(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier. On their tiny, isolated island, Sadie and Flora celebrate their first solo afternoon with a tea party as their parents sail off to the market. The sisters decorate the garden with flowers and "ribbons the color of the sky and little lights that shone like pearls." Tea is poured, and a pretty little cake with roses is served. Then a shark, disguised in a fisherman's yellow slicker, arrives and makes himself comfortable. The sisters smell something fishy and remain guarded as the shark spins tales of life at sea. When he wolfs down three slices of cake, then opens wide to finish the rest, the double row of sharky teeth reveals the truth. "It's time to go. GOODBYE!" yells Sadie, but the shark lunges and chomps at her, trashing the decorations in the process. Brave little Flora (with some help from her stuffed animal, Blue) saves Sadie, and together the sisters hurl the shark back into the sea. Shortly thereafter, they warmly welcome Mama and Papa home. Textured watercolors, featuring Ruzzier's style of offbeat creatures and landscapes, illuminate the action, with a dramatic sky in the background. The story flirts with dangerous scenarios but doesn't dwell on any lessons, instead focusing on the strength of sibling bonds and teamwork.

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

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Randy Cecil. After both dreaming of adventure, Dragon and Girl (Lovabye Dragon; Evermore Dragon) set sail to find the "far-est Far Away." The duo's journey--from home to away and back again--proceeds in playful language that often repeats sounds and words for a quality read-aloud. Muted, textural illustrations give the story, which includes a wink to Lear's "The Owl and the Pussycat," a dreamlike quality.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) PS Illustrated by Rebecca Ashdown. Wally, a boa constrictor, is an enthusiastic hugger. When his animal friends at school are scared of his hugs, Wally expresses how sad he is. If Wally agrees to be gentle, his classmates will gladly accept his hugs. The end feels slightly problematic--Wally kisses everyone without permission because "he couldn't help himself"--but the expressively illustrated story could start discussions on consent.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Randy Cecil. Girl and Dragon play hide-and-seek in this gentle follow-up to Lovabye Dragon. Dragon isn't great at finding his clever friend until the sound of her lonely heartbeat calls him to the rescue when she secrets herself in too tricky a spot. Rhyme, repetition, and made-up words make this a playful read-aloud. Cecil's oil paintings use soothing muted tones and fine textures.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Randy Cecil. A lonely young girl yearns for a friend--a dragon friend. In a cave under a mountain, a real dragon is dreaming of a girl for a friend. Once the "all-alone" girl's lonely tears make their rhyming way to his cave, the dragon follows them back (reversing the rhyming sequence). Joosse's buoyant verse keeps things light. Cecil's dreamy nighttime palette suits the lullaby mood.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(3) PS Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Eight dogs humor their owners by allowing themselves to be dressed up for a neighborhood pet parade. Joosse's lighthearted text and Yelchin's humorous gouache illustrations on colored pages allow the different breeds--with wildly varying personalities--to shine in their costumes, from ghost to superhero to hot dog complete with bun.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) PS Illustrated by Rick Chrustowski. Seven freshly hatched chicks explore their world as Mama and the aunties (Bantam hens) protect them from barnyard dangers. Although this snapshot of farm life is weak on plot, the action and onomatopoeia will appeal to young listeners. Colorful collage illustrations capture the chicks' boundless energy and curiosity. An author's note describes the brooding process and the importance of a mother hen's "language."

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jan Jutte. A young elephant sleeps over with her beloved Gramma, who's game for all sorts of fun, from inventing stories to flinging paint. "Gramma silly / silly millie silly millie / 'Let's put paper over the doorway so we can run through!'" Exuberant illustrations show Gramma's distinctive décor and complement the wordplay in the jaunty, occasionally rhyming text.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jan Jutte. A boy's vivid imagination takes him on a late-night bear hunt to protect his mother. Young adventurers will cheer Liam as he outwits his opponent and ends up safely in bed. The text's creativity ("Liam rushed to Mama...but she was snore asleep") amplifies the escapade. Childlike ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations blend the worlds of make-believe and reality.

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles. Three little girls each pretends to be an animal, and their playing continues as they prepare for bed: the "whale" swims in the tub, the "bear" puts on fuzzy brown pajamas, and the "dog" pulls a blanket like a sled. Soft, not-too-sweet illustrations accompany this soothing bedtime story in which the girls' playtime continues seamlessly in their dreams.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas. A curly-haired girl dances across rich, creamy, well-designed pages as she describes in quick, snappy vignettes the many ways we express, feel, and sometimes question love. This sentimental offering isn't as saccharine as Joan Walsh Anglund's books or as original as Ruth Kraus's, but it's reminiscent of both.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee. A grandmother tells her granddaughter the story of "a new girl-baby" named Beautiful born in Hawaii, which also becomes the story of love shared between grandmother and grandchild. Watercolor illustrations in tropical hues depict the idyllic island setting. Information about Hawaiian language and customs is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas. An ebullient little girl directly addresses readers in order to discuss the importance of manners. Small-scale ink and watercolor vignettes amplify the book's kid-friendly sensibility ("She used up all the [nail] polish. So I smudged her sparkle with my foot...I was sorry, mostly. So then it's a good thing to say...I'm sorry").

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kate Kiesler. When Ziva the sled dog is born, the pup's eyes--one blue, one brown--scare off most mushers. "The Man" assumes care of the quiet half-wild creature. In this melodramatic narrative, dark-hued oil paintings illuminate the sled dog's struggle to choose between rejoining the wild and staying with the musher who chose her from the pack. Glos.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(2) PS Illustrated by Renata Liwska. Because he growls and doesn't "play nice," Russian orphan Nikolai hasn't been adopted yet; the art portrays him (and only him) as a bear. But Nikolai turns out to be the perfect child for one American couple, who feel "soft-bearish" and who know how to growl. Touches of humor in text and art keep this adoption tale from becoming cloying.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2005

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee. A Maasai father answers his son's persistent questions about the depth of the father's love for his son. The companion to Mama, Do You Love Me? is as sweet and reassuring as the earlier book. Joosse weaves information about Maasai culture throughout and Lavallee's handsome illustrations in rich reds, browns, and golds match the warmth of the text.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. One summer day, an African-American girl and her brother take refuge in the air-conditioned city library and imagine themselves into the books they read. Joosse's free-verse text convincingly presents the girl's voice, and Christie adroitly uses fiery colors (he switches to lush greens and blues for the wordless daydream sequence) and off-kilter perspectives to evoke the sweltering urban setting.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas. When Harris's dog Zippy misbehaves one time too many, his family decides obedience school is the answer. Zippy learns all the commands but loses his zip. Now it is up to Harris to create a "Bad Dog School," to retrain him to be obedient and fun. The cheerful watercolor illustrations give Zippy and the family lots of personality.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. The narrator worries the night his older brother, Richard, doesn't come home, but he and his mother don't take action until Richard appears wearing a bloodied bandage. The unsensationalized story was inspired by a real inner-city teen conflicted about his gang involvement. Christie's illustrations, in which faces are rendered in extreme detail, reinforce the story's humanism.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. All the relatives, from noisy cousins to a great-aunt who smells "like wild cherry cough drops," get stranded at Granny's house during a Christmas blizzard. There isn't much narrative tension, but Lewin's comical drawings complement the text, which conveys the warmth and festive chaos of the family celebration and eventual camp-out on the floor that night.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan