(2) PS Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. In this preschooler's introduction to the universe, a little girl's city-set picnic with two loving caregivers zooms from the titular blanket out to "the known universe, past comprehension," and back. Wolf adopts a cumulative "House That Jack Built" rhythm and structure that begins, "This is the blanket where Violet sits, / eating a sandwich, an apple, and chips," and simply but gracefully adds elements. Tobia's (Oscar's Tower of Flowers, rev. 9/21; Anna Hibiscus books) frame repeatedly expands perspective further and further before returning, like the rhyme, to blanket and family in a gentle ebb and flow. Her characters are rendered in her signnture style, with round, ­dumpling-like faces, soft noses, and tiny eyes topped by emotive ­eyebrows. They are a family of color bundled for the outing such that one adult's gender expression is entirely ­ambiguous (the other sports a soul patch). As day turns to night, Violet's caregivers don headlamps and set up a telescope (presumably carried to the park in their little red wagon, festooned with fairy lights). As Tobia's paintings take in the solar system and the galaxy, they retain a warm informality while also achieving a sense of awe. Between the tried-and-true narrative structure and the centering of this abundantly loved child, this must be the coziest exploration of the universe ever.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(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

(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

(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

(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) PS Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. These sturdy cardstock books (originally published in the UK) waste no space: the gently rough-and-tumble adventures of tots Billy and Bee span from endpaper to endpaper. The friends play and socialize (sans parents) at community playgroup and visit a complete but contained city farm. Singsong rhymes are bolstered by Tobia's wonderfully child-friendly illustrations, which highlight the diversity surrounding these urban toddlers. Review covers these titles: Let's Go to Playgroup and Let's Go to the Farm.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) PS Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. These sturdy cardstock books (originally published in the UK) waste no space: the gently rough-and-tumble adventures of tots Billy and Bee span from endpaper to endpaper. The friends play and socialize (sans parents) at community playgroup and visit a complete but contained city farm. Singsong rhymes are bolstered by Tobia's wonderfully child-friendly illustrations, which highlight the diversity surrounding these urban toddlers. Review covers these titles: Let's Go to Playgroup and Let's Go to the Farm.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) PS Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. This ebullient book is, at face value, a rhyming ode to babies on the go ("strolling in buggies and backpacks and slings, / rolling in store aisles in car seats and things"). But Tobia's art, depicting a bustling supermarket, a ride on a crowded bus, and more, turns it into a celebration of city life and families of many permutations.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. It's the first night of winter, and Little Miss Bear is having trouble falling asleep. She asks her mother if all her favorite things--the moon, the stars, and the hills to roll down--will still be there when the bears awake in the spring. Mother Bear's reassurance is evident in her words and through her softly rendered body language in the pleasantly wintry, digitally assembled pencil and ink illustrations.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(2) PS Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. In her latest picture book (Splash, Anna Hibiscus!), Anna adjusts to the arrival of twin baby brothers, or "Double Trouble." The story follows her struggles with the family's diverted attentions immediately after the births: "You will have to share us with your brothers, Anna," Papa tells her. Tobia's sunny-side-up illustrations feature an interracial extended family in a nonspecific African setting.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(3) PS Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. "It's terrific to have skin. / It keeps the outsides out / and your insides in." This upbeat rhyme introduces the youngest readers to the concept of skin and celebrates the fact that it comes in many colors. Set in a diverse city neighborhood bustling with kids, the cheerful illustrations follow a multiracial family of five as they go about their day.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. Who can blame a baby for singing the blues? Representative lyrics from this soulfully silly book (with more parent- than kid appeal): "I'd like to eat some pizza, / Macaroni, or beef stew, / But I haven't got a single tooth, / So I can't even chew." Happily, the conclusion is pop-song upbeat. Tobia uses spare lines to capture the baby's emotions.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. In her second picture book, Anna Hibiscus takes a trip to the beach. Her family members are too busy--reading, talking, digging in the sand--to go in the water, so she goes in by herself. Her ensuing joy lures everyone else in. Tantalizing illustrations capture Anna's emotions, the heat of the sun, and the beautiful colors of a boisterous seaside adventure.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(1) 1-3 Anna Hibiscus series. Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. These linked short stories set in contemporary Africa are based loosely on Atinuke's own childhood. In Luck, harmattan winds cover the land with dust. In Fun, Anna flies to snowy Canada to visit her grandmother. Everything is on a small scale, allowing readers to easily identify with the situations. Detailed illustrations add depth and energy, showing Anna in all her emotional states. Review covers these titles: Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus! and Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus!

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(1) 1-3 Anna Hibiscus series. Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. These linked short stories set in contemporary Africa are based loosely on Atinuke's own childhood. In Luck, harmattan winds cover the land with dust. In Fun, Anna flies to snowy Canada to visit her grandmother. Everything is on a small scale, allowing readers to easily identify with the situations. Detailed illustrations add depth and energy, showing Anna in all her emotional states. Review covers these titles: Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus! and Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus!

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(2) PS Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. From the mango tree in her family's compound in "Africa. Amazing Africa," Anna Hibiscus observes her large loving family and feels so happy, "she almost floats out of the tree." She finds a way to express her own happiness--in glorious song. Textured watercolors, using a muted green and brown palette, depict the richness of the gardens, avian life, and clothing.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011