(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tomie dePaola. An imp, a goblin, and a scalawag attempt to outdo one another in the telling of scary stories. Each includes what they collectively believe to be the scariest creature of all--but when that creature actually does appear, it wins them all over by proving its own storytelling prowess. Previously published as Four Scary Stories (in 1978), this crative, metafictive, silly-not-spooky tale features lively, vivid-hued illustrations starring dePaola's recognizably round-faced characters with their easy-to-read thoughts and funny facial expressions.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) 4-6 Stories and truths cross paths in Agyemang's debut graphic novel. After twelve-year-old Nana ("It's '­NAH-na,' not 'NAN'") makes up one too many tales, landing her in the principal's office again, her parents send her to Ghana to spend the summer with her extended family, including her grandmother, who is also a storyteller. While adjusting to life in her mother's childhood village, Nana stumbles upon an evil company that's stealing the village forest's magic and killing it in the process. She then finds herself negotiating with Ananse, trickster spider and bearer of the world's stories. Agyemang herself spins this tale by drawing upon stories of the past. Classic folktales come to life through energetic folk art–style illustrations capturing the vibrant setting and colorful Ghanaian attire. Most striking is Ananse's versatile human-spider form, which shifts around adroitly through the panels. Exploring themes of fitting in, honoring tradition, enacting social justice, and finding one's truth, the book takes readers on a voyage of self-discovery while demonstrating the magical power of stories and their ability to reach across cultures and generations.

Reviewer: Jerry Dear | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(1) YA Alexander's (The Crossover, rev. 5/14; The Undefeated, rev. 3/19) latest verse novel, the first in a projected trilogy, is historical fiction set in 1860, in the Asante Kingdom village of Upper Kwanta. Kofi Offin learns about the world through his storyteller grandfather Nana Mosi: how he came to be named after the river; the origin of the rivalry with neighboring Lower Kwanta; and the history of "the wonderfuls," the white colonials who have claimed dominion over their nation of Ghana. While Kofi's school teacher has an affinity for all things British (he's "on a mission to capsize our culture," Nana says), Kofi is content to learn from his grandfather, even as his own highly engaging story plays out through interactions with those around him. There's Ama, Kofi's childhood friend and the most beautiful girl he's ever seen; his best friend Ebo; and the cousin who torments Kofi. And there's his older brother Kwasi, the newest athlete to compete in the village games during the Annual Kings festival. When a wrestling contest results in tragedy, the tentative peace with Lower Kwanta is broken. As a result, Kofi is taken captive, and the book now becomes a searing chronicle of the terror that will carry him to "the door of no return" and far from home. A master storyteller himself, Alexander has taken great care to incorporate familiar West African sayings, folklore characters, and rituals. Themes of conflict within and between cultures, and of war and peace, hate and love, despair and hope are deeply embedded throughout this gripping tale that forefronts the humanity of those who were forced into slavery.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) 4-6 Breda didn't believe her single mother would really send her from Chicago to Ireland's Dingle Peninsula for the summer if she got caught stealing again, but her theft of a classmate's gym shorts earns Breda a visit to the grandfather she's never met. Granda is the epitome of the elderly taciturn farmer, and although he at first seems as unenthused as Breda is about the arrangement, he slowly warms up to her. Breda settles in, exploring the village and finding friends on a Gaelic football team, and she wonders if she might also meet the father who's never been part of her life. When a health crisis waylays Granda, Breda is able to both take charge and rely on the community she's developed, putting her newfound confidence to work and expanding her definition of family. She also develops a new appreciation for her mother, an undocumented immigrant who has spent years working for others and is finally able to start her own business. Foley does an excellent job of building the Irish setting--with the help of Granda's role as a traditional storyteller. Foley's forthright approach to puberty and periods, which are among Breda's experiences, is refreshing. This is a quiet book, with an emotionally charged conflict that often simmers beneath the surface of the page, made possible by the authentic and fully realized characters.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Erin K. Robinson. In this picture-book celebration of libraries and reading, poet Giovanni writes about the Carnegie Library, which she regularly visited as a child. Robinson's digital art resembles vibrant collages and features a young Black girl with jaunty pigtails tied with twirly yellow ribbons. Her puffy aqua dress with a Peter Pan collar helps set the time period in the 1950s. The little girl explains why she loves her library: it's "a place to be free / to be in space / to be a cook / to be a crook / to be in love / to be unhappy." She thinks about being "quick and smart" but also "contained and cautious"; she imagines herself playing jazz and sailing. Returning home with her stack of books, the girl carries out her chores before going back to reading, wrapped up in a brightly colored patchwork quilt, the patches echoing the covers of the volumes she's reading--so that in her daily life she is constantly surrounded by love and vibrancy. In a touching author's note Giovanni talks about her own childhood experience at the "colored" library, where a special librarian would get her poetry books from the main library.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Cunha. Johnson's "love song to the Sea Islands [and] my African friends" opens with a young Black girl running along the beach at "day-clean," the Gullah/Geechee phrase for dawn. Cunha's illustrations capture the oranges and blues of the early morning sky and the brilliant blue of the sea. The second spread shows another Black girl across the sea also greeting the morning. The two girls, while separated by an ocean, have much in common, as shown in Cunha's textured, colorful illustrations and Johnson's engaging text. Throughout the day, each plays with friends on the beach, listens to stories about Anansi the spider, and makes a basket out of sweetgrass. In an appended author's note, Johnson explains that the Gullah/Geechee people are descendants of enslaved Africans who have maintained many aspects of their African culture, and that the Sea Islands along the coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida have been home to them. Through the story, young readers learn about the islands and some of their language and traditions while experiencing the beauty of connection. This story pairs well with Royce's middle-grade novel Root Magic (rev. 3/21), which is also set in the Sea Islands; as well as Hamilton's The People Could Fly, which retells many of the folktales told by Africans throughout the diaspora.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 Translated by Lawrence Schimel. A typical day on the savanna inspires Kibo, a rhinoceros, to write a book. "He wrote about the red sky of the savanna, the silhouettes of the birds, the buzz of the bugs." Naki the crane reads over Kibo's shoulder and is so moved that she sews up his pages between yellow covers and then flies the bound copy over the sea and drops it in a faraway city. The book then travels from a lion to a rabbit to a hen, ultimately winding up with Nanuk, a North Pole polar bear. ­Johnson's folk-art style, in warm shades of blue, yellow, and orange, gives the illustrations a retro vibe that suits the DIY ethos of Kibo's creation and the way it moves through the world. The flora and fauna that surround Kibo when he's writing recur whenever his story finds a new reader, giving a visual sense of how books allow thoughts and ideas to travel from one mind to another. Satisfying in itself, this book will also find a happy home in classrooms and serve as a springboard for young bookmakers' creative endeavors.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) K-3 Shahrzad, a little girl with black corkscrew hair, beetling brows, and a trusty scooter, likes stories. She seeks them out and tucks them away. One day she hears about a king in a distant land whose personal sorrows have turned him into a tyrant. This is her moment. Piloting her own plane, she travels to a land of minarets and onion domes and finds this sad and angry king isolated in his palace, grieving and oppressing his people. Day after day she tells him stories until she senses that he is ready to hear his own tale reflected back to him with understanding, sympathy, and a nudge toward a change of heart. This wise and witty riff on the Scheherazade framing tale of The Arabian Nights merges everyday and fairy-tale worlds, with respect for the traditional job of folklore to encourage us to shape up and fly right. The pictures are energetic, with a wide-ranging cast of characters, cheeky humor (Shahrzad gets in some thinking time while sitting on the toilet), and Chagall-like warmth and exuberance. A dark undertone and contemporary political resonance are there for those who are ready for it, but for everyone it's an original contribution to picture books about smart girls who save the world.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) PS "Dad...? Tell me a story!" Part parent-child bonding tale, part collaborative storytelling exercise, part interactive Mad Libs–esque game, this picture book stars an enthusiastic, if particular, story-loving child and a flexibly imaginative father. When Dad begins with "Once upon a time," the child calls him out on it; that's been done. Instead, the kid wants "a NEW story," and one starring a lion. The father gamely starts again, but he doesn't get far. First his big cat is too big ("'His foot is bigger than this couch.' 'The lion doesn't have to be sooo big'"), then too small, then its name (Fred) is deemed unworthy. Dad's solution is for them to make up the story together, at which point Kramer incorporates fill-in-the-blank lines into the cleverly designed pages: "Right now, at this exact moment in time, there is a not-so-big, not-so-little lion named [blank]." Details of the creature's subsequent adventures are determined by readers, with imagery in the sunny-hued, mixed-media illustrations depicting an outer-space voyage, but with room for narrative variety. On the last page, father, child, and a now-PJ-clad lion crowd onto the couch, with the promise of more tales to come--or slightly different versions of this one.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tonya Engel. Zoe loves baking cinnamon-swirl bread with her grandmother. As Grandma kneads the dough with a "push and pull," she recalls how her own mother taught her to make bread. When Zoe tries kneading, however, the dough bunches up and sticks to her hands; Zoe wonders "if they will ever move" like her grandmother's. Standing behind her, Grandma places her hands on top of Zoe's and guides the kneading "until it's just right." Engel's (Your Legacy, rev. 1/22) highly textured illustrations, with deep, rich colors, capture the closeness of the intergenerational bond described by Lyons (Dream Builder, rev. 3/20). While the dough rises, grandmother and granddaughter "sit and talk. [Grandma's] hands tell a story if you listen." The following double-page spread shows Grandma's lined palms and fingers up-close, labeled with different identities, including "teacher," "planter," and, most prominently, "mother." As Grandma talks about her own life, Zoe wonders where her own hands will go and what stories they will tell. Baking and reminiscing with Grandma help Zoe see the power and potential she holds in her own hands. A fine companion to Bingham's Soul Food Sunday (rev. 11/21), this story spreads joy like a dusting of flour on a freshly baked loaf.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by James E. Ransome. This picture-book biography of writer Toni Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford), by the team behind Freedom Bird (rev. 1/20), pays homage to its renowned subject and the wondrous power of storytelling. In childhood, Morrison was a listener, relishing the stories and music shared by her parents and grandparents. She was also an avid reader and continued to read more and more, "feeding a hunger that would never end." After attending college and graduate school and a brief teaching career, she began working as an editor in New York, at which time she started to write, publishing many books and winning awards for her stories about the lives of Black people in America. Nolen emphasizes Morrison's uncanny gift for storytelling ("She could look beyond things as they were and see a greater vision") and celebrates her not only as a brilliant writer but also as an inspiration to others. The straightforward main narrative is appealingly accompanied by words floating at the tops of pages in a storyteller's voice ("I'm telling you, that girl was magic"). Ransome's expressive watercolor and collage illustrations, delivered as mostly double-page spreads, are perfectly matched to the text and especially compelling in conveying a sense of Morrison's profound legacy. Back matter includes an author's note, a bibliography, important quotes, and a list of select achievements.

Reviewer: Pauletta Brown Bracy | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 Translated by Antony Shugaar. Illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna. "Once upon a time, there was a girl who was called Little Yellow Riding Hood." "No, red!" "...Her mother said: Now go to Aunt Hildegard's house and take her this potato peel." "No, it's: Go to your grandmother's house and bring her this warm loaf of bread." Here is a humorous story of a grandfather retelling "Little Red Riding Hood" to his granddaughter, and telling it hilariously wrong. The child keeps correcting him, but it doesn't seem to get him back on track. And why bother? Anyone who reads this book will see that the heart of storytelling with children is not the accurate retelling of plot but rather the connection and creative interaction between adult and child. Alemagna's (Never, Not Ever!, rev. 9/21) well-composed and multilayered mixed-media illustrations cleverly support the transition between the two speakers, as the narrative is related solely through dialogue; thought bubbles amusingly show the very different stories unfolding in each of the character's heads. Young readers already familiar with "Little Red Riding Hood" may enjoy this story most, but it will be great fun for all, nonetheless.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) 4-6 After her mother dies in a tragic accident, twelve-year-old Kela Boxhill becomes a shell of her former self. She pushes away her father, her best friend, and her vibrant Caribbean community of St. Rita. She neglects her artistic ambitions because her creative activities remind her of the storyteller mother she's lost. One day, while searching for sea glass on the beach, Kela finds a magical comb belonging to the mermaid Ophidia. Desperate to retrieve the comb because its magical power keeps her young, Ophidia offers Kela a wish. But magic always comes at a price. Kela's wish to bring her mother back has unexpected consequences, and well-meaning adults prevent her from immediately returning the comb as promised, which incites the mermaid's wrath. As the island faces potential devastation from a hurricane caused by Ophidia's rage, Kela must figure out how to appease the vengeful mermaid while also protecting her loved ones, her community, and herself. The story is imbued with magic, but Stringfellow's powerful writing makes the fantastical feel like reality. Through narrative perspectives centering both Kela and Ophidia, the author recalls the call-and-response structure prevalent in Black storytelling traditions. Fans of Baptiste's The Jumbies and Rhodes's Bayou Magic will enjoy spending time with Kela as she navigates a journey filled with grief, love, loss, and discovery.

Reviewer: S. R. Toliver | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tiffany Rose. Gregarious Abdul loves to tell stories to his classmates--as long as he does not have to write them down. Letters are confusing, and figuring out how to spell words is frustrating. Not to mention that the books he reads at school do not feature people who look like him or the people in his neighborhood: "Some stories are for books, Abdul decided, but not his." Then an author named Mr. Muhammad comes to visit his class. By encouraging the boy to focus on his ideas instead of on mechanics, Mr. ­Muhammad helps Abdul to unleash the writer inside of him. Abdul, who is Black and Muslim, is a relatable character not typically represented in similar narratives, and Mr. Muhammad, who is also Black, Muslim, and neurodivergent, offers encouragement as the caring adult who has learned to manage his own writing challenges. This is a story within a story, not just about the tales Abdul wants to write but also about his journey as a learner; exploring the topic of learning disabilities can be challenging, especially the social-emotional fallout for children who are struggling, but Thompkins-Bigelow accomplishes the task. Rose's lively and colorful illustrations are eye-pleasing and showcase diversity. This is an engaging story that not only offers empowerment but also models understanding and acceptance of learning differences.

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 DeGroat gently subverts conventional storytelling and notions of heroism throughout this playful work of picture-book metafiction. The action begins on the title page when young Henry plops down next to his dog to read his copy of The Adventures of Robo-Kid. The comic's intentionally clichéd conflict is quickly resolved by its robotic ­protagonist. A series of double-page spreads then cleverly depicts two parallel story lines. Henry in the real world nervously prepares for a swim lesson. In the comic-book world, Robo-Kid, or Roby, drops the persona and heads home for lunch. Roby's discontent with the ­predictable superhero life leads the robot to ­literally escape the comic book, ­breaking the fourth wall (and panel border) between the super-heroic and real worlds. Although pint-sized and powerless in Henry's world, Roby agrees to help the hesitant boy with his swim lesson. But it's Henry who becomes the story's unlikely hero after Roby tumbles into the pool's deep end and Henry jumps in to rescue his new friend. Clear visual storytelling will help readers follow the narrative, thanks particularly to the largely horizontal panel layout and distinct illustration styles between the two settings. Subtle visual details, such as similarities between Roby's and Henry's rooms and families, strengthen the connection between the two protagonists and will reward multiple readings.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) YA When a solar flare knocks Halley's Comet off course and sends it hurtling toward Earth, a small group of citizens is selected to leave the planet and colonize a new one to ensure humanity's survival. Once onboard, the citizens are put in suspended animation for the four-century journey to the new planet, Sagan. When twelve-year-old Petra Peña wakes up, however, she learns that a cult-like group, The Collective, has taken over the ship, "purging" citizens who fail to comply and erasing all memory of Earth and its diverse inhabitants. As an aspiring storyteller and one of the only people who remembers life before The Collective, Petra must rely on her Mexican storytelling heritage to protect the remaining humans from the fate of living life as Collective drones. She follows in her grandmother's footsteps to become a cuentista, using storytelling to save humanity and remind her companions of the histories that were taken from them. Through The Collective, Higuera chillingly foregrounds seemingly benign attempts to eliminate violence and war via the homogenization of humanity. Through Petra, she effectively showcases how cultural memory, familial bonds, and story are essential to the progression of society, and how cultural difference is indispensable now and in the future.

Reviewer: S. R. Toliver | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Hadley Hooper. In an inviting second-person, present-tense voice, Hopkinson (Butterflies Belong Here, rev. 1/21; We Must Not Forget, rev. 3/21) captures a writer's struggle to kick-start a narrative: "You arrive with a pencil or two" as well as "all the invisible things that make you...you." Hooper (Two Brothers, Four Hands, rev. 3/19; The Elephants Come Home, rev. 7/21) depicts a child who comes in from the snow to a cozy interior and promptly sits down at a table by the window to write--but nothing comes. Frustrated, the child falls prey to distractions (reading favorite books, chomping on cookies). Suddenly, from the window the child spots a chickadee, determinedly working to feed itself by plucking seeds from a feeder. The writer, feeling encouraged, understands that it's time to return to the empty page. Just as the bird patiently worked seed by seed, with great concentration, writers must start by focusing on merely "one word. And then another." Hooper's illustrations in a wintry palette of cool blues capture the child's lively facial expressions and ever-changing body language. In one striking spread, she brings readers an inverted view of the chickadee; it hangs upside down from the feeder, but we see it right-side up, so the image of the child watching from the window is flipped. Hopkinson's story about a story, which closes with a writing prompt (about a chickadee, no less) is genuinely inspiring, a tutorial on writer's block that never patronizes the child readers at whom it's aimed.

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

(1) K-3 Liniers (The Big Wet Balloon, rev. 9/13; Good Night, Planet, rev. 1/18) presents a charming celebration of nature, siblinghood, and imaginative play. As three sisters play together on a mysterious island (their backyard), they encounter a plane crash, a tiny gorilla, talking flowers, a dragon, and more. The dragon isn't vanquished until the magic of play is ­broken by a voice calling the girls in for dinner. ("Only ­reality can kill a dragon.") As the children run inside, visuals of their scattered playthings reveal the everyday toys and crafts that inspired their creative ideas. A smiley-faced flower in the final spread hints to readers that there might be more mystery in the world than we suspect. Liniers has a strong command of ink and watercolors, as well as of the comics medium, effectively employing panel sizes, close-ups, and layouts to build suspense and pace readers through the thrilling but never-too-scary adventures. Short sentences, repetition, and numbered pages offer additional support for beginning readers, à la Abby Hanlon's Dory ­Fantasmagory (2014). The sibling relationship is delineated with care and realism; the sisters enjoy the freedom of storytelling and look to one another for guidance as they build on--and sometimes disagree with--various narrative ideas. ("Giraffes don't growl! And we already have a tiny animal.") Endpapers show the characters featured amongst wildflowers in what resembles a spread from a field guide.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) YA This original and suspenseful fantasy explores perceptions and understandings of space, time, identity, environmentalism, communication, and "the rightness of home." Nina, a human, is determined to translate a haunting Spanish and Lipan Apache oral story passed down by her late great-great-grandmother. Oli, a cottonmouth snake and animal person from the "world of spirits of monsters," will do anything to save his toad friend Ami, who has become ill because his Earth equivalent species is near extinction. Nina's and Oli's worlds are connected; a portal between them has something to do with a "pseudosun" in Oli's Reflecting World and temperature and magnetic anomalies on Nina's family land. The two characters eventually unite and together deal with a trickster mockingbird; an untrustworthy internet influencer; severe weather; and the threat of violent, cultish followers of a power-hungry "King" (a.k.a. "the Nightmare") who aims to be the only immortal left on Earth. They also use magic and learn why Nina's grandmother's health mysteriously declines whenever she leaves the family's land. Chapters alternate in voice and perspective, with the characters' worlds skillfully delineated and stories masterfully woven together. Modern dialogue, which offers further depth to characterization, intermingles with elements of traditional storytelling and family history, creating an imaginative and multilayered work of speculative fiction.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) YA Every full moon, the demon Erlking and his ­hunters and hellhounds roam freely, claiming the souls of humans and killing magical creatures for sport. On one such night, eighteen-year-old miller's daughter Serilda saves two of the Erlking's potential victims and convinces the demon that she has been "god-blessed" with the gift of spinning straw into gold. (Actually, she has the gift of telling stories, which she does throughout the book, eventually unraveling one of its central ­mysteries.) During the next several full moons, the Erlking forces her to spin gold for him at his castle, where an enigmatic boy named Gild helps her by turning the straw into gold--for a price. This "Rumpelstiltskin" reimagining is rich in worldbuilding, including German-influenced settings and names; relatable heroine Serilda and the cast of supporting characters are equally well drawn. It's an engrossing (if somewhat overlong) tale of curses, unlikely romance, and family loss revolving around the art of storytelling and its mix of truths and lies. Known for her fairy-tale retellings (Cinder, rev. 1/12, and sequels), Meyer here weaves a significantly grimmer, more violent story--including the murders of several children, the descriptions of which are heartrending and gruesome. However, thanks to the book's tantalizingly open ending, readers are left with hope for justice in the duology's promised ­conclusion.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022