(2) K-3 Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Our narrator was proud to have written a book in rhyme...and then little sister came along with her crayon and ruined it. Or did she? Frustrated, the narrator tries to tell the story aloud, with frequent sisterly interruptions that usually add positivity but disrupt where the rhyme seems to be going: "'She tagged along to join the action, / but mostly was a huge distrac -- ' // 'A HELPFUL NEW PERSPECTIVE!'" Between the sibling dynamics and the element of surprise that eventually becomes a recognizable pattern, the story is funny throughout (though its meter has some missteps). But the real payoff comes with a revelation at the end, which will likely prompt readers to go back and look more closely at the sister's contributions, aided by the differentiated font colors for each speaker. The illustrations, "developed digitally with some use of scanned traditional media textures, ink washes, and patterns," match the do-it-yourself imaginativeness of the text; the casual depiction of siblings with different skin tones is another plus.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alona Millgram. “Fingers crossed it turns out right. / Challah for Shabbat tonight.” Singsong rhymes take readers and listeners step by step as the narrator bakes challah with Grandma, including the fun of waiting together and, later, of Shabbat dinner with family. Illustrations are appealingly varied, from insets showing details of baking to flighty spreads with ingredients and smells dancing across the page. A welcome, warm portrayal of the Jewish Sabbath and of an intergenerational relationship.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) K-3 A young protagonist with a deep internal life shares a personal memory in this intimate and indelible picture book. The unnamed redhead recounts tripping face-down on the cobblestone ground. As a scab develops on their injured knee, the child experiences fear, disgust, wonder, and impatience. They name the scab Pepper, and one day Pepper -- drawn with a stylized face -- speaks to the child. The child engages with the scab, telling stories and sharing thoughts during lonely days in the country spent with grandparents (and without a dog). Over time, Pepper shrinks and gets softer, and the protagonist gets used to its presence. ("She was just doing what scabs do.") Then one day, the scab falls off. The child finds Pepper in the bedsheets and says goodbye by gently dropping it outside among the poppies. The once-injured knee, now smooth, inspires reflection on the child's past: about how it felt having the scab, about visiting with grandparents, and what life was like before their cuddly pet dog joined the family. Illustrations rendered with gouache, oil, collage, and wax pencils fill colorful spreads with emotive angles and textures. Words and images are portrayed with rhythm and sensory details, which bring depth to character and illuminate the comforting settings. This exploration of pain, healing, change, wonder, and time can also serve as an educational mentor text for lessons about personal narratives.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Natalia Rojas Castro. Since arriving from Havana, Magaly’s talented abuela has “whipped up one Cuban dish after another.” It’s all new and tasty—but when Magaly hears about ropa vieja, literally “old clothes,” she starts to grow concerned...and to hide her favorite garments. Lively, warm-toned digital illustrations display abuela’s “zesty” dishes and Magaly’s funny misunderstanding. Useful and entertaining back matter includes author and illustrator notes, two recipes, brief “Facts About Cuba,” examples of “recipes with imaginative names” from various cultures, and a glossary.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Two sisters discover a woolly bear caterpillar in their family’s garden in late summer. The girls are disappointed when their “new friend” seemingly disappears later in fall, but they move on to their “next adventure”; a final illustration shows their friend has reemerged in the spring as a tiger moth. Arthur effectively captures how children’s interests wax and wane. Her detailed illustrations do a particularly good job of depicting the girls’ expressive faces.

Reviewer:

(2) K-3 Becker's (The Tree and the River, rev. 3/23) latest wordless fantasy takes readers to a post-apocalyptic future. Animals in a flooded zoo huddle on exposed bits of dry land; they are tended by an enormous yellow robot with wind turbines mounted on its back. Becker works in landscape orientation, with the robot's verticality dominating most compositions. Viewers get a sen is place beyond the endless water, the decay of the zoo buildings, and the utter absence of humans. But he does give them some semblance of hope. As the water rises, the robot fashions an ark of sorts. The animals file aboard, and they all set sail on a journey that gives Becker ample opportunity to explore the moods of his seascape. An encounter with another robot, this one blue and powered by solar panels, leads to sanctuary. Its hot air balloon accommodates both robots and all the animals, carrying them to an Edenic island, lush with vegetation and complete with waterfall and rainbow. Becker's characteristically virtuosic ink and watercolor paintings offer much for young readers to pore over and peer at, which may be enough for many. Others will find the story and the questions it poses lingering long after the book is closed.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) K-3 Picture books about imaginary play can be belabored or overly precious. Not so Blackall's brilliantly constructed latest. The opening setting is a living room (just a suggestion of one -- we mostly see an ocean-colored rug). Here we meet a child gathering items needed for a pretend sea voyage while an adult vacuums. As the child exhorts the adult to join in, we begin to see intimations of the coming seascape: the cat, poking its head under the rug, creates swelling waves; patterned pillows evoke shark fins; etc. Then, with a page-turn, we are plunged into the book's make-believe world -- child and adult aboard a fully rigged multi-masted schooner on the high seas, about to encounter a storm (and sharks!). The mixed-media and digital illustrations are alternately gorgeous and rich in character and humor. For example, on one spread the adult's cell phone rings ("blah blah blah..."), temporarily returning us to real life ("we are in the doldrums," bemoans the discouraged child). Blackall excels at setting the stage for the imaginary play with one-to-one equivalents (the vacuum, with its long cord, easily transforms into a giant squid; a paper-towel roll becomes a spyglass) and then making us forget all that, immersing us in the book's imaginary world, wholly capturing the experience of imaginary play. "ANCHORS...AWEIGH!" Glossary of sailing terms included.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sona Avedikian. In a story inspired by her husband's grandfather, Boukarim provides a powerful examination of the loss inflicted by the Armenian Genocide. After soldiers suddenly arrive at their home, the young protagonist and his two sisters are forced to flee, embarking on an exhausting journey to escape the coming violence. Quiet and mournful, the boy, though himself safe, slowly lets go of the hope of ever seeing his mother again. Finally, after many decades, he finds the words necessary to share his story and the history with his grandchildren -- a remembrance of an ordeal long untold. "'Where are we from, Dada?' I didn't see it coming. I found my words, dusty from years of sitting in the dark, unspoken." Avedikian's digital illustrations, rendered with a warm palette and suffused with familial love and comfort, make a harrowing story approachable for young readers. Back matter includes notes from both the author and illustrator detailing their personal connections to the Armenian Genocide; family photographs; and a map showing the two possible escape routes that may have been used by the author's extended family members. A necessary and well-crafted picture book about a part of world history too often ignored and sadly still relevant.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 What is a house if it isn't shared? A "house-sprite" named Noa (with a charmingly acorn-shaped head) can find anything in his cliffside abode but the one thing he wants most: friends. Frustrated by his lonely life, he heads out into a blizzard to look for a new house with friends in it. A cold wind sweeps his hat away and onto the toes of a trapped creature. After a swift rescue, Noa exclaims: "I found a bear! I've never found a bear before. What do bears do? What do they like?" Berries, Bear declares, and the two march on in search of a home with both berries and friends. A yellow haystack beaming in a snowy field provides them with a warm reprieve and a sneezy friend, Ferret; then another companion, Wolf. Though the group journeys through snow, rain, and wind, a sense of coziness permeates the tale. The characters each learn a little bit more about themselves and much more about one another until they come upon someplace familiar. Hand-drawn illustrations and text refrains about what animals like and do imbue the narrative with a folktale's sensibility. Weaving humor with sincerity, Bourgonje crafts a winsome and heartfelt story that feels like home.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2034

(2) K-3 A dull day at the seaside yields to heart-pounding action. Danny's mother suggests that her mopey son take the dog for a walk on the beach, encouraging him to: "Keep your eyes open; you never know what you might see." In trademark Browne fashion ([Hide and Seek, rev. 11/18; What If...?, rev. 9/14), stable, symmetrical compositions echo Danny's mood as he and Scruff, a hairy yellow terrier mutt who embodies his name, pass glum beachside cottages to reach a bland, featureless beach beneath lowering gray clouds. Scruff's delight in a game of fetch lifts Danny's spirits, and the boy is further engaged when he spots faces and shapes in the beach rocks, studying them intently. Then he notices people waving at a far-off speck in the water who appears to be waving back. "Fetch!" he tells Scruff, and the dog obliges, swimming "on and on and on" in an edge-of-your-seat three-page sequence. Four half-page panels limit readers to Danny's foreshortened views of Scruff nearing the tiny, floundering figure and then slowly, slowly swimming back; the visual pacing is highly effective. A whale jumps joyfully in the background as Scruff leads the exhausted swimmer -- Danny's older brother! -- out of the surf against a now-bright-blue sky. Both a terribly high-stakes adventure and a celebration of the act of looking closely -- a favored theme of Browne's -- this day at the beach will have young readers riveted.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Shelly Swann. According to an end note, “All Souls’ Day...is commemorated around the world...each year on November 2.” In this moving picture book, young Mara accompanies her grandmother (Nene) on their annual tradition of serenading their neighbors, for the first time since her beloved grandfather Popi’s recent death. Deep in grief, Mara at first minimizes others’ losses (deaths of pets; a death five years earlier) compared to her and Nene’s. Nene tells Mara that grief can’t be measured or ranked, but she becomes sadder with every house. Mara takes Nene home and heads back out to finish the task. Heartwarmingly, when she returns, the neighbors have gathered outside and are now serenading them. The illustrations, with echoes of Eastern European folk art, use a palette of grays and purples to reinforce the wintry setting and somber tone.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 This picture book amusingly frames a simple errand (delivering a package) as an “expedition,” with dramatic voiceover-esque narration (“This is their story”) providing humor through its completely serious delivery. The cartoonish illustrations make varied use of the spreads as the expedition encounters obstacles (a hurt toe; an “ambush” by an adult, or “senior officer”). Sure to provide great fun as a deadpan read-aloud.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) K-3 In this comforting story, a young girl and her mother move to a cozy apartment in a new city where she happily plays by herself whenever her mom has to work in the next room. When Mom suggests going to the park to meet other kids, she isn't interested; her response to the suggestion of a playdate with neighbors is a resounding "NO." An invitation to join a bookstore storytime induces panic, and the girl cries "till [her] face was bright red." One day they visit an animal shelter, where they adopt a sweet and affectionate dog. Millie quickly befriends everyone they meet on their walks, and the girl slowly grows more comfortable with new people and pups. Castillo's ink, watercolor, and soft pastel illustrations show the girl's budding courage: at first she's always glued to Mom, but with every encounter her face and posture relax more until she finds herself smiling and even waving hello. At a dog park, Millie races off to make friends; taking a cue from her affable dog, the girl spots another timid girl and goes over to say hello, just like Millie. In a final, heartwarming illustration, both girls stride along confidently, holding their dogs' leashes, a few small but meaningful steps ahead of their moms. The way in which Castillo's characters stand out against the paler backgrounds, with bolder black outlines filled with robust colors, cleverly helps young audiences focus in on minute but crucial changes in facial expression and body language.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 A wee, goggle-eyed alien lands on Earth one night, on a mission to collect soil samples and move on to the next planet. The titular spaceman finds Earth rather ordinary, but then a crow flies off with his spaceship and he must follow the crow "into the unknown." As he journeys, he discovers more and more fascinating plant life, and when the sun comes up, even more flora is revealed, plus strange but adorable animals such as snails and beautiful ones such as butterflies. One butterfly drops the spaceman into a lily pond, where he floats happily until retrieved by a new friend, a small spotted dog (at first deemed a "hideous beast"). Then comes the conundrum: should he recover the spaceship, now seen to be perched on a tree branch, and continue the mission? After wrestling with his conscience, he slyly pushes the spaceship off the branch, and it sinks into the pond, "never to be seen again." The spaceman now must remain on Earth: "In this extraordinary place. Laughing and playing. And enjoying the gentle breeze with my friend." The book's appeal stems from the interplay of the formal narration with the extreme cuteness of the protagonist and the other creatures, including highly expressive faces and body language. The soft palette, in apt greens and blues, reinforces the charm of the bucolic landscape.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marianne Ferrer. In the school playground, a girl named Sam notices a dandelion bud. As she cares for it, the plant grows—becoming so tall it towers above the schoolyard. Other children help protect it, and soon it evolves into a “dreamy fluffball...that danced gently when the wind blew and made Sam dizzy with wishes.” When the adults get wind and try to destroy what they see as a giant weed, the children band together. The eye-pleasing illustrations’ limited palette in subdued hues effectively features pops of dandelion yellow.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao. For many children, the afterschool hours are anything but relaxing, "because now there is homework. Or a piano lesson. Or dance class." Detlefsen and Bontigao effectively portray this frenetic time between school dismissal and bedtime in an enjoyable picture book featuring a biracial family. The dad, who may be a stay-at-home parent, oversees the three young children's activities. Mom is in the military and joins her family via a video call in the evening, during which the kids experience the "pang of missing someone who feels too far away." While the children may be "exhausted...or in a mood" at day's end, there are also moments of lightheartedness. Dad and the kids enjoy taking a walk at twilight, telling knock-knock jokes, and eating bread fresh from the oven. Mom's return home makes the family complete but doesn't put an end to the chaos. Bontigao's expressive digitally rendered illustrations capture the havoc surrounding the family (e.g., the dog eats a child's homework, a vase is knocked off a table and shatters), while the text's soothing rhythm makes for a fine bedtime story.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey & Jarrett Pumphrey. The plight of Black farmers takes center stage in this affecting picture book. A boy and his grandfather faithfully take their produce to a farmers' market every Saturday. Papa's stall is the only one occupied, but "it wasn't always this way." Just two years ago, there were five. The Pumphreys' expressive illustrations, created using handmade stamps and edited digitally, highlight the richness of the harvest, the deep purple plums, large orange pumpkins, and vibrant green bell peppers. Papa knows his customers well and even stops at Mrs. Brown's to deliver plums after the stand closes each week. When Papa is too tired to carry on this work, his customers come to him to share a meal consisting of the bounty from his land. The final spread reveals that even though Papa's days of harvesting are over, the family's connection to farming won't end. A bumper sticker on his pickup truck along with signs in his barn and stand promote the cause of Black farmers. An author's note provides information about the dwindling number of Black farmers due to discrimination.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(3) K-3 Sido (grandfather) tells Salam, a young Palestinian girl, that olive trees are strong and resilient with “roots that run deep in this land.” He explains that olive trees connect everyone, from the farmer who presses the oil, to the bakery where the oil fires up the ovens, to olive sellers, to those who feast on them. An excited Salam plants an olive seed with dreams of strengthening these connections. She tends to her seed every day until it sprouts and grows into a young tree. Her happiness is cut short, however, when “soldiers forcefully march into our land,” crushing her tree and destroying everything in their path. Sido comforts Salam by saying she will grow more trees in time. Overnight, Sido mobilizes the community so that when Salam awakes, she finds her friends and family gathered amid a newly planted olive grove. Elbayya’s spare text and simple line drawings in a muted palette of greens and browns are powerful and effective. Salam (which means peace) serves as a stand-in for the resilience and unbroken spirit of the Palestinian people. The hopeful story underlines lessons of resistance and the coming together of community in the face of destruction.

Reviewer: Sadaf Siddique

(2) K-3 Translated by Laura Watkinson. Illustrated by Herma Starreveld. In this Dutch import, a community of birds comes to terms with the death of one of their own. In the wordless opening spread, a lifeless bird lies face up on the ground. A long-beaked bird looks on disconsolately and then states: "Bird is dead." More gather and experience both denial and shock: "Are you sure he's not sleeping?" and "What? He was still alive yesterday!" Some of the creatures cry; some argue over who will bury him; some mourn the loss; and one even shares, "I thought he was a pest." They bury Bird and say goodbye, absorbing the hard reality of doing so forever and that this means "for always," although one acknowledges that he will live in their heads "forever." This decidedly unsentimental look at death is set on a rolling terrain that could be anywhere; the birds traverse it as if on a stage. Grim humor punctuates the narrative, including at the burial: one bird sings "tra-la-la" and responds, after being chastised, that Bird was always "chirpy" and would probably like to hear it at his funeral. Starreveld renders the avian bodies in patchwork colors and patterns and anthropomorphizes them: at the book's close, they share tea, worms, and cake under lanterns they've hung from the leafless branches of trees. This plainspoken and candid lens on death is a conversation-starter. See also Brown and Robinson's The Dead Bird (rev. 5/16) and Yumoto and Sakai's The Bear and the Wildcat (rev. 3/23) for similar approaches to children's natural curiosity about the subject of death.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Susie Ghahremani. Memory and connections with the "old country" can be important parts of the experience for immigrant families. In this story, a young girl helps her Iranian (as identified in the back matter) grandmother, Nana, tend her garden, while relishing "the stories she tells me about a garden she knows far away." As the two plant and water geraniums, Nana shares tales of "back home," even though the girl doesn't "know where 'back home' is." There were tall cypress trees, fragrant jasmine, lilac, and hyacinth; there was a fishpond, and fruit trees including cherry, mulberry, and pomegranate. Gouache illustrations on vellum represent a modest Western garden in contrast with the lusher, bursting garden of Nana's memories on the facing page. Paisley, floral, and other distinctly traditional Persian designs adorn the pages in saffron yellows, minty greens, and radish-y reds. These embellishments make a visual connection between Nana's new home and her "back home" memories; the book's playful endpapers also capture this design aesthetic. In this gentle tale, stories are like plants that grow in the girl's imagination, taking root to bloom into cultural pride and intergenerational connection. Author and illustrator notes discuss the importance of gardens for many Iranians as well as the importance of cultural transmission.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024