(2) PS Illustrated by Alea Marley. This is a picture book tailor-made for storytime: Weatherford’s succinct first-person text makes great use of repetition, as well as end rhymes that beg for children’s voices to complete. Well-paced page-turns at the line breaks in each sentence heighten anticipation at each beat in the rhythm. The book’s first lines read: “When I swim, / I become a fish. / When I jump, / I become a wish.” Marley’s illustrations follow the text, moving from a concrete depiction of a Black girl swimming at the shore with a parent to a more imaginative depiction of her swimming underwater with outlined fish sketched around her; showing the same child jumping at the park, then against a fantastical background of stars and foliage as she leaps through the air, no ground visible beneath her feet. The style combines the retro feel of art by Gyo Fujikawa or Aliki with a contemporary flair. Words and pictures combine to embrace the whole child, moving her body and moving through life—outdoors, inside, at home, at school. The repeating pattern of the refrain (“When I..., / I become...”) infuses the narration with possibility, and pictures meet that voice to present a confident, capable, joyful, creative Black girl, self-assured and in community with others. Celebratory and, yes, moving.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(3) PS Illustrated by Alea Marley. Young Téo loves to dance. At home, he dances the cumbia and the bhangra with Papí and Amma. In ballet class (where he wears a tutu "because it's pretty"), "he couldn't wait to perform onstage, under the lights in a fancy costume, before a real audience!" When it's time to choose a costume, he's drawn to a skirted leotard that "reminded him of...peonies" but feels pressure to pick the silver shirt and black pants. Macias's gentle story features a winning gender-nonconforming, biracial protagonist and his supportive adults (parents, teacher); Marley's lively illustrations acknowledge Téo's nervousness about being judged and celebrate his joy and bravery when he's true to himself.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) PS Illustrated by Alea Marley. Only a year apart in age, siblings Henry and Liza are inseparable. They play imaginative games together; hang out by "the Twisty Tree"; travel in the same social circles; and pass all milestones together, in lockstep. But when Liza goes to kindergarten, Henry stays at home, feeling angry and abandoned. He tries to get on with his usual activities without Liza and eventually discovers the swings, where he invents some new moves all by himself. When the two reunite at the end of the day, they have much to share about how they spent their time apart. Henry teaches Liza one of his swing tricks, and Liza teaches Henry her class cheer. Digital illustrations nicely capture the nature of preschool-aged play, incorporating doodles when representing the imaginary elements. The "Twisty Tree"--with its massive trunk, overhanging branches, and blue-green, hair-like leaves--is the book's visual highlight. This story validates children's fear of change and separation from a loved one but also offers assurance that these feelings pass, and that moments apart are not only productive for our self-growth, but they also make the time we do spend together all the more special.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Alea Marley. Cast in the New York City Ballet's Nutcracker, young Charlotte (the first Black Marie in the company's history) shares the holiday spirit with audiences for the entire season, then enjoys Christmas with her family: making Trinidadian pastelles, searching for the pickle ornament on the tree, and smashing a peppermint pig. Author Nebres, who danced Marie in 2019 when she was just eleven, writes a spare but sensory-rich narrative that emphasizes inclusion, representation, and the amount of work it took to realize her dream. Marley's inviting cartoon illustrations in soft pastel colors play with light and create a cozy holiday atmosphere.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(3) PS Illustrated by Alea Marley. Loretta anxiously awaited the birth of her baby cousin. Before she knows it, Gabe's first birthday is approaching, and Loretta becomes increasing worried because she doesn't have the perfect gift. However, from showing Gabe lots of affection ("Who's the best baby on the block?") and being helpful, Loretta discovers that she is Gabe's greatest gift. A sweet, emotively illustrated story of a tight-knit African American family.

Reviewer: Monique Harris

(4) PS Illustrated by Alea Marley. "Everybody's somewhere, / Where are you? / I'm right here, / I'm somebody, too." Rhymes with little regard for meter describe where people might be, in terms concrete ("Somebody is flying, / Someone's in a car") and abstract ("Nowhere is somewhere"). Cut-paper-like illustrations, showing an ethnically diverse cast of kids in a variety of settings, accompany this well-meaning but murky object-permanence lesson.

Reviewer: Nell Beram