(2) PS A child and her abuela are walking in the snow when they discover an injured bird. They bring the bird home, and Abuela nurses it back to health. The bird has a cage, but Abuela lets it fly through the apartment as it recovers, to the child's (and the reader's) delight. When the creature is healed, Abuela sends it off to fly free, and it disappears into the clouds above the city. In the spring, the bird returns; the child wants to keep it, but Abuela says it should remain free but is welcome to visit whenever it wants. Spare, simple, first-person text, narrated from the child's point of view, leaves room for the sweet, collage-like illustrations to pull readers' attention into the story and hold them in this magical space. The illustrations exude the warmth and coziness of a dear relationship between a young child and loving caregiver, and this cherished relationship is enhanced by the new friend they make together. A combination of neutral and bright colors in the art creates eye-catching layers, while the straight lines of rooms and buildings balance the rounded shapes of the characters. The small yellow bird brightens up their apartment in the city, and Abuela's gentle lessons through her actions and words are easily inferred. Published concurrently in Spanish as Un pájaro en casa.

Reviewer: Autumn Allen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Hadley Hooper. On the first page of this moving true story, readers meet tenderhearted couple Lawrence and Françoise, who stand poised to greet them. They live on Thula Thula, a sprawling South African wildlife sanctuary, on which also roam rhinos, zebra, crocodiles, and more. When Lawrence is asked if he wants to adopt a herd of angry elephants, previously hunted, he accepts. The story chronicles in riveting detail the elephants' arrival; their learning curve in adjusting to Thula Thula; their eventual acceptance of life at the preserve; and their special bond with Lawrence. Their connection is such that upon his death the elephants, sensing his absence, head to his home and camp there for three days to be with Françoise. (Have tissues handy.) The story's flawless, gentle pacing illuminates the animals' initial fear and the time, patience, and compassion it takes for attentive Lawrence to earn their trust. He talks to them, sings to them, and even tells them stories--all details sure to delight readers. Hooper fills the pages with saturated, eye-catching teal, copper, and emerald hues. Shades of rich blue and soft rose heighten the story's emotional impact, particularly the loss of Lawrence. An appended note assures readers that the elephants continue to thrive at Thula Thula.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(3) 4-6 In this lively, photo-packed offering, wildlife veterinarian (and eco-fashion model) Wild does more than discuss her work traveling the world to care for animals. Organized by continent, this book features profiles of over eighty species; each entry includes brief facts about an animal's habitat, behavior, diet, and threats, as well as text boxes with details about its care and "Gabby Says" anecdotes. The text also touches on geography, conservation efforts, and different cultural attitudes toward wildlife. Tips for vet training, list of wildlife conservation organizations, an extensive glossary, and an index conclude the volume.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 In this fourth book about a vulnerable keystone species (If Sharks Disappeared and others), Williams envisions the devastating impact of a mass bee extinction. The presentation opens in the verdant hills of Kent, England, where the color-saturated illustrations feature an adult and two kids (one white, one Black) tending a garden. These characters appear throughout as Williams provides a general overview of bee physiology, behavior, reproduction, and hive culture before focusing on currents threats to the species and the projected "unraveling effect" on crops, other species, and more. The friendly illustrations help to deliver Williams's urgent message effectively. More about threats, tips on how to help, a glossary, and a bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) PS Illustrated by Karen Patkau. In this story set on the savanna (an author's note refers to South Africa), young Tetenya and his mother have been caring for an orphaned baby rhino. They have had no success finding a herd for baby Faru to join, so Tetenya sets out with Faru to look further. The story follows classic-picture-book structure for a while, with a refrain as they come across different types of animals, "but no rhinos." Sound effects add to the atmosphere, as the pair encounters, for example, "giraffes gliding through the long grass...SWISH SWISH SWISH" and "a family of guinea fowl scrounging for seeds...SCRITCH SCRITCH SCRITCH." The details give a strong sense of place, as child and rhino eat bright pink water berries for lunch and fall asleep under a Jackalberry tree--but the calm and playful interlude is suddenly interrupted by machete-wielding poachers. Tetenya thinks quickly to figure out a way of using the berries to save Faru, and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion. Patkau's digital illustrations use shadows, reflections, and bright colors against the greens and browns of the savanna to make the figures pop. The presence of an armed ranger guarding the rhinos underscores the reality of protecting creatures from poachers, as described in an appended note. But it is the warm relationship between Tetenya and Faru, and the young boy's bravery, that children will most likely remember.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(3) 4-6 True Tales of Rescue series. Photographs by Shelly Ross. The rescue stories of four orphaned raccoon kits and an injured anteater pup are used to spotlight the work of two animal sanctuaries in these series entries. Accessible text, engaging photographs, and frequent informational sidebars allow readers to shadow the volunteer caregivers as they work toward the ultimate goal: releasing the animals back into the wild. One of the young creatures "narrates" part of each book. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these True Tales of Rescue titles: Anteater Adventure and Racoon Rescue.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 True Tales of Rescue series. Photographs by Ella Baron. The rescue stories of four orphaned raccoon kits and an injured anteater pup are used to spotlight the work of two animal sanctuaries in these series entries. Accessible text, engaging photographs, and frequent informational sidebars allow readers to shadow the volunteer caregivers as they work toward the ultimate goal: releasing the animals back into the wild. One of the young creatures "narrates" part of each book. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these True Tales of Rescue titles: Anteater Adventure and Racoon Rescue.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Salerno. Born Velma Bronn Johnston, "Wild Horse Annie" grows up watching her father tame mustangs. In 1971, adult Annie, with help from schoolchildren petitioning legislators, wins federal protection for wild horses. The text makes good use of anecdotes and quotes to capture Annie's personality and convey her personal challenges (including polio). Fluid, cartoonlike illustrations depict Annie's energy and subtly suggest her lifelong disability. Bib.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) K-3 In this dramatic wordless tale, a commercial fisherman and (presumably) his son fish with a large net. When the boy notices their lines have entangled a whale, the father dives in to free the creature. Lanan's watercolor and gouache paintings are expansive and cinematic; mostly full-bleed spreads place readers at the center of the action. An afterword provides more information on whale entanglement and human-caused environmental damage.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) K-3 When a newborn black rhinoceros is abandoned in a Kenyan rhino sanctuary in 1985, conservationist Anna Merz steps in to rescue and raise the baby she names Samia. Meisel's heartening account of their relationship--"best friends forever"--is based on a chapter from Merz's adult book Rhino: At the Brink of Extinction. The narrative focuses on Samia's early years, as Anna balances her affection for the rhino with her knowledge that Samia will eventually need to survive in the wild on her own. (A recurring refrain is a version of: "One day, thought Anna, you'll be able to live on your own. But not now.") Anna provides Samia with food, shelter, and companionship but also trains her to track other animals and find her own food outside the compound, and checks that she is able to communicate with other rhinos. Antics ensue, as the increasingly hefty (and very smart) Samia tries to join Anna in her car and home (and bathtub), once even getting stuck in a dining-room doorway. Their bond lasts beyond Samia's return to the wild. Meisel's art clearly transmits human and rhino personalities, and beautifully portrays the vast Kenyan environments with depth and layering of rocks, plants, and animals in the complex landscapes. Two pages of endnotes summarize Merz's adventurous life and provide facts about black rhinos.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2020

(2) 4-6 Patent chronicles the Australian and Tasmanian governments' attempts to save Tasmanian devils from a fast-spreading, almost one-hundred-percent fatal disease propelling the species toward rapid extinction. After outlining the causes of the disease (with clear diagrams and photographs of chromosome abnormalities) and the scientific research, Patent takes readers to several devil sanctuaries, nature preserves, and labs to observe the progress being made in both reintroduction programs and vaccines, carefully explaining their methodologies. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old December, who unwaveringly believes she will fly, is changing foster houses. Again. But maybe new foster mother Eleanor's house will be different. December befriends a classmate in gender transition, withstands mean-girl abuse, and reluctantly grows to depend on Eleanor, who offers her space without expectation. December's complicated bird-identity coping strategy feels genuinely childlike, and Stark-McGinnis weaves it through the story with such consistency that it makes equal sense to readers.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) K-3 This accessible series (If Sharks Disappeared; If Polar Bears Disappeared) examines the projected impacts of removing a single prominent, vulnerable species from an ecosystem. Williams explains that the African forest elephant is a keystone species in the Congo Basin, as the distances they travel--and their poop--help spread plant seeds throughout the forests. The richly colored, cartoony illustrations on each double-page spread creatively alternate perspectives. Appended notes provide more details on threats to all elephant species, as well as steps readers can take to help. Websites. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) 4-6 True Tales of Rescue series. Photographs by Phil Melzer, Donna Stepan, and Jacky Ling. Ostensibly welcoming a new rescue to a real wombat sanctuary in Australia, two-year-old orphaned wombat Chance "narrates" this introduction to the species and to wombat rehabilitation. Plenty of engaging photos and a friendly design make for an accessible presentation. An author's note, three questions for photographer and wombat rehabilitator Stepan, and suggested resources are appended. Websites. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 In 1925 Toronto, a gentle circus lion is thrown from a train and holes up in High Park. Clever, compassionate baker's daughter Sadie and her friend Theo Junior discover and care for the lion until they can find him a permanent home. Fagan's story is full of quiet humor, nostalgia, and a touch of wistfulness that lends realism to the fantastical premise.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie. In this British import, Izzy Gizmo loves to invent but does not handle malfunctions well--until her cheerleading grandfather and an injured crow teach her perseverance. Jones's rhyming text is competent, and Ogilvie's brightly colored, hilariously detailed illustrations (which depict Izzy with brown skin and curly hair) are absolutely charming. With their varied angles and overall skillfulness, they amplify the story's depth, humor, and drama.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) 4-6 Brought back from the edge of extinction in the twentieth century, white rhinoceroses are once again being hunted, now for their horns. Markle details conservation efforts with a sense of optimism, despite the current grim situation. The text, which also includes information about rhinos' anatomy, habitat, and behavior, is brought to life with many large, clear photos. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(2) PS Illustrated by Daniel Rieley. After an oil spill, well-meaning offstage "Big Boots" try outfitting penguins with sweaters to protect them. The be-sweatered penguins look adorable in Rieley's crisp-lined, ice-cool-colored mixed-media art. But as Tamura's author's note explains, sweaters are almost as bad for penguins as spilled oil. The last pages of this gentle cautionary tale hint at this point: beware the easy fix, even when the fix is unbelievably cute.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by François Thisdale. After Uncle scares cousins Tom and Will with the story of the Windigo (known to Anishinaabe peoples as the night spirit of winter), they follow what they think are its tracks; instead they find a young moose trapped in the snow and help to free it. Subdued-color art with hidden animal tracks evokes the dark, north-country winter setting in this not-too-scary Anishinaabe tale of respect for nature.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Sharee Miller. With Nancy Ohlin. African American girl Shai learns more lessons about life and friendship, supported by her performing-arts-school friends and loving family. In Pants, Shai is determined her tap routine will win a dance competition; Shai and bestie Emmie prep for a fundraising concert in Rescue. The plots and illustrations aren't anything outstanding, but they're satisfying and feature lots of cultural markers and appealing details for performance-loving readers. Review covers these titles: Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants! and Shai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue!

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester