(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kyle Reed. “While you slurp up some soup...a butterfly gulps turtle tears.” Contrasts between the way children and animals eat are presented using humor. Most of the animals are commonly known, but their unusual eating habits might come as a surprise. For example, readers will learn that crocodiles eat rocks to aid their digestion. The comical and brightly colored illustrations showcase diverse families. The text also explains the differences between carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. A suggested reading list is appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(3) K-3 Right-facing pages show photos of baby zoo animals; in the accompanying text, the animals introduce themselves and one of their identifying features (stripes for a baby tapir; stumpy horns for a rhino). Turn the page to see how that baby grows and changes when they get “BIG.” Like other ZooBorns books, this one has a clean layout, suitably adorable photos, and friendly text; closing pages provide additional information about each of the animals and their species’ conservation status.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Worm acknowledges very early on that he can’t actually make a sandwich -- he is a small worm without hands, after all. What Worm can do, and with great enthusiasm, is eat garbage and poop it out to make a nutritious base for dirt in the garden that will grow vegetables for the promised sandwich. The lone human child in the story constructs a compost bin and fills it with plant-based food scraps, while Worm makes eye contact to ask for our patience and shares his favorite dirt recipe: “a little of this, a little of that, and compost.” We watch as the seeds for future-lunch are planted and slowly grow, while Worm’s refrain of “I’m sorry, but the [garbage / dirt / poop] is not for your sandwich” tamps down expectations of eating anytime soon. Under midsummer storm–darkened skies, Worm’s doubts set in: “GUUHHHHH!...Why did you ask a worm to make you a sandwich in the first place?” Then the sky clears, and the star of summer (and lunch) emerges on the vine: a ripe, round tomato. This ode to compost is neither preachy nor grody, and Worm is such a charming guide to the growing season that it’s easy to forget he didn’t actually prepare any sandwiches. Lush, cheerful watercolor and pencil illustrations are complex but not busy, and plants and critters are labeled with hand-drawn lettering. Back matter explains the nuts and bolts of composting.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Cristóbal Schmal. Introducing the evolution of life on Earth in sixty-four pages is like eating a metaphorical elephant: one takes it one bite at a time. Hanaor’s bites start be-fore the Big Bang and conclude with a speculative future. ­Chronological events appear as captions in the graphic novel–style ­panels, sometimes covering long periods of time: “Very slowly over billions of years, the tiny cells gradually changed, becoming more efficient at living in their environment. This is called EVOLUTION. They begin to make fuel from the sun, releasing waste gas back into the air. This process is called PHOTOSYNTHESIS. The waste gas is called OXYGEN.” The captioning continues, with panels and some ­single-page ­illustrations; full-bleed double-page spreads break this flow to signal pivotal events such as the K-T extinction. Schmal’s eye-catching illustrations, with the look of watercolor, ink, and collage, mirror the narrative. Hanaor clearly states that there is much we do not know, both about these specific events and about early plants and ­animals, a theme reflected beautifully in the pictures -- many suggest, rather than ­identify, early life forms, and in one case an illustration shows six upright mammals, creating an evolutionary chain from apes to humans. The work concludes with a certainty: in the future, as in the past, there will be change. A solid chronological overview.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stephanie Laberis. Part one of this book about animal play introduces play activities that have a purpose, such as hyenas having a tug-of-war to strengthen their jaws and otters “juggling” rocks to increase dexterity. Part two is about animal play that is just for fun, such as sledding ravens and body-surfing saltwater crocodiles. The text is informative and fascinating (who knew orangutans played dress-up?); the complementary digital illustrations, in mainly muted colors, show a variety of animals having a great time. A glossary and bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) K-3 Tiny Habitats series. This informative picture book describes how a bison’s “steamy poo pile” becomes an important part of a prairie ecosystem. Over the course of a year, insects eat and lay eggs inside it; toads, turtles, and birds come to eat the bugs; flowers and grasses grow in the enriched soil. In the spring, a poo pile from a baby bison begins the cycle anew. Mixed-media illustrations depict the variety of life on the prairie; speech bubbles add personality (“Mmm, these roots are tangy!” muses a munching prairie dog). More background, a bibliography, and further reading are appended.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 Tiny Habitats series. Hevron’s (Sunken Ship, rev. 9/24) latest foray takes readers to a South American rainforest, where her focus is the “freshwater pools [that form] among the leaves of a bromeliad” (a flowering plant) -- specifically, the many species that thrive in that habitat over a year. At the start of the rainy season, a tree frog “get[s] this party started!” by laying her eggs in the collected rainwater. Algae and microbes flourish amidst decomposing leaves. Parakeets leave droppings, which are “party snacks” for mosquitoes. The brief sensory-rich text brims with pertinent information; the friendly-looking species that live in or visit the pool add comments via speech bubbles in the lively mixed-media art, enhancing the humor and child appeal. During the dry season, the palette shifts from the rainy months’ bright colors to more subdued brown tones infusing the flora. “The sky-high pool party [stays] in full swing” with a baby boa, lion tamarins, and howler monkeys among the attendees. When the bromeliad’s “one and only flower” blooms, pollinators show up. The cycle begins again with a new rainy season and “a new generation of bromeliad pups.” An author’s note provides more in-formation about bromeliad pools and the importance of protecting threatened South American rainforests. Suggested reading and selected sources are also appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2025

(3) K-3 Stunning nature photography and interesting animal facts make this a compelling title. More than thirty exotic creatures are profiled, with the animals grouped according to their diets: carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, and scavengers. Each profile lists an animal’s classification, habitat, size, and foods, along with the sounds it makes and how many babies it has at a time. Hughes also includes thought-provoking questions throughout. Related activities, a glossary, and additional resources are appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(3) K-3 Magnificent Creatures series. This guide to animals found in the Mediterranean provides interesting facts about each one. For example, children will learn that striped dolphins can swim as fast as twenty-three miles per hour, and the mauve stinger jellyfish glows in the dark. Stunning nature photographs of creatures such as loggerhead turtles and purple sea urchins add visual interest. Difficult words for beginning readers are spelled out phonetically. Sources for further reading and a glossary are appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(4) K-3 Magnificent Creatures series. Readers will learn about the dumbo octopus, blue sea stars, and giant clams, among many other animals of the Pacific in this entry (a revised version of Water Planet: Life in the Pacific Ocean). Orr also gives information about the ocean itself including its average depth. Some challenging words (endangered and tentacle) are spelled out phonetically, but others (Galápagos) are not. The text is enhanced by vibrant nature photography. The shot of the humphead wrasse is particularly impressive. Sources for additional information and a glossary are appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Bindy James. Two small, inquisitive fish explore a whale fall (a sunken whale carcass that forms its own ecosystem) as if it were a haunted house where marine visitors become scary creatures gliding in and out of the whale bones. On seeing green, willowy tentacles, they ask, “Is it smoke from a witch’s cauldron? Is it the reaching arm of a ghost?” and then realize, “It’s the slime of a snake-like hag-fish!” A factual callout adds, “The slippery hagfish has no bones. Its skeleton consists entirely of rubbery cartilage. It burrows into its food with rows of hidden, razor-sharp teeth.” The two fish similarly encounter an array of sea creatures such as octopuses, a vampire squid, and Osedax worms. We learn through their observations that, over time, the decaying bones completely ­disappear. Slate entices readers and listeners with just the right amount of spookiness while ­presenting facts about whale falls. James’s digital illustrations complement the text, creating a world of creatures with sharp teeth and scary tentacles that’s tempered by a palette of bright colors against deep blue backgrounds. Back matter gives more information about whale falls and the ocean’s midnight zone. An informative introduction to lesser-known facts about whale falls (see also Stewart’s Whale Fall, rev. 1/23, and Brunelle’s Life After Whale, rev. 5/24).

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Jason Chin. As a ninety-year-old blue whale dies, one story ends and another begins. Her body provides food for other creatures before it gradually descends to the depths of the ocean floor. But it doesn't stop there: her body will sustain life of one kind or another for the next few hundred years. Small marine animals, from fish to crabs to octopuses, pick the skeleton bare before another wave of animals moves in. Eventually, rich nutrients seep into the water, and that water is carried to the surface, where it nourishes krill, the major food source for blue whales. Brunelle's engaging voice strikes the right balance between narration and exposition, while the book design adroitly places her text judiciously across double-page spreads and into sidebar columns. Chin's (The Universe in You, rev. 1/23) always-exquisite watercolors thus dominate the layouts in a variety of double-page spreads, spot illustrations, and thumbnails -- even as supplemental maps, models, and cross-sections effortlessly convey complex visual information. Back matter includes more information about blue whales, marine ecosystems, and the four distinct phases of a whale fall. Recommended resources and a select bibliography are appended as well. Dedicated enthusiasts may also want to seek out Stewart and Dunlavey's Whale Fall (rev. 1/23).

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. Much like superheroes, some animal species have remarkable abilities. The ten featured species with "superpowers" have notable adaptations that help them to survive. These creatures are indeed impressive, and the book's format enhances the drama: after each animal is introduced, a page-turn reveals the superpower and how it benefits that animal. Examples include Turritopsis jellyfish, which possess "immortality" (they can reset their life cycle in response to injury); mountain-dwelling ibex, which survive by "defying gravity" in their ability to scale sheer cliffs; snapping shrimp, which can produce a bubble that, when popped, resonates at a decibel level that can kill their prey; and dogs, with their "super sniffers" that can help rescue humans and detect dangerous chemicals. Preston-Gannon's colorful illustrations capture the essential details of each species and their environments. The end notes proclaim that "action is your superpower!" and show the impact humans have on each of the featured species.

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

(2) K-3 From a red cabin in a forest, the young protagonist calls for her dog. "Peppermint! Where is that pesky pup? I'm going out to look for Peppermint! You come too." In the panel-style illustrations that follow, the girl takes readers on a tour of her favorite features of the forest, while the cagey Peppermint comments from a circle inset on each spread. When there are reminiscences (about the time, for instance, when Peppermint came home with a snout full of porcupine quills), the action appears as childlike drawings in the girl's sketchbook (Peppermint: "Maybe not my finest hour"). A mix of the informative and the homey, the narration encompasses elements of history and geology (how millennia earlier, glaciers dropped erratic boulders), botany, zoology (the time a coyote chased them home and they later returned to find its den), and folk wisdom (how to make a whistle out of an acorn cupule), in a visually inviting and intellectually stimulating way. When the naughty Peppermint is at last reunited with her owner, they're rewarded with one of the girl's life-list ambitions: the sight of an elusive fisher regarding them silently from high in a tree. The back matter includes a note from the author about his home and a map showing the Adirondack Mountains, sidebars about porcupines and fishers, and a list of "a few good forest books."

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(3) K-3 “Every creature on Earth has its own special qualities. That is why it is so important we treasure all of them.” The text goes on to describe the unusual characteristics of twenty-two little-known animals and insects, from the limb-regenerating axolotl to the slime-releasing hagfish to the gliding colugo. Each critter gets a spread with vivid full-page illustrations, as well as graphic novel–style drawings, that break down the specifics of each animal’s “curiosity.” Animal aficionados are likely to learn something new about the variety of life on our planet. A “Did You Spot?” section that calls out additional creatures from the illustrations and glossary are appended.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) K-3 In 1733 a hurricane wrecks a Spanish galleon, which then sinks to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea and begins to serve as an artificial reef. Hevron's account of the transformation from shipwreck to coral reef steps across the years, decades, and centuries to the present day. In "year 1," the ship is food, shelter, and a sturdy resting place for organisms with entertaining names such as piddocks, gribbles, and sea lettuce and to the coral larvae that begin to multiply. By "year 10" the ship has become an "underwater nursery" for blue tangs, damselfish, and lobsters, while the coral continues to grow. Numerous aquatic species continue to proliferate over the centuries, as the ship itself decomposes and disappears into the sand. Hevron's textured wood-grain digital collages are a natural choice to represent not only the wooden ship but also the movements of ocean currents and the swirling sands of the sea floor. In the foreground, the colorful animals that compose the "rainbow of reef life" take on human expressions with their cartoonlike eyes and add humor with jokes in speech bubbles. End notes explain more about artificial reefs and provide additional sources and resources.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Natasha Donovan. Hocker reminds readers that there is more to nature than a casual glance affords. When a group of child and adult hikers discovers an animal skull, they are prompted to consider what they can deduce from examining it, for this natural relic has a story to tell. "A skull speaks in arches and ridges and caverns of bones. It speaks in teeth and cracks, and holes into, and holes through. It says: I was." Readers turn the page and examine the skull (enlarged from the previous page's illustration), noting the two large openings where eyes once were, eyes that defined this creature as a "watcher." Donovan's full-bleed digital art on the next double-page spread depicts a lynx spotting a rabbit while hunting at twilight. This pattern continues, introducing a deer, a beaver, a hummingbird, a wolf, and an owl: shades of blue outlined in black display each animal's skull, text describes a prominent feature, and the animal is seen in its habitat employing this feature. Extensive back matter utilizes both text and a labeled illustration of a human skull to define features such as orbits, the cranium, and the mandible; additional attributes of the six skulls discussed in the main text; and resources for further inquiry. Once readers catch on to the unusual device of narrators being a succession of animal skulls, the text flows smoothly, and both the facts presented and the plea to appreciate the multiple ways nature speaks to us are clear.

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

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Heather Wilson. Kaner and Wilson use humor to teach children how twelve animals eat. As a biracial family sits down for lunch, the narrator urges the kids not to behave like animals. For example, “never taste your salad with your feet like a butterfly.” Wilson’s digitally created illustrations with “hand-painted texture details” add to the entertainment. The text can be wordy at times but should hold the interest of animal enthusiasts. A list of additional animal facts is appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(1) K-3 A figure stands on the edge of a boat (on the title-page spread) and then dives into the sea, a luminous, full moon shining brightly in the background. Once in the sea, the diver's headlamp leads the way. At a coral reef, "batfish and triggerfish find safe places to rest at night in the holes, caves, and cracks...a reef is like an underwater hotel." We learn that parrotfish make a sleeping bag like "gooey cocoon" constructed from mucus they produce in their glands. When the diver dares to turn off the headlamp, bioluminescent plankton appear like "a constellation of stars." Lu guides readers on a journey revealing a variety of life thriving in a wondrous world. The evocative mixed-media illustrations, mostly rendered in grays with sprinklings of color, leave readers with the distinct feeling of being in unfamiliar territory. The book is bound horizontally; rather than left and right pages, spreads are composed of pages above and below the gutter, creating a below-the-surface perspective. The innovative bookmaking also features heavy-stock pages, many of which include elegantly incorporated flaps providing factual information. Lu has produced a beautiful exploration of the "inky depths" -- a book to dive into again and again.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Katherine Roy. The Sargasso Sea sits within the Atlantic Ocean and is home to an ecosystem centered on the seaweed genus Sargassum. To the children portrayed exploring the seashore in the opening pages (and to readers), Sargassum may look like a plant, but it is actually algae and has intriguing characteristics. The large clumps of Sargassum that float on the water and reproduce by fragmentation host a diverse array of life. Rosenstock moves across the region's food web from the tiny to the large, beginning with microscopic life ("Crusty bryozoans / Feathery hydroids / Spiraled tube worms") and continuing through mollusks and crustaceans to the largest fish and whales. The text is dense with descriptive words, poetic phrasing, and scientific details: "The frogfish creeps. Hanging by fingery fins. Luring in prey, darting out to swallow it whole." A repeated phrase with slight variations at the end of each section connects each species back to its seaweed host. Roy's lush illustrations, set in clear, deep blue waters, bring it all to life. Featured species live, hunt, and reproduce within the swirling ocher of the Sargassum fronds, while white speckles of nutrients drift by. Back matter includes a helpful map and key to major Sargasso Sea species, an afterword by marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle, considerations of threats from climate change, and an account of the author and illustrator's travels to Bermuda to see the Sargasso Sea and consult with oceanographers.

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