(1) K-3 Colors by Elaine Bay. Little Lobo and his dog Bernabé deliver goods to their friends in the mercado. Detailed comics-style illustrations feature anthropomorphic creatures, objects, and places; colors are largely muted so they don't compete with the many items on the riotously bustling and crowded pages. Most objects are labeled in Spanish, like a visual dictionary, and cultural references (a cinema called Buñuel; Cantinflas and Frida Kahlo puppets) are interspersed throughout. Glos.

Reviewer: Alicia K. Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) K-3 As, one by one, his fellows (even the gourd!) at a big-city neighborhood market are sold, a stemless pumpkin worries that nobody will appreciate his many other jack-o'-lantern-worthy qualities. Warm, gently funny text and friendly mixed-media illustrations leave no question that everything will work out for the insecure but lovable pumpkin. Orange and green accents pop amid the muted setting on creamy paper.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Soman. In the popular series' latest cheery story, "Ladybug Girl" Lulu wants to rescue all the dogs at the farmers' market adoption stand, but she settles for bringing them water. When her "Bug Squad" friends join her, they organize an attention-grabbing dog parade to help the dogs find homes. Ink and watercolor illustrations capture the costumed heroes' energy and spirit.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) PS Illustrated by Angela Brooksbank. While Mama shops, sellers discreetly give Baby, strapped on her back, all kinds of treats: five juicy oranges, four sugary chin-chin biscuits, and so on. Baby eats one of each and puts the others in the basket perched on Mama's head. A counting experience, a rhythmic text, and exuberant mixed-media illustrations of a bustling West African marketplace add up to a wonderful read-aloud.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) 1-3 Anna Hibiscus series. Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. These installments of Atinuke's chapter-book series--set in a contemporary "big busy city" in "Africa. Amazing Africa"--revisit themes of family, tradition, biracial/bicultural identity, wealth disparities, friendship, and more. Satisfying resolutions for most of the personal and broader troubles Anna Hibiscus faces arise through guidance from her elders and her own thoughtful introspection, along with large helpings of humor and goodwill from those around her. Review covers these Anna Hibiscus titles: Go Well, Anna Hibiscus!, Love from Anna Hibiscus!, Welcome Home, Anna Hibiscus!, and You're Amazing, Anna Hibiscus!.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) 4-6 Uncommoners series. Illustrated by Karl James Mountford. A fall sends Ivy's grandmother to the hospital and starts a chain of events that lands Ivy and her older brother Seb in Lundinor, a world of marketplaces underneath London where common objects have uncommon magical properties. Evil beings have taken over Lundinor, and Ivy and Seb must unravel their grandmother's connection to it all in this well-crafted, action-packed new fantasy series.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kristy Caldwell. In this thought-provoking story, fictional boy Drasko experiences the restorative power of small acts of kindness and hope: real-life cellist Vedran Smailović honors the twenty-two victims of a 1992 Sarajevo mortar attack by playing at the attack site the following twenty-two days. Gray-toned art using ink, charcoal, pencil, and Photoshop finds beauty in a war-ravaged place. Notes, music, and an audio CD included.

Reviewer: Debora Pearson

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Huntington. Cheerful rhythmic verses take readers through a day at a farmers' market, following the farmers, shoppers, their pets, as well as the musicians and craftsmen who contribute to the festive atmosphere. Detailed watercolor, graphite, ink, and Photoshop illustrations showing a multicultural crowd and the bounties for sale complement the poems. An appended note gives reasons to visit a real farmers' market.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sylvie Daigneault. A woman magically weaves memories, feelings, and sensations into cloth and makes an exquisite dress. Piece by piece, she removes those vital, unique parts to satisfy a local merchant's limited vision; when the weaver's children create a beautiful quilt from the discarded pieces, everyone wants one. With soft, lovely illustrations, this folkloric-feeling original story emphasizes staying true to one's creativity. Quilting ideas are appended.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicola Anderson. Tate, found in a pumpkin patch, grows up misunderstood; he has difficulty in school but shows an affinity for numbers. His mom begins to understand Tate's special talents when his counting and math prowess helps sell their produce at the market. With slick cartoonlike illustrations that include diverse characters (and many counting opportunities), this is a well-intentioned but heavy-handed plea to understand children of different abilities.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Guy Francis. On a class trip to the undersea farmer's market, Clark the Shark gets separated from his classmates and learns a muddied lesson about remembering what he's told and following rules (even though breaking the "inside voices" rule is how Clark is located). The cartoony sea creatures--and the didacticism--of Clark the Shark picture books are present and accounted for in this beginning reader.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(2) K-3 The first section of this enlightening and entertaining behind-the-scenes story of a farmers' market--"On the Farm"--provides a sunny glimpse into the operations of three types of farms. The second--"At the Market"--brings the farmers together early the next morning. Gouache, acrylic, and pencil illustrations are rich with the colors of a bountiful harvest, and a cheerful camaraderie shines throughout.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mique Moriuch. Twenty-one poems about various fruits, vegetables, and other farmers' market items offer unconventional literary images, such as how potatoes are "crooked as a 'come here' finger," and how okra are "mouse-sized swords." The childlike perspectives of the poems are further upheld by simple, playful images rendered in acrylic and collage. Educators with school gardens may appreciate the book's cross-curriculum opportunities. Recipes are appended.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Julia Kuo. Pickup Little Green happily carts crops and hauls pigs with Farmer Gray. But when a new heavy-duty truck arrives, Little Green is put out to pasture--until the farmer's daughter spruces him up for a new purpose. Stylized, graphic illustrations, predominantly in oranges and greens, show the refurbished truck proudly parked at market, surrounded by an admiring (racially diverse) crowd.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) PS Bear, Mole, and Skunk each have something to sell on Market Day. Bear does a brisk business with his berries, but Skunk's perfume and Mole's worms aren't selling. After they switch places, however, each is the other's best customer. Luckily, Bear earned lots of dimes to purchase ice cream for everyone. Story-hour audiences will buy into this amusing story enhanced by chipper illustrations.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) K-3 Each of ten two-page spreads features a maze of winding roads traveled by vehicles carrying locally sourced food; each spread segues to the next, and ultimately to a farmers' market, where locavores unite, shop, and recycle. Better still, readers are invited to scour the spreads for specified objects ("3 wind turbines," "1 boat-loading ramp," etc.). Answers appear at this well-executed book's end.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 This is an original tale of a young girl in Cameroon who, in her laziness and greed, insults the Great Spirit of the Market when she rips off a customer buying bitterleaf stew. Yoyo is a brave, spunky child who learns from her mistake. The art, with strong patterns, earth tones, and digital elements, satisfactorily captures the setting. A recipe is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Renée Graef. Nonna Lidia teaches her grandchildren to cook fresh seasonal food by regaling them with stories of growing up in Italy and by taking them to the farmers market. Celebrity chef Bastianich's pleasant if slight story, illustrated with sweet, warm-hued pictures of kitchen and market scenes, is followed by nineteen seasonal recipes and tips for getting children to participate in the cooking.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) PS Illustrated by Jane Dippold. While at the farmers' market with her parents, a little girl shops for produce and explores the wares, unknowingly tipping over displays as she goes. She ultimately finds what she really wants: "a watering can that's just my size!" While the story is a little too simple, the tone of the rhyming text matches the lighthearted illustrations packed with colorful fruits and veggies.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Ariel Pang. This preschool-appropriate easy reader follows a troupe of mischievous monkeys as they go on all sorts of adventures in the jungle and in an East Indian town's market. Soft, colorful illustrations and large type are apt for the audience, while simple text and a rhyming pattern make this beginner book a pleasurable read-aloud.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear