(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

(2) PS A five-year-old bat named Pascaline refuses to go to school. On the first day, as the other young animals parade past her window, Pascaline clings to the furniture in her family's tree house. Her mom and dad insist it will be fun, she'll learn so much, she'll make new friends. "Never, not ever!" Pascaline screams--so loudly that her parents "shrivel up." When she sees that she can tuck them under her wing and bring them along ("'Oh no! NO WAY!' Mom and Dad yell," in a diminutive font), Pascaline decides to try school after all. She doesn't start the day with separation anxiety like the other little bats, but it turns out that dealing with her miniature parents isn't so easy. The story ends with a complete, and humorous, reversal. This creative take on a first-day-of-school tale offers a glimpse of how things really might go if kids didn't have to leave their parents behind. Witnessing what a nuisance they can be will elicit chuckles as readers recognize the irony of the parent-child role reversal and relate to the care-taking dilemmas. The mixed-media illustrations use a subdued color scheme and distinct emotional expressions to distinguish a variety of personalities and experiences. An entertaining pick for the start of school.

Reviewer: Autumn Allen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) PS The notion that "everything passes, moves on, or changes" is the subject of this playful, introspective French import. The bird that perches on your finger; small wounds; music; bubbles; baby teeth; dust; and even lice--they all pass by, fly away, or disappear. Alemagna also addresses deeper, more abstract subject matter, such as the notion that "dark thoughts," sadness, and fear may appear but will make their exits. Each double-page spread is bisected by translucent paper vellum, upon which Alemagna makes simple markings in a bold line, shifting meaning and mood depending on which side of the spread is covered. A monster, constructed out of a series of black dots, looms over a child lying fearfully in bed, whom we see through the vellum. Turn that vellum page, and the monster has moved to the verso, away from the (now peacefully sleeping) child. In one funny spread, a woman's head of hair moves over to become the mustache of her friend to the left. The richly colored oil illustrations engage readers with their occasionally off-kilter perspective and scale. The closing theme of unconditional love is implied in the text--but shown in the illustrations in the form of a warm, tender hug between adult and child. That bond is here to stay.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) K-3 Translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. What would happen if one's thoughts were always exposed? Set in a mythical village "near the cities of Florence and Bilbao," this picture book explores that question through its main character, Gisele, a child made of glass. Beautiful, fragile, and completely transparent (and in the illustrations, naked), Gisele has a problem: every thought she has is on display for anyone to observe and judge. "People grew cross with her. 'Can't you keep your thoughts to yourself?' they would say. Or, 'Aren't you ashamed to show such awful things, Gisele?'" Gisele's glass exterior begins to crack from this burden, and she decides to leave home. Ethereal art brings out the fairy-tale quality of the story, and strategically placed paper vellum overlays add complexity to the idea of transparency and human thought. Though she travels extensively, Gisele finds she cannot escape; wherever she goes, she faces disapproval and rejection, and from this constant struggle she learns to accept herself for who she is. She returns home to live as she pleases, "sparkling and luminous, sensitive and transparent, but resolute." Metaphoric in its consideration of how one learns to own the whole of oneself in a judgmental, conformist world, the story also touches on the value of the life of the mind.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(4) K-3 Translated by Edward Gauvin. A boy describes the day when his party-loathing parents finally throw him a birthday bash. They enlist the help of neighborhood problem-solver Mr. Ponzio, who lets things get somewhat out of hand (think hippo in the bathtub). The book's narrative arc is overcrowded (like the Snipperpots' house), but the retro-flavored mixed-media art is enchanting.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Translated by Jill Davis. On a rainy day in the country, the unnamed and ungendered narrator wants only to play a handheld electronic game. Forced outside, the child encounters talking snails then discovers the wonders of nature. The didactic story is further weakened by its unnecessary fantasy element, but beautiful mixed-media illustrations evoke the mood and strikingly contrast a bright orange rain slicker with the damp, dull woods.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(3) K-3 After Eddie overhears her sister say "birthday--Mommy--fuzzy--little--squishy," she frets, "She's going to give Mom the most amazing present!" Eddie scours her neighborhood--portrayed in sweeping detail in expansive scenes--for the perfect gift: "Do you have a FLUFFY SQUISHY?" she asks the baker, etc. This story is satisfying--from whimsical start to gratifying, unexpected finish.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS A sheep-shaped animal with dog fur is repeatedly mistaken for various animals in this French import. Finally, another curious-looking creature asks him to play, saying, "I know what you are. / You are my friend." The story speaks volumes without preaching, but the real draw is the embroidered illustrations, which employ safety pins and sequins to great effect.

Reviewer: Nell Beram