(3) PS Illustrated by Maria Mola. This board book, a welcome example of Sephardic Jewish representation for the preschool set, introduces the holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Simple rhyming couplets name traditions, and a refrain gives new year greetings in both Ladino (“Anyada Buena!”) and Hebrew “(Shanah Tovah!”). The cheerful text and illustrations emphasize holiday foods and family.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 1-3 In this comic for newly independent readers, Pumpkin and Beetle are vampire cats (not kittens, thank you very much), and they desperately want the latest Frightfuls comic book. But they don't have the $6.66 necessary to purchase it. With their ghost cat friend, Boo, they come up with several ways to raise the money. Unfortunately, no one wants to shop at their crabapple stand or buy their "well-done" crabapple muffins. A serendipitous encounter with bookstore owner Mrs. Owl, who's in need of crabapples for an apple-bobbing station, solves their dilemma. Ho primarily uses one- and two-syllable words to make her work accessible to young chapter-book readers, with occasional more challenging words (Hallowville, elementary). She effectively uses a mix of single-page illustrations, double-page spreads, and different-sized panels to keep the visual interest high. Fittingly, her digital illustrations frequently feature the colors orange and black. But there's nothing here that will give anyone a real fright; even the witches look friendly. Ho treats us to a few pages of the Frightfuls comic once the cats get their paws on a copy, and readers will likely enjoy this mildly spooky mystery. A recipe for "mew-gical muffins" is appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(3) K-3 When his people visit Nana and Grampa in the country, city pup Murray finds the surroundings strange and disorienting. What the city slicker doesn’t understand but the energetic illustrations make clear is that it’s Halloween; “the person made of dog treats,” for example, is just a skeleton decoration. Wynona the cat shows Murray “how to enjoy the spookiest night of the year.” The art in seasonal hues offers lots of treats, and the casual diversity (two dads—one with brown skin, one white; grandparents have brown skin) is another plus.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) PS In this series entry, human Kayla and dog Kugel bake hamantaschen, dress up as each other, and attend the megillah reading. Kayla’s explanations of the holiday, directed toward Kugel, are informative (if brief, especially about the Purim story) and interspersed with humorous asides. The community’s costumes are a highlight of the lively illustrations. An author’s note encourages discussion about Purim.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) YA When fourteen-year-old trans boy A discovers that the conversion therapy group his parents force him to attend has connections to evil supernatural forces, he runs away hoping to save one friend who disappeared from that group. His quest, set during the Jewish High Holidays, features allies including a golem-like creature; A’s rabbi; and the unhoused young residents of “the Transhack,” who have complicated emotional dynamics. Though its messages are at times overexplained, this is a welcome fantasy starring a trans and Jewish hero that engages thoughtfully with both those identities.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. This nonfiction picture book (likely with invented dialogue) begins with the first White House Passover Seder, in 2011, and then flashes back to the new tradition’s origins on Barack Obama’s campaign trail the previous year, when Jewish staff members missed their family Seders. The (somewhat lengthy) text presents Passover and the biblical Exodus story accessibly and makes connections to Obama and earlier civil rights figures. Varied perspectives in the watercolor illustrations add visual interest. Back matter gives more information about the first White House Seder.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Cinzia Battistel. It’s 1660, and young Yeshiva student Samuel is a part-time apprentice to famous painter Rembrandt. Rembrandt needs inspiration for a Purim scene, but finds none of the models as “courageous, faithful, and modest” as Queen Esther. Samuel recruits his sister, pleasing both his father and Rembrandt, who both newly see how the student’s faith and art can coalesce. Well-composed, inviting illustrations capture the period dress, decor, and architecture of seventeenth-century Amsterdam. Short, factual spotlights on the Purim holiday and Rembrandt’s life are appended and emphasize the Christian artist’s real-life collaboration with his city’s Jewish population.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Knight. A child runs down everything kids need to do to prepare for Halloween. First, they have to decorate according to a theme. “Like spiders, ghouls—there are no rules.” Then, it’s time to select a pumpkin, make a jack-o’-lantern, and so on. Colorful carbon-pencil and acrylic-gouache illustrations with digital elements in traditional fall and Halloween colors feature a diverse set of children planning for the big day. Oso’s rhythmic text makes for an engaging holiday read-aloud.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(3) PS Illustrated by Raahat Kaduji. In this playful story, a little groundhog named Tess resists hibernating, despite her parents' best efforts to tuck her in and help her sleep. From warm cocoa to lullabies, nothing works until Mommy and Daddy doze off themselves and Tess tires herself out playing in the snow, almost sleeping through Groundhog Day. Full-color illustrations in a palette of soft, earth-toned hues combine anthropomorphic appeal with bedtime humor. A wintry confection that proves even the most determined little ones need rest.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Hughes. While Pippin was known as the “BEST witch’s cat,” he wants to try his paw at some new roles, including being a pirate’s cat, a knight’s, and a girl’s pet. “But try as he might, nothing ever felt right!” After much soul searching, Pippin ends up back with Witch, and the book closes with the duo snuggling together on a couch. Rowland’s message about being open to new possibilities—and to returning home, if that’s what feels right—comes through clearly, and Hughes’s bright, cheerful illustrations provide a sense of frivolity.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Japneet Kaur. A young Sikh girl celebrates the spring festival of Vaisakhi surrounded by her loving family, furry friends, and community. She wakes up to the morning sun and a few nudges from her pet goat and joins the festive crowd making its way to gurudwara where her Punjabi village prepares a communal feast and worships together. Her grandmother regales her with stories of family, farming, and the religious teachings of Sikh gurus that strengthen her faith. When the girl’s family moves to a city in a new country, she carries memories of celebrating Vaisakhi and of her grandmother. At the local gurudwara, she and her parents join others in prayer and help in the kitchen. When a friendly face invites her to play, the girl begins to feel part of her new community. Beautiful watercolor illustrations pre-sent a tapestry of village life in a kaleidoscope of rich colors and patterns in this joyful story of celebrating Sikh culture and carrying on traditions. An author’s note and a lassi recipe are appended.

Reviewer: Sadaf Siddique | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(4) PS Illustrated by Laurie Stansfield. A series of short, themed poems (“Bedtime Stories”; “Car Wash”), in singsong-y rhyme, celebrate dads on Father’s Day. The text describes the things children appreciate about their dads (most of these stereotypically paternal, such as camping, telling dad jokes, and fixing things). The digital-looking illustrations show a diverse group of fathers (with a couple of moms but no same-sex pairings) supporting and enjoying quality time with their children.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) 4-6 Bewitching Holiday Crafts series. This series entry provides instructions to make twelve Halloween-appropriate accessories using mostly recycled materials. Besides the first project ("Monster Feet"), which requires some items that may be difficult to source (old clogs and “window and door insulating foam spray”), the crafts creatively use common household materials. Simple, straightforward instructions are accompanied by photographs of various steps and occasional “Hair-Raising Tips” with craft variations and costume ideas.

Reviewer: Monica de los Reyes

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Erica J. Chen. A family of excited cats prepares for and celebrates Passover: they clean the house, set the table, pray and sing at the seder, and eat a special meal. The singsongy rhymes and cat-themed puns (“Meow-nishtanah...” begins the cat chanting the Four Questions) can grow tiresome, but the book is faithful to the traditions of the holiday. Energetic if somewhat one-note illustrations show the kitties having a blast. Instructions for making a “meow-tzah cover” are appended.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. In the style of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," this picture book uses a diverse group of children and adults to show readers various ways to help protect the planet. A week before Earth Day, they all come together and plan. They embrace recycling, biking, and walking and plant a community garden. Then the night before, they dream of a celebratory butterfly release. Wing’s rhyming text would make for a pleasant read aloud, and Wummer’s colorful illustrations enhance the story’s pro-conservation message.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(2) PS Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey. This look at Juneteenth celebrations through the years opens in 1872, seven years after the first Juneteenth on June 19, 1865, when a major general in the Union army told enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, that they were free. Wynter begins with a series of thoughtful questions such as “How would you dress after so many years of mending your clothes with rags?” and “How would you eat after so many years of making your meals from scraps?” Answers come through Pumphrey’s vibrant acrylic and digital illustrations that show a formerly enslaved family trading in the tattered clothes of bondage for fine garments and lesser cuts of meat such as pigs’ feet for fried chicken and ham. In spare, lyrical text, the book showcases commemorations over nearly 130 years. On the cover and in one internal image, a pair of black hands in silhouette holds up a globe encircling free Black people. Similar hands are used in images that depict an enslaved person sewing and cooking. All of the images of the enslaved are presented as silhouettes. Wynter revisits the family from 1872 at the end of the book. “Oh, how you would celebrate…so many years…of a life, fully yours…fully free.” An informative author’s note provides more historical detail (though the phrasing that “most” enslaved people had no say over their lives when in fact none had say is illusory and unfortunate), and the lyrics to “Lift Every Voice and Sing” are appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Shannon Hochman. In this collection of fourteen Passover-themed tales by different authors -- Laurel Snyder, Adam Gidwitz, Veera Hiranandani, among others -- one story is assigned to each step of the Seder. Each piece is preceded by an explanation of that step and four reflection questions. The engaging tales cover a vast range of Jewish experiences, including emigration from Eastern Europe and Cuba, Orthodox family life, women's varied roles in Jewish ritual, and interfaith families; as well as parts of life beyond the holiday, including losing a grandparent, coming out, being bullied, and neurodiversity. Most readers will find something that speaks to them and reflects who they are. The formats are also diverse, including realistic fiction, autobiography, fantasy, verse, and a story partially told in comics format. The tales invite readers to think about their personal relationships to the themes of family, freedom, and identity. Hochman's stark and atmospheric black-and-white drawings at the start of each story may remind readers of some Haggadah illustrations. Appended recipes invite hands-on interaction.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alona Millgram. “Fingers crossed it turns out right. / Challah for Shabbat tonight.” Singsong rhymes take readers and listeners step by step as the narrator bakes challah with Grandma, including the fun of waiting together and, later, of Shabbat dinner with family. Illustrations are appealingly varied, from insets showing details of baking to flighty spreads with ingredients and smells dancing across the page. A welcome, warm portrayal of the Jewish Sabbath and of an intergenerational relationship.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) K-3 Translated by Ilana Kurshan. Illustrated by Carmel Ben Ami. Uri, his little sister Shir, and their mother are waiting for their father to come home to begin their Hanukkah celebration. As evening falls, Uri starts to worry. He imagines, and then draws, Dad in various possible real-life jams (flat tire, stuck in the rain). Looking out the window, he's freaked out by the shadows, which take the shape of an advancing army led by a blobby-shaped King of Darkness; an appended note makes the connection to King Antiochus IV and the Hanukkah story. Just as Uri and Shir summon their courage, their father appears -- bearing jelly doughnuts traditional for the holiday, and ready to light the candles. Effective rhyming text carries readers along while colorful, sketchlike illustrations are a creative mix of realistic and imagined scenarios

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(3) PS Illustrated by Jon Klassen. Spanish translation of How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? (rev. 11/23). The interplay of Barnett’s “expert” childlike speculation and Klassen’s signature “graphite, ink, and digital...straight-faced brand of humor” works just as well in this edition. Minor changes in meaning do not detract from the story, and at times even add to the ruminative tone (“Pensándolo bien, las luces del árbol son iluminación suficiente para que Papá Noel pueda ver”). An excellent Spanish addition to the Christmas read-aloud shelf, just as wry as the original.

Reviewer: Monica de los Reyes