(2) K-3 Illustrated by Matt James. The team behind I Know Here (rev. 5/10) and From There to Here (rev. 5/14) presents a story about standing resolute in the face of a bully who seeks to diminish one’s self-worth. A loquacious gull finds a rock on a quiet beach and asks what it is. “I am a rock,” it asserts. The gull spends the rest of the book challenging the rock, telling it that it’s not a rock (“I see you as a pebble”), that it could be tossed in the water (“you will sink...there is no guarantee you will find your way back”), and that it’s not anything special. “I am a rock,” it responds, over and over. James’s soft-edged paintings on acetate, wood, Masonite, and cardboard capture the essence of water, sand, and sky; a child meanders on the beach in the background, a visual break from the gull’s relentless harassment. The high-concept messaging may fly over children’s heads, but grounding the story in a lakeside setting gives them something concrete to focus on, and their curiosity about the child in the background will help keep pages turning. Eventually the child spots the rock, chases the gull away, and uses the rock to shape a heart on the sand—a rewarding and cathartic ending.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(1) K-3 At the start of this bittersweet ode to the enduring bonds of family, the unnamed young narrator and “Brother” embark on a summer outing, hiking to a jewel-like lake complete with a massive rock perfect for diving. Although they follow all the same rituals (changing, stretching) that “Father used to,” the narrator hangs back, afraid, even as Brother fearlessly dives into the lake’s cobalt depths. What’s changed? The answer prompts the narrator to relive memories of earlier visits to “our lake” with Father and thereby reclaim some former courage. Art rendered in gouache with colored pencil and crayon is saturated with the colors of midsummer. Dark blue and green trees, whose shapes seem to mimic heat waves, rise in-to a lemon-yellow sky; memory takes shape through teal and chartreuse swirls that mingle with the sky and with the lake’s rich blues. The play of bubbles, light, and shadow on water is especially striking. Without being explicit, the story encourages readers to draw their own conclusions about the siblings’ shared loss. Kang’s debut picture book is a quiet portrait of the ways in which grief takes us by surprise, and its glorious final celebratory splash offers a radiant reminder of how joy and connection can exist alongside sadness.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Risa Hugo. Junie is sent to Nan and Pop's house for the summer and can come home as soon as older sister Anna recovers from a serious illness. While Anna's illness is never specified, we learn she's in the hospital and is sometimes too weak to talk on the phone. Photography helps Junie cope. Using Anna's camera, Junie takes pictures of beautiful or interesting things and wishes, for example, to be able to photograph the sound of a loon. Anna offers up a challenge via a note left with the camera: "in case you find Edmund" (whose identity is revealed only near the end of the book). Gouache, colored-pencil, and soft pastel illustrations portray the protagonist's emotions: a "sad dream" compels the child to crawl to the top bunk where Anna usually sleeps; after making tarts for a homecoming that gets postponed, Junie throws them in the lake, and the character's angry face is reflected in the water. A poignant reunion between the two siblings closes out the book. The spare story and tender illustrations give readers the space to experience and process difficult emotions alongside the main character, making this a comforting read in moments of grief and uncertainty.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(3) K-3 Eric the duck is worried about the monster in the lake as he follows three other ducks into the water. But what he discovers underwater—in a dramatic gatefold illustration—is not what he, or readers (who can see above and below the waterline) expect, and allows Timmers to present a lighthearted lesson about courage and misperception. The textured acrylic and aerosol spray paint illustrations help the colorful sea creatures in the underwater world stand out with their unusual features, including the largest one, who wears a top hat, bowtie, and pocket watch and carries an umbrella—a.k.a. the not-so-scary-after-all “monster.”

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(2) 4-6 Junius Leak, nearly thirteen, is "exiled to a strange, watery land" in Louisiana. He's a timid and anxious boy, afraid of yet fascinated by what he calls "waterbodies" and reluctant to spend twelve days on a houseboat on Lake Peigneur with Uncle Spot, whom he has never met, while his parents "figure things out" at a "marriage boot camp." Based on an astounding true story of a day in 1980 when Lake Peigneur disappeared, the tale is told from the alternating viewpoints of Junius and the lake. The twin narratives converge at the mining disaster scene, though it takes four-hundred-plus pages to get to the chapter titled "And Now, What We've All Been Waiting For." It is worth the wait, as events are relayed with all the liveliness of a disaster-thriller movie. But readers will realize that this is not just about waiting for disaster to strike -- it is Junius's story, too, and if the lake changes, so does he, as these circumstances require heroism. Bold action, solid characterization, and an adept handling of subjects ranging from neurodivergence and environmental science to the slave trade and the origins of Cajun culture along the Gulf of Mexico make this an example of dramatic storytelling with substance. Back matter includes a map of Lake Peigneur and the surrounding area, an author's note, lists of "Amazing Words of Southern Louisiana" and "Amazing Waterbodies of the World," and suggested reading about the real event.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(1) 4-6 Fong's deeply moving graphic novel opens with an intriguing premise: Pia Xing, a reserved and lonely middle schooler, says goodbye to her father and embarks on a multi-day bus tour through the desert with a bunch of strangers. Their destination is the subterranean bioluminescent Cessarine Lake, billed as having mystical, wish-granting powers. During stops at diners and kitschy roadside attractions, Pia gets to know her fellow passengers, all of whom have their own reasons for making the journey. Pia isn't ready to share hers -- not even with new friend Sam, who's grudgingly accompanying her tour-guide mom. Daily phone calls home to her father and flashbacks from the previous year gradually reveal what led to this solo trip, including the tragedy that left Pia and both her parents mired in grief. In varied panel and full-page illustrations, Fong's spare cartoon style is well suited to the setting and the main character's bleak emotional landscape. The trip offers moments of peace and lightheartedness: "I'm actually having a lot of fun! It kind of feels like being part of a big family." The story begins to take on elements of magical realism the closer the group gets to the lake, making the impossible begin to seem possible. Pia's miracle looks different from what she set out looking for, but the magic is transformative all the same. With a sympathetic protagonist navigating unimaginable pain, fully realized and engaging secondary characters, and a skillfully crafted narrative, this is a remarkable debut.

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

(2) PS Illustrated by Erin Stead. Big Bear and Little Bear enjoy a summer idyll. It starts with a joyous declaration from Big Bear -- "I'm just in the mood for fishing" -- that [cf2just encapsulates a child's immersive enthusiasm. The two bears get dressed, find their poles, bake blueberry scones (of course; as Big Bear observes, "Fishermen need nice, warm blueberry scones"), and pack a storybook. These preparations traverse several beautifully orchestrated page-turns, each new necessity building listeners' anticipation. Big Bear's warm confidence coaxes Little Bear past some apprehension at the dock; in the boat at last, they "dip their poles" and wait, nibbling scones and reading stories until a fish finally appears, then swims away, leaving Big Bear and Little Bear to retreat contentedly to their hammock. Stead's delicate pencil and watercolor paintings depict beguiling details -- Big Bear's bunny slippers, the honeybees on the wallpaper, the echinacea in bloom -- without ever distracting from the total delight these bears have in each other. In their gently hairy bulk and the tender tilts of their heads, they recall Sendak's Little Bear and his mother. The text is equally gentle in its phrasing. Dialogue is set in italics rather than enclosed in quotation marks; pre-readers may not notice, but the unusual typographical choice will draw the attention of adults and older children to the warm, brown letters and the creamy negative space. It's hard to imagine a nicer day than this.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. A mouse with nautical aspirations realizes her dream. Wee Mabel gazes with longing at the cunning model ship fashioned by the man who lives in the lakeside cabin where she makes her home. It is the man's "prized possession," the product of many months of painstaking labor; he is so possessive that he won't even let the boy who lives with him touch it. Then one blustery night the cabin door is blown open and Mabel gets her chance. Using a mouse-sized block and tackle and some tiny logs as rollers, she lowers the boat and pushes it into the water to sail it all night long. When the man panics at the ship's loss but then sees it under sail with Mabel at the helm, man, boy, and mouse are united in awe and glee. Jonker taps into many children's delight in miniatures; they will thrill along with Mabel at her adventure. Cordell's scratchy ink and wash illustrations have a faded look, their sepias and pale blues giving the tale an old-timey feel that a gooseneck desk lamp only slightly diminishes. Mabel and the boy each wear a knitted watch cap, hers a pale red and his blue; when he lifts her in his hand at the end of the story, they smile at each other, fast friends. The illustrations mix full-bleed spreads with vignettes; the latter are framed in knotted rope. Sweet wish fulfillment.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Laurel Aylesworth. A growing family is exciting, but for young children this time can also bring anxiety. A little girl with a beloved stuffed bear in tow enjoys a "paddle-on-the-lake day" with her mother in their blue canoe. The girl is excited to become a big sister and eagerly tells her bear all the big-sister duties she will take up, such as helping put on a life jacket. But the girl's excitement is mixed with feelings of trepidation. She worries that the canoe might not be safe for "coming-soon baby," that her mother might be too tired or busy for their outings, that the baby might not even like canoeing. The girl's mother lovingly calms every worry. McFarlane incorporates important life lessons, such as "it's OK for different people to like different things." Poetic language throughout describes the abundant wildlife (e.g., "Lazy dragonflies sun on lily pads, and pond skaters skip across the water like miniature rowboats"). Aylesworth's lush watercolor illustrations beautifully enhance McFarlane's figurative phrasing, fro the opening pages detailing a verdant water's edge to a tender moment on the dock in a purple-hued twilight. The family theme is further reinforced as the girl encounters different animals in their family units, such as a mother mallard and her fuzzy ducklings.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) YA Illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie. When Christopher finds a wounded baby griffin in a Scottish lake, his grandfather reveals that he is (and Christopher will be, when he comes of age) a guardian of the "waybetween" to an archipelago where the creatures of myth still live. Then Mal, a citizen of the Archipelago and the target of a deranged murderer, arrives in Christopher's world to reclaim her griffin, and Christopher chooses to go back to the Archipelago with her to protect her. There they chance upon Fidens Nighthand and the crew of the Neverfear. Nighthand is a Berserker sworn to protect the Immortal, the only being who can tend the source of the ancient magic upon which all creatures of myth depend. But a century ago the Immortal took a potion to forget the pain of existence, and every Immortal incarnated since then doesn't know their own fate. Suggestions that Mal is more than she appears to be grow into a plot of resolute earnestness, where the characters serve a noble purpose that binds them into a closely knit ensemble. Rundell successfully pulls off a powerful drama filled with self-sacrifice and great-heartedness and achieves full reader buy-in. Epic and interpersonal elements balance each other out, and the fresh take on fantastical creatures, in such sure and capable hands (with Mackenzie's black-and white illustrations interspersed), is entrancing and refreshing.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin. A lesson in mindfulness is couched in a cozy story about a much-anticipated visit with extended family. At first, the child protagonist struggles with a seemingly interminable "today": "Today stretches long...when you're counting weeks to summer, counting days to your trip, counting hours until you'll see Pop-pop and your cousins again." With these lines, Snyder cleverly initiates a second-person narration to align readers with the protagonist. Then, when the child's parents finally stop their "yak-yak-yak[ing] with the neighbors," the family drives to a picturesque lake house, where Pop-pop, cousins, and other relatives await. Graegin's rendering of the peaceful, idyllic setting and her matter-of-fact depiction of an affectionate, multiracial family are warm and welcoming. Now time races by as the child frolics in the lake with cousins and later watches fireflies dot the yard, visually echoed by a string of fairy lights. A wasp sting is the only trouble spot to mar this happy, fleeting day, but grownups and sympathetic cousins ease the child's pain. Fireworks cap off "the today you've been waiting for," and then, staving off sorrow at book's end, closing text reminds the child and readers alike that our favorite days can continue as "a memory you can visit again and again." Thoughtful back matter offers tips for "appreciating the here and now" and using positive memories to ease anxiety and worries.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) 4-6 Open-water marathon swimming (any continuous swim over ten kilometers) is not for the faint of heart and is typically done with meticulous planning, careful consideration for the weather and water conditions, and a skilled kayaker and other safety supports in place. But when her mother abruptly leaves and doesn't come back, Tully impulsively decides to swim the 12.1-mile Lake Tahoe Marathon, a.k.a. "the Godfather swim." At twelve, she will be the youngest person to complete the swim, and she is doing so in risky weather conditions, with an inexperienced kayaker, and without her father's knowledge. Tully's mom, an endurance athlete, was her daughter's swim coach whose obsessive exercise kept her depression at bay, and Tully believes that "this swim [is] going to bring my mother back." Written in verse, including occasional concrete poems, the book is organized in chapters by the hours into the swim (Hour One, Hour Two); as Tully gets further along, there is a peeling-of-the-onion effect, where with each passing hour more is revealed about her mother's mental health and the lies Tully told herself to mask more painful truths. This touching and deeply affecting novel takes on difficult topics such as maternal abandonment and codependency and gives readers a peek into the feelings and thoughts that underpin childhood trauma.

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

(2) 4-6 Because her mother is in the late stages of a high-risk pregnancy, Ava has been sent to stay with her grandparents at their cabin on a lake. In her state of worry, Ava persuades herself that the fates of her mother and her about-to-be-born twin brothers depend on various secret bargains that she makes and on rituals she performs, including the successful rearing of two baby robins. An initially annoying neighbor kid provides ballast to her adventures. Barillaro convincingly captures the kind of magical thinking that results from deep distress and lodges his story firmly in an eleven-year-old's consciousness. For example, Ava saves a woodpecker's feather as a talisman: "Maybe keeping it made her weird, but maybe she had always been weird and didn't know it until right then." The writing is clear, unpretentious, and particularly rich in details about boating, fashioning homemade noodles, digging for worms, performing life-saving techniques during a water emergency, how to cope with a power outage, and confusion about whether administering CPR counts as kissing (i.e., heroic or ick?). Delicate watercolor decorations on each page enhance the gentle, slightly otherworldly feel of the text. A fine, original example of the "summer at the cottage" middle-grade novel trope.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) 4-6 It's an unhappy summer in the town of Sycamore Lake, where the lake itself, which the town depends on for tourism, has been drained to prevent the dam from collapsing. Lolo, having failed a state test, is stuck in summer school with "mean" Mrs. Cryer. She's also worrying about her mother's precarious pregnancy and, along with the rest of her family and especially her grandmother, grieving the recent loss of her grandfather. There's one problem Lolo believes she can solve: Hank, her grandfather's foster dog, is now in a new placement across the lake for reasons she thinks are her fault, so she sets out to retrieve him. The resulting adventure--told mostly in Lolo's affecting first-person narration, with interspersed journal entries from the classmate who is Hank's new owner--involves a fair amount of humor (a skunk plays a significant role). But the emotional core of the novel lies in the acknowledgment that life isn't perfect, and the reassurance that Lolo doesn't have to be, either. Bittersweet and heartwarming.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Todd Stewart. "Listen! / Lake Superior / sings a winter song." Getting all bundled up, two children set off early on a cold morning to go ice skating. Fog rises from mysterious Superior, and along the way they find wolf tracks, but the older sibling can tell that the tracks are old, a "story" written in the snow. Canadian author Pendziwol writes evocatively about the immense and imposing lake and the sounds the ice makes vibrating under the children's feet as they skate: "mysterious magical music / as old as the earth... / We join the song, / skating / on the wild ice / of a vast / inland sea." (She also makes sure to mention that the ice on the lake is very thick.) Illustrator Stewart uses a range of blues and greens, from the intense turquoise of the frozen lake to a chilly blue against the snowy whites. His technique of drawing digitally, editing in Photoshop, and adding textures with scanned screens gives the book a vibrant and often majestic feel, ending with a wolf looking straight at the reader.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Abigail Halpin. Faye and her father arrive at a cabin by a lake. Her first-person narration addresses someone who's not there: "Your chair is empty...The quilt you made smells like you." Faye doesn't identify her mother, but it's clear that's who she's missing. "Dad does everything different." Longing to feel close to her mom, Faye takes out Faye & Mama's Mouseboat just as thunder rumbles in the distance. As the storm begins in earnest, Faye feels her mother all around her. "The clouds sweep in fast and bring me so much more of you." After the storm passes, Faye returns to shore, where her father is waiting for her. Halpin's digital, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations create a dreamlike atmosphere that perfectly captures the story's mood. Dark blues and grays dominate the scenes when depicting sadness; warm reds telegraph comfort and safety. A good book to help children cope with loss and to help them discover fresh starts even during the most challenging times.

Reviewer: Weileen Wang | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) 4-6 Swallowtail Legacy series. Lark Heron-Finch is back at her family's house on Lake Erie's Swallowtail Island for the first time since her mother's death. With her younger sister, stepfather, and three stepbrothers also there, the limits of Lark's temper are tested on a regular basis. She finds a purpose for the summer by becoming a research assistant to family friend Nadine, who is working on a book about the island's history. Nadine introduces Lark to Dinah, a ninety-three-year-old woman who is one of the island's oldest residents, and to the story of Nadine's grandfather's death, decades earlier, in a boat wreck that might not have been an accident after all. As Lark dives into investigating the mystery, her impulsiveness continues to present problems, but it also allows her to save the day. While some of the mystery's twists may not be that surprising, the overall execution is a success. The evolution of Lark's relationship with her stepfather and siblings is well done, giving the book's fully realized secondary characters a chance to develop along with the protagonist. Even Lark's soccer-field nemesis turns out to be more complex than the classic bully he'd seemed at first. The book concludes with revelations about another island-related mystery, leaving readers eager for the next installment.

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

(1) K-3 This wordless picture book about a city child visiting the country pays tribute to the wonders of the natural world. The cinematic illustrations begin on the front endpapers with an overhead view of a busy city. After the title page, we see a child and a dog playing on the floor of a cozy bedroom while the adults prepare for a trip. Zooming out once again, we follow the family's car as it travels out of the city and into the countryside, where the family is welcomed to a small cottage by an older couple. There the adventure truly begins, as the child explores a forest path, encounters giant ferns, swims to the bottom of a clear pond to greet fish among the kelp, sunbathes on a dock, and finally returns to the cottage to eat dinner and gaze at the stars. The illustrations were "entirely drawn and painted using writing ink and slow-dry blending medium," resulting in a dreamy gray, white, and blue palette that complements the tranquil tone. The lack of text adds to the sense of reverence; a brief author's note explains the inspiration for the story. Vivid facial expressions and body language tell the viewer all we need to know about the child's inner life, while the beauty of the landscape speaks for itself.

Reviewer: K Rachael Stein | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) YA Two teens--both brown, trans, and neurodivergent--reunite years after a chance meeting and find themselves bound together by their most personal experiences and by the magic of a local lake. Bastián copes with ADHD and the next step of their gender transition by creating alebrijes--brightly painted, fantastical, papier-mâché creatures--and sending them into the lake. Lore, who is dyslexic and was bullied at their old school, moved to town after a devastating fight. As the lake's magic breaks its usual boundaries, seeping into Bastián's and Lore's lives on dry land, they realize that it is responding to the painful emotions they've released into the water (Bastián via alebrijes, Lore through cans of paint) and that they can't reject their own pain or imperfections. The book is committed to its characters' gender, racial, and neurodivergent identities; while this focus can feel overworked at points, the intimacy and seriousness with which it addresses neurodivergence in particular is welcome. McLemore (The Mirror Season, rev. 5/21) successfully binds the novel's fantasy elements to the inner lives of their characters, strengthening the narrative effects of both the mundane and the magical. Readers with identities in common with the protagonists will find relief and recognition in this impassioned book, and teens in general should feel welcomed by its warmly open storytelling.

Reviewer: Anne St. John | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) 4-6 In this vivid graphic novel, adventurous thirteen-year-old Iris believes that she has explored every last corner of her small hometown with her best friend, the trepidatious Sam. She acutely feels Bugden's limitations and how they hinder her boundless ambitions. After a fight with her mom, Iris camps out at the river, her place of solace and possibility. Sam finds her in the morning, peering down at the strangely dried-up riverbed. Iris ropes Sam into exploring the riverbed, which soon leads them to the dripping remnants of a once-submerged town. The more Iris investigates, the more she realizes how cautious (and complacent) Sam has become, and this frustration culminates in an outburst that separates the two friends just as the first traces of true danger appear. A skilled animation artist, Pamment balances his plentiful and cinematic sequential storytelling with bright, personality-building dialogue to create a cohesive and immersive narrative in both art and text. Detailed visual motifs and many potent sound effects handily extend the narrative beyond the page and activate readers' senses. Hand this mesmerizing tale about hidden histories and friendship growth spurts to cautious and intrepid young explorers alike.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022