(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley. In 1903, when Vermont doctor Horatio Nelson (1872-1955) began his attempt to cross the United States in an automobile he had yet to learn to drive, cars were still seen as a novelty, and the idea of an interstate highway system couldn't even be dreamt of. Over nine weeks, with many starts and stops, Nelson and young mechanic Sewall Crocker raced from San Francisco to New York, attempting to complete the unprecedented feat in less than three months. Thanks to the press the journey garnered, it convinced many that horseless carriages could someday be dependable modes of long-distance transportation. McAnulty's witty telling of Nelson's grand adventure is a delight. Interesting and comedic details are given center stage here, informing readers and providing compelling suspense. Baddeley's digital illustrations effortlessly convey the many ups and downs (and breakdowns) of the trip while matching the jovial tone of McAnulty's text. Bright colors pop off the page with comic-style inserts acting as snapshots of the trip. Back matter includes a map of their route with an inset timeline as well as a listing of "fun facts" and source notes. A riveting episode from history presented with joy, laughter -- and a precious canine companion.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi. Yasmeen Lari (b. 1941) grew up during the India-Pakistan partition and watched as her parents helped welcome newcomers. As an adult, becoming Pakistan's first woman architect was just one of Lari's many professional accomplishments. After a celebrated career designing stunning landmarks, she shifted her focus to preserving the architectural history and uniqueness of Pakistan. Blending her love for design with her passion for history and traditional building techniques, she would become a leader in green building materials, combining sustainability, functionality, and beauty. When earthquakes and floods devastated Pakistani villages, Lari designed sustainable, low-cost structures that used renewable resources such as bamboo, mud, and lime (in place of environmentally damaging materials such as steel and concrete) and were designed to hold up to future disasters. In a straightforward text, Abbas presents key points about Lari's life, work, and beloved home country, while Hadadi's paper-collage art pops off the pages. A timeline as well as photographs of Lari and her green building projects further bring this groundbreaking architect's story to life.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(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) 4-6 Chimpanzees were "America's first astronauts," but what did their missions entail, and how did their voyages help NASA send humans into space? Cusick's well-researched look at the primates' training and flights provides details for an area of the space race typically relegated to a footnote. The account covers the rigorous and extensive training that dozens of chimps underwent to prepare for the Mercury program, introducing individual animals along with their dedicated human trainers and veterinarians (and touching on the ethics of animal testing). Cusick zeroes in on the high-stress and difficult flights of two astrochimps: Ham, whose suborbital flight preceded Alan Shepard's historic one, and Enos, whose two orbits around Earth paved the way for John Glenn. The propulsively page-turning narrative accessibly explains scientific details while showcasing the vital importance of the chimp program to NASA's moonshot goal. We learn that the chimps were not merely passengers but instead highly skilled astronauts performing difficult mental challenges throughout their flights to give scientists evidence that brains could function normally in zero-gravity situations as well as during the intense pressures of ascent and descent. Back matter that includes extensive endnotes, a glossary, an index, and additional resources rounds out this compelling aspect of astronautic history.

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

(2) YA Narrative nonfiction veteran Jarrow (recently American Murderer, rev. 9/22) digs into the history of the greedy hucksters and charlatans who defrauded naive and grieving people for decades, as spiritualism began in the mid-1800s and gained popularity in the postwar periods that followed. The book shows how these mediums employed parlor tricks and sleight of hand to deceive seance-sitters into believing the dead could communicate from beyond the grave. Each rise in the practice's popularity brought renewed skepticism, with a curious alliance of journalists, magicians, scientists, and detectives working diligently to convince the public that mediums were merely con artists. The book spends much of its time with famed magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, who used his expertise and experience to disprove mediums' deceptions, performing their tricks himself during his touring shows. This intriguing deep dive into an underexplored period of history shows readers how obvious lies can cement into passionately held beliefs that can stand up to scrutiny if the believer is sufficiently motivated. Frequent visuals include photographs and advertisements; "How Did They Do It?" sections detail mediums' secret methods. The thorough back matter includes a timeline, a glossary, additional resources, an author's note, source notes, an extensive bibliography, and an index.

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

(2) YA At the onset of World War II, German U-boats (submarines) mercilessly sank the military and civilian ships of the Allies, making transatlantic travel a risky endeavor. Americans living abroad had to weigh the risks of remaining in German-occupied territories against the treacherous weeks-long voyage back home. U-boat attacks were unrelenting until late in the war when advances in microwave radar detection allowed the Allies to pinpoint their locations, rendering them virtually useless. As the title suggests, this book divides its focus between the heart-wrenching story of survivors of the torpedoed SS West Lashaway awaiting rescue on a small wooden raft in shark-infested waters and a concise and highly readable history of the science of electromagnetic fields. Beginning with discoveries in the eighteenth century, Lantos provides background on each advancement in the science as well as biographical information about the scientists involved, finally introducing the American military scientists and engineers who figured out how to use microwaves to precisely locate distant objects. He ups the tension by alternating the harrowing experience of the shipwreck survivors with development of the radar equipment that was critical to both their rescue and the Allied victory in WWII. This page-turning account, with archival images and occasional chapter-opening illustrations (by Alan Marks), provides equal parts suspense and wonder for readers of history and science alike. Appended with thorough source notes, a bibliography, and an index.

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

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. Best friends Bunny and Clyde learn that it can be hard to be bad in this early chapter book. The rabbit and chipmunk duo are tired of being good and decide to put their energy into being bad, but each of their misdeeds ends up aiding the intended victim in comically unintentional ways. In one instance, Bunny and Clyde toilet paper a neighbor's rose bushes, which, it turns out, protects the flowers from an unexpected frost. Never ones to give up, the two move on to more and more daring attempts at villainy, all of which lead to disappointment. McDonald's short chapters, simple sentences, and snappy dialogue are perfect for newly emerging readers looking to take their first steps beyond early readers. Nash's frequent full- and partial-page black-and-white illustrations (final art not seen) provide lots of breaks in the text and ably capture the hijinks of these two fundamentally goodhearted critters. Bunny and Clyde can't help but fail to live up to their infamous namesakes.

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

(1) K-3 Illustrated by S. D. Nelson. Born on the Oglala Lakota Nation's Pine Ridge Reservation and orphaned at a young age, a grieving Billy Mills focuses on his father's advice: "The pursuit of a dream will heal you." Mills's dream is to follow in the footsteps of Native athletes Jim Thorpe and Buster Charles. That dream takes him to the University of Kansas's track team and eventually the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Mills confronts racism and health challenges (he is hypoglycemic) at every turn, but his belief in his dream pushes him to overcome all obstacles. Mills becomes one of only two Indigenous American Olympic track-and-field gold medalists when he beats the odds and wins gold in the 10,000-meter event. Written in propulsive and inspiring first-person free verse, this picture-book autobiography is a celebration of Mills, his legacy, and the power of inspiration. Nelson's acrylic illustrations capture Mills's Lakota upbringing, athletic pursuits, determination, and Olympic triumphs with grace and kinetic energy. Sun-drenched pages feature symbolic textures that imbue the art with a visual representation of the ancestral support the text references throughout. Additional information about Mills's life and charitable work off the track, photographs, a timeline, and notes from the three creators complete this stunning package, an essential addition for all sports fans.

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

(2) K-3 A small scrap of unbleached muslin (typically used for underwear in the early 1900s) traveled to the moon and back with the Apollo 11 astronauts in the summer of 1969. Sixty-six years before the flight, that swatch was part of a fabric wing that made the most consequential flight in aviation history. Though the Wright brothers' Flyer traveled only 120 feet on the sandy beaches of North Carolina, it changed humankind's relationship with gravity forever. Fifty-two years after the moon landing, 118 years after Kitty Hawk, a smaller piece of fabric from that same scrap took another historic flight, aboard NASA's Ingenuity, the autonomous helicopter that made the first controlled flight from the surface of Mars in 2021. Combining historical photographs and NASA concept art with the author's cartoonish illustrations creates an enjoyable informational picture book that connects the past to the present. Roth's clear and compelling narrative follows the swatch's fascinating journey through the history of flight. An extensive author's note fleshes out the fabric's many "adventures."

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

(2) 4-6 After an uncharacteristic lapse in judgment with his friends (they skateboarded in an abandoned warehouse and broke the windows), middle schooler Ash must spend his summer with his father, stepmother, and stepsister on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. There he'll be doing community service at the island's animal shelter, where his mother hopes he will learn some responsibility. Overcoming some reluctance, Ash soon takes to walking and caring for the shelter's dogs. Life at his father's home is more of a struggle as Ash must adjust to Dad's new family, including being an older brother, and to the "isolating and boring" island. Varner's (Horse Trouble) graphic-novel storytelling is well paced and compelling, appropriately lingering on emotionally heavy scenes (including the death of a shelter dog) where she allows the art to carry the narrative. Skillful mixed-media cartooning employs limited color palettes to confidently convey Ash's energetic skateboarding and big emotional swings, along with a parade of adorable canines. Chapter openers give quick facts on a dog breed readers will encounter in that chapter. A tender story of friendship (human and animal), family, and growing into oneself.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) K-3 In her time, some said Sister Rosetta Tharpe could make her guitar talk. Today, many credit her unique mix of gospel, jazz, and blues as the foundation for what would become known as rock-and-roll. Born in rural Arkansas in 1915, young Rosetta received her first guitar at four and mastered the instrument in just two years. She performed on the gospel circuit as a child and eventually in nightclubs as a hit-record-making adult, but her contributions to music were often ignored because of her gender and race. Barlow's picture-book biography focuses on Tharpe's childhood, depicting her guitar as echoing the sounds she encounters in her small African American community and debuting in her triumphant first performance at church. The lyrical text is rich with sound words ("The vibrations hummed through her body like bees through a garden"). Movement-filled, whimsical mixed-media illustrations have a folksy feel; the soft pinks, purples, blues, and yellows that recur throughout the pages convey the security and support of Tharpe's tight-knit community. An author's note provides further details about her rise to stardom as well as her lasting, if ignored, impact on many musical genres. An inspiring story that may encourage others to pick up an instrument and make it speak.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by R Gregory Christie. Rosetta Tharpe's (1915–1973) music would influence some of the biggest stars of the twentieth century--from Chuck Berry and Little Richard to Johnny Cash and Aretha Franklin--and change the sound of American music forever. In a picture-book biography that takes Tharpe from childhood in Cotton Plant, Arkansas ("Little girl. Big guitar"), through her adult career, Bolden's dynamic second-person text puts readers in Tharpe's shoes. In tracing her musical successes, readers see her intermingling of musical genres ("mixing it up with Gospel's Cousin Boogie-Woogie, Cousin Jazz, Cousin Swing, Cousin the big, bad Blues") and with it the origin of rock and roll. Bolden describes Tharpe the performer as "bold, audacious--in a word, bodacious, whatever the song." Christie's acryla gouache paintings use bold contrasting colors to show Tharpe as the center of attention as well as the center of the action: singing, praying, duckwalking, and always with fingers flying on the guitar strings. He contrasts crisp angular lines (of industrial modernity--trains, spotlights, skylines) with elegant curves (of the guitar's body, of human figures). A detailed timeline, a lengthy author's note, and brief source notes round out this impressive offering about an often-overlooked figure in American music. Pair with Barlow's Little Rosetta and Her Talking Guitar (rev. 1/23).

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Goodale. In April 2019, people held their breath as the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral burned. Among the priceless items to survive the flames were beehives housed on the cathedral's roof. Browne's lyrical picture book tells the story of the bees who call Notre-Dame home and the fire that threatened their hives. Drawing parallels between the cooperative worker bees and the cooperation displayed by rescue workers during and after the catastrophic fire, the story takes on greater symbolism: "Come! Rebuild. Work with each other. You are stronger together." Goodale's mixed-media illustrations combine printing, colored pencils, and a variety of paints and collage materials to create a vibrant spring in Paris before the explosion of smoke and flame encroaches on the idyllic scene. Yellows, pinks, and greens are replaced by violent reds and oranges, while clouds of gray smoke that engulf the images fill the once-open spreads. Images of the burning cathedral and the valiant efforts of rescue workers effectively build tension. The welcome news of the bee colony's survival closes the story, while details in the concluding note let readers know that the difficult task of rebuilding Notre-Dame is underway.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by James Ransome. Perhaps no instrument is more associated with jazz than the saxophone. And no city more tied to both than New Orleans. But the history of the saxophone (originally saxophon), engagingly told here, begins across the Atlantic in the small Belgian town of Dinant, where the musician and inventor Adolphe Sax (1814-1894) was born into an instrument-making family. Sax's life provides the frame for the early parts of the story as he travels to France to bolster the instrument's popularity. After catching on in military bands across Europe, the saxophone traveled with the French army to Mexico and eventually made its way to New Orleans just in time for the dawn of the invention of jazz. Ransome's illustrations shine with careful detail, effortlessly cuing readers into changes in time and locale. One particularly memorable spread shows a black cat and three long, ominous human shadows containing text describing Sax's death with the wordless page opposite featuring a young Black child playing the saxophone--and one can almost hear the funeral dirge coming out of its bell.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) K-3 Living through a global pandemic has brought epidemiological thinking to the forefront of pop-science. Those who would like to learn about diseases (mostly) defeated by scientific discovery will be fascinated by this volume, which investigates the history of six deadly diseases that caused human suffering for centuries. Despite the serious subject matter, the book's tone, enhanced by the spot illustrations, is light, allowing readers to delve into the most harrowing descriptions of pain and suffering with enough distance to be more fascinated than horrified. Each chapter focuses on one disease and is preceded by a world map showing the plague's long reach. Sidebars throughout the main text provide anecdotes about the illness and the individuals who in one way or another contributed to our understanding of it. Each chapter ends with a section spotlighting some of the more famous victims of the disease. Endnotes include an extensive list of sources organized by chapter as well as a detailed index and "further reading for future medical historians," making this book well-suited for student research. Fans of Albee's Poison will feel right at home with this darkly comedic piece of nonfiction.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 A cheery picture book introduces Earth's moon, its origin, and its importance to our planet. Straightforward, developmentally appropriate scientific explanations ("Then, Earth used a special force, called gravity, to keep the rocks close by") are integrated into a lighthearted text in eleven brief chapters: "Sun," "Earth," "Baby Moon," "Orbit," etc. Digitally manipulated illustrations have a lively and approachable look. Though Hodgson gives the celestial objects expressive cartoon faces and feelings ("Earth and Moon were so happy to be new friends"), the information about the moon's phases, tides, solar eclipses, etc., is solid. Perfect for fans of McAnulty's Our Universe series, this book is sure to delight budding astronomers while inviting all readers to take time to look up at the evening sky and wonder.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Satwik Gade. Born in 1887 in southern India, Srinivasa Ramanujan would, before his untimely death in 1920, become one of the most influential mathematicians of the twentieth century. In an admiring view of an extraordinary individual, Narayanan chronicles Ramanujan's life: from curious young son of a clerk who sees numbers and patterns wherever he gazes, to his travels to Cambridge, England, where he impresses Europe's greatest mathematicians with his novel approaches to numerical thinking, and finally to his illness-induced return to India and death. The clear and succinct text explains Ramanujan's mathematical ideas in a thoroughly understandable manner. Gade's vivid digital art displays Ramanujan's unique mathematical daydreams for readers, helping them to begin to see the patterns that fascinated him. Numbers, patterns, graphs, and diagrams are scattered within most spreads, helping convey the idea that his mind never strayed from his obsession with numbers. Significant back matter (including an informative author's note, a glossary, and an explanation of magic squares) allows Narayanan to fully flesh out Ramanujan's continued importance to both the field of mathematics and the people of India.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Molly Mendoza. Daunting, exhausting, sweaty, filthy, and dangerous are all words that can describe the work of the teams of firefighters who join together to contain and control wildfires. Paley and Mendoza's informative picture book gives readers a full view of the effort that goes into protecting homes, people, and habitats when these all-too-common out-of-control fires endanger lives. Technical vocabulary abounds and is well explained in Paley's clear text, which follows a team of firefighters from the first indication of a blaze until the last embers are extinguished. Reminiscent of WPA National Park posters, Mendoza's graphically striking art is energetic and engrossing. The yellows, reds, and oranges that fill the pages provide a visceral sense of a wildfire's heat, while cool blues and purples provide readers a chance to recover. The abundance of captions in and around the art informs curious readers about each piece of firefighting minutia, while sidebars provide detailed explanations where necessary. Extensive back matter includes a history of wildfire management, explaining how past policies have contributed to the now-common occurrences of massive wildfires and the increased dangers they present. Specific mentions of Indigenous "hotshot crews" and the important role Indigenous leaders have in crafting more sustainable fire management practices are very welcome.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Arigon Starr. Baseball's 1911 World Series was the first to feature a match-up between two Native players. Future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Charles Bender (Ojibwe) would pitch in three of the six games, including the decisive sixth, for the Philadelphia Athletics; while hard-hitting catcher John Meyers (Cahuilla) would be behind the plate for the New York Giants for all six games. Both players were nicknamed "Chief" by the racist press and endured insults and slurs throughout their entire professional careers. Sorell (Cherokee Nation) provides readers with biographical sketches of Bender and Meyers, tracing their childhoods and divergent paths to professional baseball before diving back into the game-by-game highlights of the thrilling 1911 championship series. Starr (Kickapoo Tribe of ­Oklahoma) employs a mix of hand-drawn and digital art throughout and incorporates Ojibwe and Cahuilla designs in the pages relating Bender's and Meyers's childhoods. The art expertly foregrounds the central figures: Bender and Meyers are drawn with detailed texture, setting them apart from the largely flat backgrounds featuring teammates, fans, and reporters. An author's note, a detailed timeline, and a list of sources round out this handsome package, sure to pique the interest of young baseball fans.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jessie Hartland. What kind of spark is needed to ignite a global movement? In the case of the Earth Day Movement, it was quite literally sparks from a railcar landing in the heavily polluted and quite flammable Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. "KABOOM!" While not the first time the river had caught fire, this time, as Wittenstein's enlightening text shows, residents had had enough. Spurred on by the activism of the 1960s, they demanded action to clean up the river, and by extension the planet. While young readers may take for granted the concept of environmentalism, the book does an excellent job depicting the nascent moments of the movement that led to the first Earth Day celebration, the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, and legislation such as the Clean Water Act. Hartland's playful gouache paintings shine, reflecting a child's perspective on the events and conveying their emotional significance and ramifications. Back matter consists of a detailed author's note providing additional historical details; a timeline of the environmental movement; a bibliography; and a list of resources where readers can learn more about the Cuyahoga River Fire of 1969, Earth Day, and more about protecting our planet.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023