(2) PS Safety equipment such as hard hats, helmets, and noise-canceling headphones take center stage in this dynamic picture book, which begins by asking, "What do we wear when we take care?" Each page features children or adults of various genders, skin colors, and abilities engaging in activities that require protective gear, whether those activities be construction work, skateboarding, or fighting fires. Finan explains in simple language why each piece of equipment is used and provides examples in different contexts -- first on the job, then with a scene from a kid's perspective. One double-page spread states, "Sometimes we wear goggles to protect our eyes from things that fizz, spark," and features goggle-clad chemists and a welder at work. A page-turn shows two children snorkeling: "splish, or splash." The action words used throughout the book are mostly in bold black type. A section on wearing masks "to protect from germs" depicts medical professionals and a school bus where most of the children are masked. The hand-painted, digitally colored illustrations are full of movement and primarily feature shades of blue with yellow as a vibrant accent color. The book ends with the question, "What do YOU wear to take care?" and an illustration showing three kids in protective garb. A fine introduction to the many ways we can stay safe.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. Foreword by Nelson Molina. Throughout his childhood in East Harlem, Molina's mother instilled in him the principle that every object had value: loose scraps of wood could be fashioned into a birdhouse; a broken toy truck could be repaired and given to a grateful younger sibling. Molina carried these upcycling habits into his career as a sanitation worker. "Is there something more than trash in here?" he would wonder upon encountering an interestingly shaped garbage bag. "Is there something someone might love?" He repaired and displayed these gifts from the garbage around his sanitation garage until the collection grew so large (estimated at over forty-five thousand items) that Molina opened the collection to the public through his Treasures in the Trash Museum. The optimistic tone of Larsen's text matches the positivity of Molina's ideology, as do Vidal's warm, sun-soaked digital illustrations of New York City neighborhoods, especially the alleys and curbs where treasures from the trash are found -- a reminder that we can discover beauty, joy, and worth from the materials right in front of us. Back matter includes photos of Molina with his treasures and suggestions for how to mirror his sustainable habits by thinking of new uses for old objects.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Julia Kuo. This attractive, informative, and ambitious collective biography begins with a challenge: "Quick! Name the world's greatest scientist." Messner (The Next President, rev. 3/20) introduces well-known and lesser-known scientists throughout history and organizes the book by theme (scientists as observers, as artists, as readers, etc.). A typical spread depicts three scientists as children engaged in a similar activity, such as tinkering (James West, Grace Hopper, Ayah Bdeir) or skygazing (Johannes Kepler, Maria Mitchell, Adriana Ocampo). Short captions provide information about each as a child, and the book then reveals their corresponding grown-up versions and achievements. This clever structure allows for a smooth flow and offers connection and comparison among scientists across time, cultures, and locales. "Snapshot" interludes provide brief information about specific shared interests (sewing/knitting; the study of Pluto). Kuo's digital illustrations in clear black line and a rich color palette have a paper doll like quality while still being dynamically posed and presented on the pages. Thoughtful curation results in representation of a wide range of identities, fields of study, and challenges throughout the history of modern science. Culminating in a hopeful call for future scientists to create "a better world," the book presents supplemental mini-biographies, further reading, selected sources, and a list of some of the scientists' favorite books.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(3) K-3 In Penelope the dog’s family, everyone else has a job, so Penelope decides to get a job, too. She attempts to be a fire dog, a sheepdog, a police dog, and a show dog but isn’t suited for any of those positions. Luckily, a visit to Grandpop at the senior home provides inspiration. The warm, collage-style illustrations humorously depict Penelope’s failures and show off her pride in her eventual success.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones. Finally, the secret's out: librarians can be loud! Penelope is thrilled when she is selected to be her school's ­student-­librarian of the week. She's been preparing for this moment all year by alphabetizing her home pantry and stickering any book she can find. There's only one problem: Penelope can't quite harness her "library voice." Books fly off the shelves and computer screens shatter as Penelope innocently shouts curious questions at her classmates. After one great big bellow leaves students ducking for cover and the library in shambles, Penelope starts to question whether she's meant to be a librarian after all. Her disappointment is short-lived, as she soon discovers storytime, where both her enthusiasm and her volume are of great benefit. Jones's mixed-media and collage illustrations are playful and eye-catching, with a three-dimensional feel. Penelope's shouts e=xplode across the page in giant speech bubbles reverberating all the way to outer space (the astronauts know her by name). Brown-skinned Penelope sports a rainbow skirt with ­red-and-white striped socks--a style as loud as her booming voice. Although she may want to steer clear of a research library, Penelope's eager attitude lands her the perfect gig. This one is sure to be a ­storytime favorite--especially for librarians.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(1) K-3 While a child gets ready for bed, a father gets ready for work--as do other night-shift workers in the city. Readers follow the dad (a nurse) and eight others: a taxi driver, a firefighter, an emergency dispatcher, a janitor, a security guard, a hotel manager, an on-location film tech, and a baker. Spreads with multiple panels or apartment windows highlight people at home and at work; in busier scenes the colorfully depicted main characters easily stand out. Nifty details are everywhere, and crisscrossing narratives add tons of fun. Wisely, the quiet text lets the pictures tell the stories, allowing viewers to discover the connections on their own: the hotel manager welcomes a guest whose dog gets loose and runs down the street to the bakery, where firefighters (alerted by the dispatcher) have just put out a fire; an expecting couple hails the taxi driver, and later the nurse tends to new mother and baby, while outside their hospital window the baker holds the lost dog and hails the cab driver, who takes the pup back to its owner, an actor who's on a set with the film tech. Phew! Fittingly, the work-night wraps up with a scene outside the cozy bakery, where each worker, before heading home, can be spotted inside or out. The characters' diversity nicely reflects the big-city setting: the nurse is a Black man, the firefighter is a woman, the dispatcher uses a wheelchair, and the hotel manager wears a hijab.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) 1-3 Ivy + Bean series. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. The twelfth (and final) book about Ivy and Bean finds these best friends still in second grade but hurtling toward their futures by way of career day at school. Bean wants to be an arborist because of the potential for tree-climbing, but the career fair doesn't offer that. Bypassing the banker, dentist, plumber, yoga instructor, and others, the two join a crowd at the back of the room where "Herman, Treasure Hunter" is holding court with his metal detector and a few of his discoveries. ("Ms. Aruba-Tate seemed surprised that all the kids in her class wanted to be treasure hunters when they grew up.") Blackall's spot art captures the fervor and diligence of the friends as they undertake their search for treasure, making each page more entertaining as well as more convincing. New readers will find funny situations and a fast-moving plot to enjoy; and although Ivy and Bean unfortunately end up with little to show for their efforts, they find there are other ways to score treasure. The girls' infectious spirit, combined with their unique skill sets, should prepare them well for any careers they decide upon.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Zachariah Ohora. In this entertaining picture book, the skills used in actual jobs done by all kinds of very good dogs--from therapy dog to truffle-sniffing dog to (somewhat alarmingly!) dog mayor--are shown in parallel to the traits that make canines great companions. A dog who always finds you during hide-and-seek may also be a great search-and-rescue dog, and a dog who takes care of you would make a great "mother dog" (a welcome addition to the list of jobs, appended). The framing device, in which the dogs stand up on two feet and leave their homes for the office, makes the text--told from the perspective of children as if they were the left-behind pets--feel a bit muddled, particularly when it transitions between the pretend world of dogs heading to human work and the realistic dog jobs that are highlighted in the illustrations. But that framing also gives OHora (Horrible Bear!, rev. 3/16; Goodnight, Veggies, rev. 3/20) a chance to shine in whimsical spreads of canines with briefcases lining up for a bus and a title page of cheerful pups sitting at their cubicles; meanwhile, wistful youngsters watch from windows. The illustrator's characteristic flat, colorful drawings, with a few objects highlighted with texture and detail, are just right for this celebration of all dogkind. Deliciously punny "barkmatter" and "furrier reading" introduce curious kids to the real dog jobs that fly by in the fast-moving story.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(3) PS Illustrated by Jami Gigot. Presented by the American Ballet Theatre. "When I grow up, I'm going to fly, just like my daddy." Ben's classmates try to guess Daddy's occupation as Ben provides more information: "he's super strong," he's "as fast as a hummingbird... / ...but slower than a sloth." Is he a pilot? A football player? A furniture mover? After an impromptu dance performance, his friends know: "Your daddy is a ballet dancer!" The all-dialogue text stays in the classroom, while Gigot's versatile illustrations move seamlessly from Ben and his friends to Ben's father on stage to Ben and Daddy together. Principal dancer for ABT, Forster offers positive messages about dance and fatherhood.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) YA When chef Kwame Onwuachi opened his high-end (if ultimately ill-fated) restaurant Shaw Bijou atop the then-new National Museum of African American History and Culture, the significance of the moment was not lost on him. He knew he was "standing on stories," including those recalled by exhibits of whips and shackles and a stack of bricks the height of a man, each representing a person enslaved by Thomas Jefferson. As a Black chef in America, Onwuachi intends to keep the history alive, from Africa, the Middle Passage, and all of the "thousands of black and brown chefs--called cooks, domestics, servants, boys, and mammies who were kept out of restaurant kitchens (or overlooked within them)." He traces the influences that led him from Bronx streets and projects, to Louisiana, to ­Nigeria, to an oil clean-up ship in the Gulf of Mexico, to drug dealing in college, and on to the Culinary Institute of America, food competitions (including Top Chef), and Thomas Keller's acclaimed New York City restaurant Per Se. This adaptation for young readers effectively prunes and tightens sentences, removes swear words, and takes out the recipes (as étouffée, chicken consommé, corn velouté, and egusi stew might not be big draws for young palates). While Onwuachi notes the challenges of being a Black chef in a white food culture, his dream is to see kitchens full of "white, yellow, brown, and black faces" and restaurants full of "brown and black diners, who, looking at their plates, feel seen, ­celebrated, and recognized."

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(4) K-3 Archaeologists, mechanics, gamers, and more: girls can be "anything in the world!" declares Brazilian author/illustrator Ferrari in this earnest ode to girl power. While the translated text describing each occupation (and later, each character attribute) is unremarkable, the inclusive illustrations--which show a young business owner in a headscarf, a wheelchair-using musician, and a diverse cast of other girls--make the feminist message even more powerful.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) YA Pham, founder/CEO of women-centered online platform Mogul, dishes on her success in this pep-talky self-help book for teens. The workbook-like volume includes lists, activities, and writing prompts. Pham's tone is chatty and infectiously positive as chapters ranging from fashion to finance to failure mix personal anecdote, practical business skills, inspiration, and feminism. "Mogul mentor" inserts offer additional advice. Young women will learn to set their sights high.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lorian Tu-Dean. Common fashion maxims are spun into rhyming messages of empowerment emphasized by mixed-media illustrations of girls playing joyously while they explore different potential occupations. "You can be brave dressed in reds or in blues," reads the text while the pictured girls pretend to be a firefighter and a police officer. A clever and original take on the ubiquitous girls-can-be-anything picture book.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(2) PS After spending the day together, astronomy-obsessed Astrid and her papa drive to pick up Astrid's mother from work--at the space center. Wilson-Max's painterly illustrations convey the warmth and joy of a family of color consisting of an impressively accomplished working mother, a loving father, and a young girl who dreams of reaching for the stars. Informative back matter highlights five female astronauts and a handful of space-flight facts.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ellen Shi. This poetry compilation explores the many different adults one might find in a school--teacher, librarian, nurse, custodian, etc.--each with his or her own poem and spread. With both rhyming and free verse from fourteen different poets, the collection is nicely varied. Shi's soft, full-bleed digital illustrations complement the verses well. A great way to introduce brand-new students to different people in their school.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(2) K-3 This tall, narrow picture book opens as a new keeper arrives to take up his duties at a remote lighthouse; it ends with his departure, automation having made his job obsolete. In between we are treated to a series of snapshots of lighthouse-keeper life--a mix of routine and excitement. Blackall's gorgeous illustrations provide both homey detail and spectacular scenery. An extensive and lively author's note is appended.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) K-3 Winner of two Caldecott Medals and numerous other awards, the renowned illustrator publishes her first solo book. As Zoe dreams of growing up to be an archeologist, scientist, firefighter, and other pursuits, she works to quiet a negative inner voice that continually questions her aspirations ("That's silly, said the voice"). Soft, earth-toned, neatly framed illustrations depict both child and adult Zoe following her passions in the well-meaning story.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) PS A double-decker bus travels around Letter Town seeking (in alphabetical order) rotund, cartoon-style letters representing a variety of letter-associated occupations, objects, actions, etc. Endpapers provide a key to each spread's picture puzzle. For an extra challenge, a second visual narrative involving a robber (R) is woven throughout. Although the rhyming text is occasionally forced, the playful illustrations should appeal to young search-and-find enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Elise Peterson. A gorgeous docu-collage of colorized black-and-white photographs shapes a radical vision of racially and economically diverse motherhood. The text riffs on how "mamas use their bodies to care for their babies in so many ways" as images show working women throughout the twentieth century: stay-at-home moms, feminist activists, business executives, house cleaners, and even erotic dancers. The message is powerful but may be more for mamas than babies.

Reviewer: Robyn Bahr

(3) YA Class in America series. This unique series--geared to school reports but with intriguing topics and ideas that go beyond the curriculum--could also provide support for debates and political action for motivated readers. Charts, graphs, archival photos, and contemporary color photos break up the dense information and detailed sidebars. Lots of discussion-starter questions make these books relevant to today's readers. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Class in America titles: The American Middle Class, Being Poor in America, Class and Education, Class and Race, Class Mobility, The Future of Work in America, The Health-Care Divide, and The One Percent.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt