As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
(2)
K-3
"If you are awake, / on the longest cold night, / when the wind curls and frost holds time, / you'll hear her bells and smell the first snow, / when Mother Winter goes walking." This lyrical, luminous winter solstice book exhorts readers to go outside and experience the season's natural wonders. The title character appears in the glowing, moonlit illustrations as a benevolent, larger-than-life figure whose blue cape trails behind while (in the text's refrain) she "goes walking" through a town. Swirls of light and color abound in spectacular cool-toned art whose effect is breathtaking.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2022
32 pp.
| Creative/Editions
| April, 2019
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56846-341-4$18.99
(3)
K-3
Translated by Amy Novesky.
Illustrated by
Marc Daniau.
Inspired by the Norman Rockwell painting The Problem We All Live With, this French import presents the fictionalized story of six-year-old Ruby Bridges, one of the first African American children to integrate a Southern school. Written in first person, and paired with expressive, striking illustrations, the book should resonate with readers with its frank presentation of the difficulties Bridges faced during this flashpoint in American history.
32 pp.
| Creative/Editions
| September, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56846-304-9$18.99
(3)
4-6
From redwoods to baobabs, Filippucci presents brief overviews of the natural history and cultural meanings of twelve different tree species around the world. Each spread offers a literary quote and a large illustration that reflect that tree's significance. While the text offers some unexpected nuggets of information, Filippucci's gorgeous, intricate watercolor and ink art is the book's real highlight. Bib.
40 pp.
| Creative/Editions
| September, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56846-323-0$18.99
(3)
K-3
With large, meticulously detailed illustrations, this nostalgic picture book lovingly details a fifty-year relationship between a man and his ship. Clean panels and spare text mythologize the stalwart seafaring man and his many voyages on the Clementine through peacetime and war until her sinking. This fictional merchant marine's story--scrupulously imagined into the back matter, which includes a route map and ship diagrams--is peculiar, particular, and grand.
32 pp.
| Creative/Editions
| September, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56846-311-7$18.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jori van der Linde.
More celebratory than scientific, this compilation of poems and retold myths (most are also in verse) about the moon is complemented by richly detailed ink-pen and Photoshop illustrations; van der Linde captures the luminescence of the moon in all its phases, the stars, and even the foam from ocean waves. The book's tall, slim trim size lends itself well to the poetry within. A page of moon facts is appended.
32 pp.
| Creative/Editions
| March, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56846-292-9$18.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jean Claverie.
"Here I am, facing the rock." Every summer, the African American narrator's older brother jumps off a tall rock into the lake; this year, big brother says it's the narrator's turn. Nadon nails an older sibling's aura: intimidating ("He always made everything look so easy") and inspiring (the boy follows his brother's example). The art's sketch-like quality suits the narrator's shaky-giddy mood.
32 pp.
| Creative/Editions
| September, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56846-328-5$17.99
(4)
K-3
"Fall, falling. / Tousled sheet, a restless sea. / But then, calm." In this esoteric musing, acrylic and air-brushed illustrations depict a dreamy, surrealistic seascape. While the stream-of-consciousness progression from sleep to wakefulness may inspire contemplation, it's just as likely to be confusing and may be better suited to older picture-book readers.
32 pp.
| Creative/Editions
| September, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56846-297-4$18.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Tim Jessell.
An unnamed hunter sips coffee in the chill of the pre-dawn morning. As the sun rises, he goes out into the forest. But when he finds his prey, he is mesmerized by its beauty and chooses not to shoot. The spare text is complemented by large, realistic illustrations tinged with blue or black (night scenes) or orange hues (daytime), which create a tone of reverence.
(4)
4-6
Illustrated by
Roberto Innocenti.
In an elegant, oversize edition of Hoffmann's Christmas story, Marie's nutcracker doll comes to life and she helps to transform him into a handsome prince. The flowery prose of the original text is much more complex than will be expected by children used to the ballet. Innocenti's surreal paintings emphasize the nightmarish aspects of the fantasy.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Anna Balbusso
&
Elena Balbusso.
Using simple, poetic text with an environmental message, this book suggests ways we can learn from, appreciate, and preserve nature. While the mindfulness affirmations ("Let the lake instruct you in stillness") will resonate most with adult readers, the story's message of caring for the earth and its creatures may have broader appeal. The precise digital art adds interest with a luminous, textured look.
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Monique Felix.
A chicken trying to nap on a rainy day is continually foiled (e.g., the barn is dry, but the cows are too loud). The back-and-forth "good day"/"bad day for a chicken" tension is resolved when the rain stops and the chicken fills her belly: "it's a bad day to be a worm." Gorgeous, personality-rich full-spread illustrations augment a humorous and satisfying story.
(4)
K-3
One day, this book's pig narrator, employed as Assistant Bean Counter No. 1138, seeks shelter from the rain at a bookstore, where the stories he reads unleash his imagination (perhaps he's an acrobat?). His hand-wringing over whether to follow "the old story" (essentially an unexamined life) may alienate young readers; hopefully, they'll stick around for Rock's sepia-toned watercolors, which exhibit Tim Burton–esque whimsy.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Giovanni Manna.
Selected by Laura Manaresi. Relaxing watercolor illustrations accompany excerpts from Walden, arranged as a condensed year-in-the-life snapshot of Thoreau. Single- and double-page spreads depict the peaceful Walden Pond setting and Thoreau's small cabin both inside and out. The text is often set apart on a white background, embellished with an occasional leaf or woodland creature. An introduction provides context for the selected excerpts.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Gary Kelley.
Twelve-year-old Calvin's farming family endures drought, dust storms, and poverty during the Dust Bowl, clinging to the belief that "next year" will be better. Rain comes too late for his parents to remain, but now-sixteen-year-old Calvin stays to revitalize the farm, looking forward to "next year." The poignant, poetic text and atmospheric dust-hued illustrations serve as a paean to farmers' indomitable spirits.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Michael Rothman.
A rhyming, celebratory look at the animals and plants prevalent in the Great North Woods. The rich acrylic paintings highlight the vibrant ecosystem's teeming life throughout the day: aspens quiver in the breeze and the bobcat stirs in its lair at dawn; the star-nosed mole breaks ground and a barn owl plummets toward its prey come nightfall. A beautiful pairing of language and visual imagery.
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Gary Kelley.
Lewis and Kelley (And the Soldiers Sang; Harlem Hellfighters) respectfully relate the story of roughly 420 Navajo code talkers who helped the U.S. win World War II by using their native language for secret military communications. Lewis emphasizes the extraordinary nature of their achievement after a century of unjust treatment by the government. Kelley's illustrations evoke classic (and violent) wartime images and Native American iconography. Bib.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Maria Cristina Pritelli.
A dialogue (in different typefaces) between a Venetian boy and a fictional scribe relates episodes from Marco Polo's travels. While the text, accompanied by intriguing paintings in muted tones, focuses more on the nature of "truth" in storytelling than on the adventures themselves, the handsome book could inspire further research on Marco Polo's life and exploration.
(4)
K-3
The eponymous horse recounts its many adventures across time and space, yet it never travels "more than 30 feet from where [it] started." "What horse am I?" it asks. Tipped off by the carousel horse on the book's cover, readers familiar with merry-go-rounds will likely guess the answer. Both the nostalgic text and stately scratchboard art seem geared more to adults than to children.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Chris Sheban.
Yolen's minimal rhyming verse muses on the imaginative potential of cardboard boxes: "You can climb inside and there read a book. It can be a library, / palace, / or nook." Sheban's soft and dreamy illustrations, created with different paints and colored pencils on brown cardboard packages, bring to life the poetic text.
(4)
K-3
In an inviting comic form, Chwast presents the 1920s classic tale of a globetrotting vet who can talk to animals, distilling the plot down to major points. The concept is perennially appealing; some content (e.g., Dolittle's travels to generic "Africa") remains unchanged. Chwast's clean, open design brings the story to a younger audience.