(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Thirteen-year-old Kai is anxious to continue the family legacy on his new elite swim team. Since his superstar older sister, Cali, disappeared while surfing two years before, swimming has felt bittersweet. Authorities have moved on from the search, but Kai receives signs that Cali is still out there: a dolphin with unique markings that the two of them had spotted together visits when he surfs, and Kai even hears Cali call out to him from their backyard beach in the middle of the night. When Kai discovers his sister's favorite book about an ancient, underwater Realm, the mythical sunken Island of California, ruled by Queen Califia (for whom Cali is named), he becomes convinced that's where she has gone. The novel is divided into four sections—Above, Below, Between, Beyond—and excerpts from the mythology book are interspersed, mirroring the plot's blend of fantasy and realism. Kai tries to keep his grief distant, but it permeates his life, both with his newfound obsession with mythology and with more earthly concerns such as awkward interactions with peers addressing his loss and the worrying drop in his swimming performance. Whimsical pencil-style digital drawings bring the elaborate Realm to life in a way that feels cathartic, and for anyone who has experienced the call of the water, this book is a thoughtful exploration of the wonders of the ocean—real, imagined, and unexplained.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Simple rhyming text explains the haymaking process as executed by a girl, her mother, and an array of farm machinery. Paint-scraped endpapers echo the magnificent skies Cepeda creates throughout with oils over acrylic on illustration board, the book's wide trim allowing for dramatic landscapes. Cartoony characters match the light tone set in the title. Includes a recipe for switchel. Glos.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. This book recounts the highs (performing for soldiers overseas) and lows (dealing with Jim Crow laws in the South) for the Sweethearts, an all-female jazz band started in 1939 at a school for African American orphans in Mississippi. Lively paintings highlight the band members' resilience. Pair this with Marilyn Nelson's Sweethearts of Rhythm for a slightly older audience. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(4) PS Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. In English and Spanish, this adaptation of "The Wheels on the Bus" focuses on vehicles and the sounds they make. Although the rhythm of the song in Spanish occasionally stalls from extra syllables, the book is buoyed by the constant smiles in Cepeda's bouncy oil-over-acrylic illustrations, as well as the fun of the bilingual onomatopoeia. Sheet music appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Siena Leslie

(3) PS Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. "Two bunny buddies, hungry for lunch." The ravenous friends disagree about which path to take to look for food, and their conflict quickly dissolves into name-calling ("Stinky Feet!"; "Birdy Breath!"); the duo splits up, but soon each friend realizes that enjoying the path's bounty is more rewarding with a traveling companion. The spare text and simple, bold-outlined illustrations convey the emotional drama.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(2) PS Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. A polar bear cub's first venture outside introduces her to a dazzling arctic landscape. Cub wonders at colors she's never seen, new geography, and the sheer expanse of the world. When a tumble down a hill separates her from her mother, Cub must use what she knows to find her, and the suspense is toddler-perfect. Cepeda's oil and acrylic paintings are textured and luminous.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(3) K-3 Translated by Carolina Valencia. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Brown makes a significant contribution to the increasing number of books about César Chávez by focusing equally on his partner, Dolores Huerta. Their life stories are told in parallel until they meet and "side by side...began their journey." Huerta's accomplishments are admirable, and she gets her due in this heartfelt bilingual volume enhanced by Cepeda's emotion-filled mixed-media illustrations.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. When José's undocumented mother is abruptly sent back to Mexico from San Diego, his father takes him across the border to visit her in Tijuana. The story, presented in both English and Spanish, sensitively reflects life for many immigrant kids. The text is a bit wordy, but Cepeda's illustrations, which focus on the loving family, will help keep readers engaged.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Narrator Brandon (A Girl, a Boy, and a Monster Cat) is learning to tolerate bossy Hannah. When the naughty Sunderlands move in next door, Brandon must help Hannah rescue tough cat Buttercup. Cepeda's black-and-white cartoons, one per chapter, add just the right touch to a story that is at times silly and outrageous but never goes over the top.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. This rhyming alphabet book depicts the seasonal festivities and customs celebrated by many Latino families, from the preparations for the nine nights of Las Posadas that lead up to Christmas, through Three Kings Day in January. Featuring happy people with gleaming smiles, Cepeda's vibrantly colored oil paintings vividly capture the holiday cheer. An appended author's note provides additional information. Glos.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2007

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. TV-addicted Brandon ends up at bossy Hannah's house after school three days a week, an unwilling participant in her pretend games. Brandon's narrative describes the over-the-top situations, which move wildly from yard to house to tree to wagon-cum-ambulance and are sure to keep young audiences laughing. Cepeda's black-and-white sketches add just the right energy to an already lively chapter book.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2007

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. In this sequel to The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman, Oliver disappears on another cross-country journey. Uncle Ray makes a second life-size wooden doll and sends her off in pursuit. The premise that one wooden figure is pursuing another makes for a confusing tale, but Cepeda's oil paintings, with their varied, energetic folk, help make this a trip worth taking.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Even though she lacks confidence, Ann finds that she can play soccer, climb a rope, and run a race with encouragement from her coach and friends. Illustrated with richly colored art, the thin plot is supplemented by back matter that includes questions based on the story, a step-by-step "I Can Do It" art activity, and tips to help a child read.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. A red baby blanket is the focal point of the story a single mother tells about her daughter's adoption from China. During their first day together, baby PanPan was inconsolable until her mother gave her the blanket. Now, years later, PanPan still treasures it. The oil illustrations for this poignant story, depicting a tousle-headed baby, are affecting but not romanticized.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) 1-3 Get Ready for Gabí! series. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda & Joe Cepeda. Gabí makes a friend when she and a new neighbor, Lizzie, discover that they both love to play superheroes. In the lively text, Puerto Rican Gabí moves comfortably between English and Spanish. Generously illustrated, this second book about Gabí is a welcome addition to the school series genre.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 1-3 Get Ready for Gabí! series. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. The first book in a proposed series about a Puerto Rican girl living in California is approachable and familiar. Gabí, like many immigrant children, mixes up her Spanish and English words, using the wrong words at home and at school and finding herself in trouble at both places. This standard school story, illustrated with breezy drawings, will fill a need in many collections.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. In California, Tameka writes her uncle in North Carolina to come for a visit; Uncle Ray, tied up with carpentry jobs, responds by sending off "my friend Oliver"--a human-sized wooden figure he equips with a note asking for a lift and a progress report. It's Pattison's straight-faced treatment of Oliver's transcontinental journey in one after another letter that creates the drama that Cepeda expertly stages.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2003

(4) 1-3 Translated by John Brownjohn. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Freddy, a very intelligent golden hamster, first engineers his purchase from the pet store, then overcomes obstacles to arrange a new life as "a civilized hamster free to roam wherever he wants" and writes this, his autobiography. The plot occasionally becomes pedestrian, but Freddy's first-person voice is original, and Cepeda's line drawings add pizzazz.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. When his mother, the "Control Tower," tells Captain Bob to "clear the runway," a.k.a. his room, he boards his cardboard airplane and accomplishes his mission. Although the story features amusing flying puns--Bob wears "Wind Socks" on his feet--and celebrates the imagination in the text and in the energetic oil paintings, it lacks the coherence and charm of Captain Bob Sets Sail.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Lester sets a second pourquoi tale in the hip heaven of What a Truly Cool World. When the newly created snakes become such a menace that people and creatures flee up the ladders from earth to heaven, God doesn't know what to do. Mrs. God and angel Shaniqua think to consult the snakes and come up with a solution. Amiable caricatures plus a vibrant palette accompany this freewheeling tale. An excellent note details sources.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2002