(2) PS Three children experience the invisible power of the wind over the course of a year. The children -- eyes upward, dark hair flowing against an expansive blue sky -- begin with a direct question to Wind itself: "How will you blow today?" Each subsequent full-bleed, double-page spread provides an answer. In the spring, text nestles in the negative space between a tree's pink-flowered branches as Wind provides a light "puff at the petals." In summer, the children lounge on a dock under a willow tree, waiting for Wind to bring the relief of a breeze on a sweltering day. Later, Wind stirs up storms. "Sometimes I like to be WILD!" it says, chasing the children indoors. The lyrical, poetic language is easy to read aloud, and thoughtful positioning of text on the page creates a sense of cohesion with each image. Archer's masterful use of acrylic ink and paper art showcases a variety of techniques, compositions, and perspectives. From the glittering depth of collaged streaming rain to the textured, sleepy haze of a darkened bedroom, each page-turn inspires the same wonder Archer depicts in the faces of her three awestruck subjects.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 The teeny-weeny unicorn is back, just as small, just as smudgy, and just as pink as he was in his original appearance in Thew Teeny-Weeny Unicorn (rev. 1/24). His goal in life remains unchanged -- get bigger -- but this time he has a genuine fairy-tale quest to undertake. A fairy princess charges him with a task: "Find for me something that grows teeny-weeny-er than you." On his epic travels our unicorn encounters a stork (foreshadowing!), a hairy leprechaun, a fierce dragon, and a wise old tree. As with many classic heroes, after a dark night of the soul our unicorn eventually finds his answer close to home. The cover teaser promises that we will discover where baby unicorns come from, and we do, but we also find out the answers to other vital questions such as what do leprechauns say to get attention? and do unicorns blush? An irresistible read-aloud if only for the pleasure of saying "teeny-weeny-er" five times. Fine-tuned wackiness, and an original, deadpan addition to the body of literature celebrating new siblings.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Nik Henderson. Perron's accessible STEM-friendly text about meteorological phenomena grounds itself in that quintessential question of childhood: "Why?" On alternating spreads, rhymed verses in a singsong cadence pose questions to the sky, wind, clouds, thunder, rain, and a rainbow. These queries all appear on pages that depict children, and each question includes the line, "How I wonder, wonder why," implying a child's voice. In response to the questions, each weather phenomenon replies with a scientific explanation (the wind: "Pressure! That's what makes me blow. / Cool air moves from high to low"). These answers are reinforced with succinct statements in the back matter about each meteorological event. Henderson's illustrations recall Jon Klassen's style and make good use of perspective and scale to evoke the smallness of the child speakers in relation to the vast sky and the world we inhabit. Effective, too, are his use of color and shadow and his energetic line work to depict the dynamism and power of weather events. A great choice for readers wondering about weather. Appended with a selected bibliography.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(2) K-3 This picture book offers an enchanting reflection on the interconnectedness of Earth's living things and the sun's vital energy. The story in the illustrations unfolds through a cyclical sequence: the sun rises, illuminating a flower, which attracts a bee. The bee makes honey, enjoyed by a bear; a mosquito bites the bear and is eaten by a bird; the bird's egg falls and is taken by a mouse, who is chased by a fox; the fox's excrement feeds the soil and creatures below; and the pattern continues through various animals and natural elements. At the end of the day, the sun sets and the child narrator sings a song -- illustrated as radiant stardust -- to the sun as night approaches and the moon appears. The well-paced, rhythmic, and question-filled text evokes a sense of wonder and immediacy. It also connects to and extends the visual narrative. For example, on the page reading, "Good golden sun, does your belly ever ache? All the world is filled with sweetness. Would you like a little taste?" a bear is shown enjoying golden honey dripping from a hive. The vibrant, collage-like illustrations are digitally enhanced to create glowing, illuminated effects. Light, shadow, and perspective are thoughtfully employed, emphasizing the transfer of energy from one living being to another. A memorable contribution for readers pondering the universe and their place in it.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(3) PS Illustrated by Ingela P. Arrhenius. This high-contrast, padded cloth book presents a common animal (and, in one case, a smiling acorn) on each verso. A different critter appears on each recto tucked behind a colorful, securely attached felt flap. While the text is serviceable ("Here's an Owl! / Where is the rabbit?"), Arrhenius's illustrations are clear and eye-catching for newborns learning to focus. A middle page is embedded with a crinkling material for auditory stimulation, and the final page features a baby-safe mirror under a felt flap paired with the prompt, "Where are you?" A stroller handle with a Velcro attachment allows for play (and maybe reading) on the go.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) PS "Mr. Santa? Is it really you?" A child wakes up to find Santa Claus delivering gifts to their house and proceeds to show him around, pointing out pet fish and sharing gingerbread, all the while asking him questions about the big night. The two later take off in Santa's sleigh, and more questions follow as he makes his rounds. Jarvis has chosen a nice mix of straightforward and silly questions ("Can reindeer talk...Can you eat clouds?") that young children may want to ask, and his digitally rendered illustrations give the book an old-timey feel perfect for an inviting bedtime story.

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

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Jeremy Holmes. As a product of the Age of Reason, Thomas Jefferson was long fascinated by science in general and the natural world in particular. Consequently, when he first read a French encyclopedia by the renowned scientist Comte de Buffon that declared the American colonies inferior because the native animals were neither as large nor as ferocious as their European counterparts, Jefferson questioned Buffon's reasoning -- partly because of the audacious comments, partly because of national pride, and partly because Jefferson did not want to discourage immigration. For years he challenged these assumptions by asking questions; creating counterarguments; conducting experiments (which included the shipping of a dead moose to France to verify its large size); and formulating and publishing his conclusions. In other words, he followed the scientific method, nicely summarized in the back matter. The mixed-media illustrations, crafted with woodblocks and pencil, are highlighted in unusual and effective layouts. The written narrative appears in text boxes, acting either as previews for the often-humorous illustrations (for example, ideas explode from Jefferson's head as he writes his own book challenging Buffon) or as comic panels. A concluding author's note explains the sources and dangers of misinformation and ways to identify and combat such rumors, as well as a timeline of Jefferson's life and a bibliography -- appropriately, for the topic -- divided into primary and secondary sources.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) PS Daniel (Daniel Finds a Poem; Daniel's Good Day, rev. 7/19) is back in another open-hearted, child-friendly picture book. It's spring, and Daniel is meeting his grandfather in the park. When Grandpa asks him what's new, Daniel heads off to find out. He learns that his favorite rock is soaking up the sun, the redwing blackbirds are back, ducklings have hatched, a snake has shed its skin, tadpoles are growing legs. Daniel reports his findings and then updates Grandpa with his own news: he can whistle like blackbirds; he "can run fast 'cause [his] legs are growing, just like the pollywogs'"; and he has a new tooth, just as the snake has a new skin. The book ends with our thoughtful hero turning the tables: "Now it's your turn, Grandpa...what's new with you?" Archer's expertly composed double-page-spread illustrations, in "acrylic inks and collage, using patterned collage papers created by the author," portray a world bursting with life and vivid color: the deep blues and greens of the ducklings' pond; the light green of new leaves; the bright spots of red on the blackbirds. (Red is also the color of Daniel's hoodie, surely a call-out to The Snowy Day.) From the spectacular illustrations to the warm relationship between Daniel and Grandpa to Daniel's curiosity about the natural world, there's much to savor here; and the question of "what's new?" may elicit a wealth of reader response and interaction.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 Number Tours for Curious Kids series. Illustrated by Dawn DeVries Sokol. Berne's counts and measures of the cells and organs of the human body illustrate just how remarkable -- and quantifiable -- we are. "Did you know" that we are composed of "30 trillion cells," eight thousand taste buds, and "60,000 miles" of blood vessels? Or that "15 million cells in your body were replaced by new ones in the time it took you to read this sentence"? Numerous other facts about our sensory organs and digestive, skeletal, respiratory, and circulatory systems are equally impressive. The organized layouts include diagrammatic illustrations that effectively portray each system, often within a child-size human body outline, accompanied by text on scraps of lined notebook paper that appear taped onto the pages. The end notes should not be skipped, as they include noteworthy details about the various systems, additional number facts, and an important statement about the degree of certainty of some of the numbers. An interactive section at the very end of the book encourages readers to measure their own bodies and to calculate the volume of their blood, their heart rate, and number of bones in their hands.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Two succulent-looking sentient plants search for meaning in this philosophical picture book. Easygoing Worthi seems content with life, but Nelli is restless and wonders about finding one's purpose: "I heard it gives you strength when life gets tough." Worthi drags Nelli into the forest to look for answers. The friends try to contemplate (and not be overwhelmed by) the scale of either the concepts they're considering or the natural world they explore, with amusing results: a purpose is satisfying and comforting, but it is not a baked potato. The pair then meets a charming cast of mindfulness-centered characters introduced one by one with a steady, rhythmic pace. A frog stuck in a spiderweb questions goodness; a meditative stinkbug encourages looking within; and a bee endorses following one's heart. The dialogue-only text is full of care and curiosity, with scaffolding for readers new to the comics format provided by color-coded speech balloons and lots of white space. The digital illustrations have a dreamlike texture to them, with fuzzy, misty edges and jeweled hues. When the day is through, the tiny plants haven't found any answers, but they enjoyed the journey and look forward to continuing their quest and thinking more tomorrow.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Kenard Pak. In this quiet cumulative story, everyone -- and everything -- wakens, one by one. Who has woken the girl, the cat, the dog, the rabbit, the tree, the air, and the cloud? The reader and protagonist seek answers together, prodded by Hopkinson's hushed prose and direct address and Pak's full-bleed illustrations that switch between placing the reader in the protagonist's point of view and offering an omniscient perspective. Pak renders nighttime digitally in shades of purple and black with deep green landscapes and glowing accents that spotlight the sleep-depriving suspects. Throughout, words and art harmoniously convey nighttime magic. When Hopkinson writes, "Now a sweet ribbon of breath curls around you too," Pak depicts the girl grasping a wispy, textured "breath" of air. Drama builds with the refrain, "Was it you?" on cleverly designed spreads interspersed between the nocturnal scenes. Moonlight begins as a small corner of yellow in the bottom right of an otherwise solid purple spread, then progressively expands up and toward the verso on the next five pages, until finally, yellow moonlight overtakes the purple darkness. And then, in reverse order of their awakening, everyone returns to sleep as moonlight follows the girl upstairs and literally blankets her and her cat. In the final illustration, an all-yellow double-page spread reads, "Who has woken the moon?" A memorable celebration of nighttime activity and moonlit slumber.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 In an assortment of nest homes, baby birds happily await the breakfasts brought by their parents. These basic needs will be familiar to humans, too, providing a welcoming introduction to birds and an invitation to learn more about them. In the pages that follow, Ignotofsky interweaves generalized information about bird life cycles (using the Eastern Bluebird as exemplar) with explanations of bird anatomy and behaviors. Questions placed throughout the text ("What's inside an egg?" "How does a bird know where to go each year?") drive the narrative forward across topics such as nest building, learning to fly, and bird diets. The cheerful illustrations ("created traditionally and using a computer") of cartoonlike birds are the highlight of the book: packed with movement, color, and humor, they sometimes fully cover one or more pages and sometimes divide into smaller panels to explore variations across species or lists, such as the steps readers can take to preserve bird-friendly spaces in their neighborhoods. A short "sources and resources" list is appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Two children create happy messes throughout their imaginative day, with each activity offering a whimsical answer to the question "What can a mess make?" There's potential in each one. "Kitchen clatter. / Milk and juice. / Syrup splatter. / Chocolate mousse" transforms into "a meal for two." "Rubber bands and cardboard box. / Coffee tin and shiny rocks" form instruments for a marching band. Even a quarrel ("A mess can make us scream and shout") leads to a positive resolution ("Timer ticking. / Sorrys swapped"). Johnson's rhythmic and rhyming text celebrates the joy found in spontaneous play and reinforces the message that creativity can often spring from disorder. The energetic illustrations, featuring minimal adult presence, amplify the sense of independent play. Warm red and orange tones infuse the story with a cozy and affectionate atmosphere, making it visually inviting and resonant with the themes of familial love and imaginative exploration. This story is an excellent read-aloud choice for families seeking a narrative that inspires creativity and celebrates sibling bond

Reviewer: Weileen Wang | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. eware cartoon foxes luring unsuspecting readers into a challenge: "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Step right up for a battle of wits." The tricky fox in this interactive picture book looks harmless in his plaid pants, purple tuxedo jacket, and top hat. He waves a cane around as he introduces readers to the rules of his game: "Every time I ask a question, you have to say 'NO!' If you accidentally say 'YES,' then you have to go all the way back to the beginning of the book and start over." The game requires concentration. Some questions are sneaky ("Are you ready to play?"). Others require ignoring desire, as when a giant sundae is delivered -- want some? To get to the end of the book, readers will have to lie, exaggerate, feign ignorance, and let themselves in for some gross situations (such as being slobbered on by a smelly water buffalo). The exaggerated illustrations play up the humor throughout, and the fox and other characters gaze meaningfully at readers to amplify the interactive connection. Finishing the book by winning the game may require several restarts, but every accidental "YES" will compound the silliness of the experience. The final question is a desperate play for a compliment: "Have you ever read a funnier, better written, more beautifully illustrated book than this one?" While only one answer will win this battle of wits, any answer might require re-reading it yet again from the beginning.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(1) K-3 There are many misconceptions about what art is and what it should do. An inquisitive brown-skinned girl wants to know more about art and asks a series of simple yet profound questions about it. Each question is answered by a different artist, ranging from ancient to modern, world-famous to regionally known. Unlike many art surveys, this book presents a truly global perspective, putting Indigenous and non-Western art side-by-side with well-known Western artists as well as conceptual and avant-garde work. The girl asks questions such as "Can nothing be art?"; "Art can also be sad, right?"; and "Can art be something that I use?" The answers depend on who is doing the responding. Replies vary for the question "How long will it take to make art?": a minute (Keith Haring); an hour (Eric Carle); a hundred hours (Christine Harvey). Should art look like what we see? An impressionist would answer with a hearty yes, but a post-impressionist like Van Gogh might think it's better "when art looks like how I feel." Digitally rendered illustrations feature each artist and a representation of their work. Back matter provides information on each artist and may spark hours of further research and discovery. A thoughtful look at art that will likely motivate budding artists to trust their creative intuition.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) PS With the cadence of a folktale, the story starts, "There was once a duck...who thought he had no luck." The next few pages of softly colored illustrations demonstrate why he might feel this way: a rain shower soaks his picnic, a wheel comes off his scooter, a tree falls on his house. So Duck sets off on a journey to seek the counsel of Wise Owl. Along the way, he encounters three creatures with their own questions: why is Fox's tummy "noisy," why does Tree have no leaves, and why does Swan feel sad? Each hopes Duck will find Wise Owl and return with answers to their questions. Washes of color full of swirls and speckles provide visually appealing backgrounds for the expressive characters and dramatic scenes. The lively art plays off the text's more measured narration, which makes the story work well as a read-aloud. Wise Owl eventually appears; she recommends a good night's sleep and a fresh perspective for Duck and provides some answers for the others. Duck searches so intently for his promised luck that it seems he has missed the point, but readers would be wrong to underestimate him. He figures out how to take charge of his circumstances just in time, and "luckily," it all works out for the best.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) PS Three animal friends -- "Molly the hare, Olive the owl, and Dexter the fox" -- play a game that Olive calls "Guess What?" Dexter goes first: "Guess what I'm thinking about," he says, gazing at the sky. Molly guesses correctly on the first try; it's the sky, of course. "'How did you know?' asks Dexter, puzzled." Molly's up next, and Olive guesses that she's thinking about grass. How did Olive know? "Easy...your mouth is full of it." For her turn, Olive is "thinking about TWO things at the same time." Dexter and Molly are stumped. Is Olive thinking about two brown leaves? Two clouds? Two flowers? "It's too hard." Olive encourages her friends to keep guessing; the two things she's thinking of are "very nearby" and "even lovelier than flowers." Rayner's soft mixed-media illustrations on cream-colored pages match the text's gentle tone and give young listeners the advantage by making obvious what -- or who -- is on Olive's mind. With its peaceful meadow setting and the friends' warm rapport, this good-natured picture book offers a pleasing storytime diversion.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Forlati. In this thought-provoking book (published in partnership with UNESCO), Santos presents an engaging version of the guessing game "What Am I?" Readers can infer from the book's title that the answer is the thing that makes us human, and the first-person text drops hints as to its identity ("I can show you love. But also hurt you") on every double-page spread, letting readers know that it is both old and new; that it is everywhere; that we can see, hear, and feel it; and that it defines a culture. What is this ubiquitous thing? It is language. This book's call for active engagement aptly celebrates the many ways of looking at a concept. Forlati's digital illustrations represent both literal and figurative interpretations of the text and beg to be re-examined by the reader. For example, the speaker -- language -- states: "When you were a baby, you hardly knew me. Over time you have gotten to know me better and better. But when you are old, you may start to forget me." The accompanying illustration depicts five stages of a child's growth -- during which time the child is knitting a sweater that grows larger, revealing a distinct pattern, one that fades as the sweater unravels and the child ages. Back matter discussing the growth, and loss, of languages and a note from UNESCO explaining the goals of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032) complete this fine book.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(1) PS The child with the purple circle head and stick limbs from Are You Big? (rev. 1/24) again ponders size in this companion concept book. Asking the titular question, an unseen narrator offers different examples of things that are smaller than the child: "This book is small...a hamster is small..." Attuned to his audience's point of view, Willems makes sure to note that small doesn't mean unimportant or insignificant: "A baby tooth is small. (But it's a BIG deal when it comes out.)" Uncluttered double-page spreads follow the same pattern: the verso features the previous page's cartoony item walking off stage, while the recto introduces a relatively smaller object. For example, a smiley cookie crumb (smaller than the baby tooth) heads off the left-hand page, now looking big compared to the grain of sand waving on the right. Zooming in on the microscopic level, the narrator introduces (and doesn't really define) less-familiar terms, including a cell, a water molecule (small, "but they are essential for life on this planet"), an electron, and a quark. Back to the original question, "Are YOU small?" If young listeners are feeling a bit untethered at the idea of the infinitesimal, the narrator, who we now see is a grownup, reassures the child: "You are to ME! (at least, for now)." An amusing list of numerical size comparisons is appended. This small book does indeed have "BIG ideas in it."

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

(1) PS Big, bigger, or downright astronomical -- it's all relative in Willems's latest concept book. On the first page, a round-headed, stick-limbed child smiles at the reader; text opposite asks, "Are you big?" Sitting in the middle of the square, solid-colored page, the kid looks plenty large. Then, a bespectacled hot air balloon arrives, dwarfing the perplexed child; the hot air balloon is big until an oversized cloud rolls in. Each previously big figure is bumped down the line and shrinks down to barely visible specks when truly colossal celestial entities enter the scene: the moon is big and the sun bigger, but wait until you meet the star Pollux or the M100 galaxy! The same gag repeats with each and every page-turn; appealing collage-style illustrations, oversized typography, and a just-right touch of escalating absurdity keep the joke feeling fresh throughout. Careful, clever utilization of relative size and composition allows Willems to capture the magnitude of his subject matter within a petite trim size, and back matter offers numerical comparisons for readers curious to know almost exactly how many "average kids" could fit inside a galaxy cluster. This is a playful introduction to the importance of perspective that brings big laughs.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024