and evolution across Earth's history for a young audience. Ideas about life, time, and heredity are conveyed through friendly illustrations and simple sentences (albeit with some sophisticated vocabulary). The book opens with questions that children may ask about their human families and histories: "What is life?" "How did I get it?" A deceptively modest reply, its last phrase repeated throughout the book, serves as an organizing concept as the origins of cellular organisms are explained: "Life Is the Way That Some Things Make More Things That Are a Lot Like Themselves but Sometimes a Little Bit Different." In the final pages, a gorgeous gatefold illustration invites readers to spot familiar plants and creatures (including a human) and trace their paths back to the first cell--a "very clever little bubble." If readers pause to let the statements sink in and look closely at the details in the finely crafted illustrations, they'll find clever subtleties that invite further contemplation about what makes "all of us."

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Amanda Hall. Berne's (On the Wings of Words, rev. 5/20) history of Earth's oceans and the evolution of marine life is presented as a poem in three parts: the formation of the oceans from Earth's early volcanic and atmospheric activity; the first emergence of life within the oceans; and the diversification of life in the seas to what we see today. The rhyming stanzas are impressive, filled with words and cadences that are entertaining to read aloud, and yet also precise in conveying scientific concepts about geological and biological processes. "So to the ocean came all kinds of life-- / fantastic, surprising, and new. / Step by step, bit by bit, they evolved in the sea. / And life grew, and life changed, and life grew." Hall's (Out of This World, rev. 3/19) mixed-media illustrations balance creative use of color and scientific accuracy: portraying the fiery black and orange landscapes of the young planet, the steamy grays and whites of the emerging ocean waters, and then the beautiful blues of the ocean across millions of years and down hundreds of meters. Extensive back matter includes notes from the author and illustrator on their research, detailed profiles of some of the species featured in the illustrations, additional resources and terminology, and a creative foldout timeline of Earth's history that is linked thematically to the concepts and illustrations in the book.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(1) K-3 The multitude of species found in and around Australian coral reefs are showcased creatively in this vibrant alphabet book. Lessac (illustrator of We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, rev. 11/18) uses the A, B, and C pages to introduce big concepts about reef habitats: the types of reefs in the oceans near Australia, the concept of biodiversity, and the biology of corals. The focus then shifts to the animals that live in the reefs, with double-page spreads featuring Lessac's recognizable brightly colored illustrations of an array of animal groups and species in their shallow-water environments. Basic descriptions of familiar creatures such as fish, octopuses, and turtles as well as less-familiar species such as Queensland groupers, kanga nudibranchs, and violet sea apples are presented in larger text, with additional facts in smaller type incorporated throughout the illustrations. None of the letter matches (including X for xanthid crabs) are forced--and many more could have been selected--underscoring the diversity of life in the reef habitats. An appended "spot the fish" challenge encourages readers to revisit the pages, this time on the hunt for specific fish species.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) PS Whose Is THAT? series. Illustrated by Kelsey Oseid. Lunde and Oseid's third collaboration stays true to their successful formula, turning this nonfiction picture book into a guessing game that uses eggs to explore different species and teach larger lessons about the natural world. Spreads follow a pattern that young children will quickly grasp: the first spread asks a question ("Whose egg is that?"), the second shows a close-up of the egg, the third pans out and identifies the parent animal, and the fourth gives a few additional facts about the species. Oseid's delicately rendered gouache illustrations provide visual hints. Each page-turn builds in details that reward the alert observer and teach much about the animals' habitats and behaviors. Many young readers will be surprised and delighted to find that eggs come in an array of colors and sizes. Others will enjoy learning how not just birds, but also animals such as platypuses and leatherback sea turtles come from eggs. Pair this crowd pleaser with Aston and Long's An Egg Is Quiet to foster children's curiosity and observation of the world around them.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) K-3 "Do you see our adaptations-- / a tail, / a horn, / a claw, / or beak? / Others aren't so easy to spot. / Can you find them? / Take a peek!" With this introduction, Park invites readers to learn about animal structures that may not be observable until an animal opens its mouth, spreads its limbs, or brushes back its fur or feathers. Page layouts are designed to first hint at the featured adaptation. When the page is turned, an intriguing body part is revealed, accompanied by an accessible explanation of how that part is used by the animal to eat, maneuver, defend, or attack. Crisp, zoomed-in stock photographs of the animals, including pangolins, penguins, owls, and red-eyed tree frogs, clearly show the fine details of their distinctive anatomies. The book ends with a prompt for readers to relate the scientific concept of structure and function to their own bodies: "What's something / we might not see / that makes you, YOU?"

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) K-3 With a poetic text and sharp, uncluttered photographs, the Sayres examine transitions in the natural world--transitions from physical spaces as well as those between states of being. The initial double-page spread sets the stage: "Every creature / on earth / at times / finds / itself / in / between." A stark white background encourages scrutiny of the accompanying photograph of three chicks, "in between" birth and maturity, lined up in a nest located inside the V of two intersecting rafters. Other spreads, composed of two, three, or four images, create similar tableaux with layers of meaning; text placement expands the viewing experience. The authors gradually introduce synonyms; readers see a pair of birds with eyes just about closed, "almost asleep, / but not yet"; and see a duckling flapping its wings, as "in the meanwhiles" it grows stronger. Ideal for a group read-aloud, this book encourages discussion of personal "in betweens."

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rob Dunlavey. When a whale dies, its body sinks to the ocean floor, and the end of its life marks the beginning of an entire new ecosystem composed of bottom-dwelling species. Stewart's restrained text steps through each phase in decomposition, noting how the whale's tissue serves as food for waves of scavengers and, over the course of several decades, allows a thriving ecosystem to develop. The featured species have quite elaborate names: hagfish and sleeper sharks arrive first, followed by roughscale rattails, snubnose eelpouts, and grooved tanner crabs, and then such "mini-munchers" as amphipods, Oregon hair crabs, hooded shrimp, and sea pigs. When only bones remain, zombie worms, and finally bacteria, complete their dissolution. Other equally interestingly named species feast on the scavengers, forming the chains and webs of organism relationships. Dunlavey's striking waterscapes gently portray death and the new life that flourishes in its aftermath, with inset close-ups that highlight the anatomical details of the smallest of the ocean creatures. End notes provide facts and figures about the animals and a list of resources to learn more about ocean environments.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Hevron. This informative and appealing nonfiction picture book gives young readers a detailed look at the tide-pool ecology of the Pacific Coast, the "astonishing world" of creatures that wait in seawater collected among rocks on the shore until the next high tide. The text begins before the title-page spread, as ocean waves slap onto the shore and then retreat; ­Fleming captures the ocean's movement with drama (the waves "CR-A-A-A-A-SH" and then "cr-e-e-e-e-p out"). After the water pools, mussels, snails, chitons, an octopus, and others wait patiently until the "pool is part of the sea once more." Just as the sea "brim[s] with life," the text is filled with vivid and descriptive action verbs: sea anemones "bloom," waves "sweep," the octopus "glides," a rock crab "scoots," and more. Fleming's expertly paced text rolls much like the "restless" wave on the shore; the repetition of "They wait" in the first half builds anticipation as the story slowly unfolds. Hevron's textured illustrations invite close inspection; her depiction of the animals when they return to the ocean is especially inviting as the undersea world fills with color and movement. Her shapes are simple; her compositions, unfussy. Ample back matter provides information on how these creatures survive the low tide.

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

(1) K-3 "What if your body could make its own light?" In Kuo's gorgeous exploration of bioluminescence, an adult and child encounter organisms that do just that in the air, sea, and underground. The black-backgrounded illustrations creatively employ negative space and a limited palette--almost exclusively blue, orange, tan, and white--to produce images that effectively capture the subdued glow of bioluminescent life. At first, the human pair appears in the illustrations alongside fireflies, foxfire, glowworms, and dinoflagellates, all of which live in locations people can visit. Kuo then invites the two (and readers) to "just imagine..." what it's like deep in the ocean where bioluminescent animals live, where their light helps vampire squid scare their enemies, dragonfish find food, and jeweled squid camouflage themselves. The poetic main text, which encourages observation and wonder, is accompanied by short paragraphs, in a smaller font, that present factual information about the featured organisms. The final pages issue a gentle warning that human-caused light pollution is making this amazing phenomenon increasingly difficult to see.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(3) K-3 In this assemblage of collective nouns, Rzezak uses the animal group names as a starting point for an exploration of communal behavior and its links to survival. So, for example, a "cast of spider crabs" protect one another during the vulnerable molting period, and "colonies of penguins" create nurseries for the communal care of their children. The illustrations, which cleverly use a stencil technique to combine uniform forms with slight individual variations, provide both beauty and welcome humor, which offsets the sophisticated and relatively staid prose. Glos.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Dominique Ramsey. Most animals live in groups, but some live most of their lives by themselves. Stein introduces four solitary species and contrasts their contented solo lifestyles with social animals in similar habitats. In describing the social animals, their colorful collective nouns are used: after a parade of elephants, tower of giraffes, and dazzle of zebras arrive at a waterhole, the panther appears "by herself" without additional descriptors. Similarly, an octopus and an eagle are contrasted with sea and air animals, respectively, which include a pod of whales, school of fish, huddle of hummingbirds, and kit of pigeons. A lone sloth receives no comparisons but is instead amusingly portrayed moving very slowly as a single short sentence unfolds across a three-spread sequence: "The sloth is... / ...a solitary... / ...animal, too." The visually stunning and dynamic illustrations favor inky black, indigo, and light blue backgrounds, in front of which the contrastingly colorful animals seem to glow. A section titled "More about Solitary Animals" provides brief answers to questions young children might ask as they compare their feelings about aloneness with those of the creatures.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Hevron. Stewart follows a familiar pattern (see Sibert Honor Book Summertime Sleepers, rev. 7/21) of introducing a basic feature of animal life and then comparing and contrasting the ways in which animals adapt to these fundamentals. This time up, she's examining homes in trees, first by asking readers to identify with the inhabitants ("What would it be like to live inside a tree?") and then describing characterstics of such homes. For example, some homes are large (for barred owls) while others are small (deer mice). Some homes are built by the inhabitants (black-capped chickadees) while nature constructs others through, for example, tree-splitting lightning strikes (for little brown bats). Digitally rendered collages on wood panels depict the animals' routine activities as natural and authentic, perfectly matching the matter-of-fact, informative text. Appended with facts about the animals (including a memorable "fun fact" for each that ranges from the speed they travel to how they handle poop); a bibliography; and suggestions for further inquiry.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Chris Sasaki. "Did you know the natural world is a construction zone? Whether they are large or small, in the ocean or on land, animals are amazing architects!" Cherrix (In the Shadow of the Moon, rev. 3/21) explores a number of structures that animals build for shelter, for defense, or to obtain food. Coral reefs, nests of twigs and stones, spider webs, and underground homes for ants and prairie dogs are some of the structures described in short paragraph-and-illustration sequences that unfold across four-page sections. The first pages of each section show in-progress construction of the structure; then the final product is revealed through a sentence split across the page-turn ("As the burrow expands, it becomes... / ...a [prairie] dog town"). Sasaki's (Home Is a Window, rev. 3/19; Paper Son, rev. 11/19) thoughtful illustrations use a variety of perspectives to follow the animals as they gather materials or dig above- and underground, and to allow viewers to look up, down, and through the creatures' creations to see how they're used. Some of the structures, such as nests, are built by solo animals for their personal use; others are constructed by social groups for the benefit of the collective. Many structures also benefit other species in their respective ecosystems, such as the coral reef, which provides shelter for multitudes of ocean dwellers, and the beaver dam, which produces a "brand-new pond that every animal in the forest will enjoy." A list of selected sources is appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) K-3 Magic School Bus series. Illustrated by Bruce Degen. Ms. Frizzle's latest adventure (published posthumously for Cole, alas) takes her class, joined by newcomer Bo who's visiting from China, back 3.5 billion years in Earth's history, then forward through the path of human evolution. Before they board the bus, the students present their own family trees, bridging that familiar concept to "the family tree of the whole human race." Then the antics begin, with the characters taking on the shapes of life forms of increasing complexity across the timeline, from single- and multi-celled organisms through fish, amphibians, reptiles, and primates. Extra time is spent on early and modern human species, including the development of culture and language. A helpful graphic appears every few pages to mark progress through geologic time. As always, the cheerful illustrations pack in entire subtexts: humorous speech-bubble dialogue among the classmates and numerous facts contained in reports and other visual asides. Additional explanations of the evidence for evolution and how natural selection works are appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) PS Striking cut-paper-collage illustrations of some of the hardy creatures that live in Antarctica are the standouts in this one-to-ten counting book. One leopard seal, two emperor penguins, three elephant seals, and more pop off striking blue-and-white backgrounds of icebergs and ocean waves. With seven flying squid, the scene shifts, plunging viewers into water that gets deeper and darker while Antarctic krill drift along and blackfin icefish swim by in the depths. Paper collage gives texture and depth to the limited color palette. Court's buoyant text uses a repeating pattern of internal rhyme and alliteration. That language pattern sometimes leads to winsome wordplay ("three lumbersome, cumbersome southern elephant seals") but does sometimes fall flat ("ten crimson, vermilion sea stars creeping about on twinkle toes"). Back matter introduces viewers to the animals' harsh habitat, where the average temperature in winter is –81 degrees Fahrenheit and winds can reach two hundred miles an hour. The three Antarctic poles (ceremonial, geographic, and magnetic) are also introduced, and additional information is given for each of the ten animals counted.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig

(3) K-3 From the seashore to the depths of the midnight zone and everything in between, ten sections focus on particular habitats ("On the Beach"; "Reef Life"; "Deep Down"); a final chapter dives into "People and Oceans." The well-designed pages invite browsing with striking captioned photos, colorful text bubbles, and the occasional poem. Drimmer's buoyant text takes a closer look at some representative animals, vegetation, and features within each zone. The volume includes an interview with a marine conservationist (and a plea to protect sea life), a foreword by a marine photojournalist, and an afterword by marine biologist Sylvia Earle. "Scientific Names of Ocean Life" and an index are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 The table of contents gives readers a taste (ew) of what's in store: poop, mucus, spit, gas, and more. Eamer goes beyond the gross hook, however, explaining in an introduction, "Many of these animals actually survive on revolting substances and thrive on gross habits." A lively and accessible page design includes close-up photos, text boxes, and design elements to up the ick-factor. Eamer's detailed text strikes the right balance between intriguingly disgusting facts (hagfish produce slime "by the bucketful in less than a second") and solid information (scientists are looking at using "hagfish slime as a natural replacement for petroleum-based fibers"). "Some gross extras," a glossary, selected sources, and an index conclude this well-organized offering.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Clark. There are 120,000 different kinds of flies, all of which have predators ready to devour them. But before the flies go down the hatch, they have to be caught, and that's the focus of this humorous and informative look at food preparation on the fly. The book does a countdown of thirteen different methods: frogs use their tongues to zap them; crab spiders snatch them with their long front legs; garden spiders employ a two-step process, first killing flies with venom and then ­wrapping them up "like a burrito." Trout wait until baby flies, or midges, hatch just above the water's surface and then simply leap and gulp. Clark's bright, digitally colored creatures, with exaggerated facial expressions, set the tone; visual humor abounds, including the recurring lineup of different species of fly that decreases by one as the countdown progresses. A witty text culminates with equally ­amusing back matter, from a food label listing nutritional information (one serving: 65–80 flies, "depending on species") that accompanies a ­tongue-in-cheek guide to fine fly dining, to a diagram labeling the edible parts of a fly. Appended with further reading and websites for ­children and a bibliography of sources. Bon ­appétit!

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) PS Illustrated by Claudia Boldt. Taking its cues from the classic Everyone Poops and later potty-themed picture books, Litwin (the Pete the Cat series) presents a giggle-inducing, nose-wrinkling (and informative) picture book in rhyme about poop. The singable text (link to recording on the copyright page), aimed at young children learning to independently use the toilet, identifies how and where many creatures relieve themselves. From the silly ("Space Martians poop on a faraway star") to the mundane ("A little bluebird just pooped on my car"), the text describes how many animals have their own way of doing things. The pictures establish a lighthearted tone, setting cartoonish creatures and children in vibrantly colored, movement-filled illustrations. Litwin approaches the topic in playful, frank, and encouraging terms that nudge the child listener with every refrain: "But the big boys and big girls are pooping in the potty. / And then we hear a happy sound. / FLUSH!"

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) K-3 Having taken readers on a tour of Caribbean coral reefs (Dive In, rev. 7/20), Munro explores another area rich in biodiversity: the Amazon rainforest, an intriguing and vibrant place. Here she showcases thirty animals (despite mentioning that rainforests contain two-thirds of the world's plants, no flora are featured). Each animal is depicted in actual size, displaying its unique and vibrant colors against a lush background, as seen through Munro's vivid, jewel-toned palette of acrylic inks. Short paragraphs provide pertinent facts about the creatures, ranging from diet, to protective defenses such as camouflage and venom, to mating practices. The book includes a maplike outline showing all thirty animals with accompanying color-coded numbers; the legend indicates which colors represent each class. An appended spread defines the four layers of the rainforest and provides a brief overview of the importance--and destruction--of these lands. A glossary, bibliography, suggestions for further reading and websites, and an index are included. A map depicting the world's tropical rainforests concludes the book.

Reviewer: Betty Carter