(3) K-3 Illustrated by Turine Tran. Pando, a massive aspen grove in Utah, is "one of the biggest / living things in the world." The forty-seven thousand trees on 106 acres are linked through their root system, which surfaces and produces "clone" trees. The spare free-verse text introduces readers to this natural wonder, estimated to be twelve thousand years old. Fox effectively provides context for the massive numbers (e.g. Pando's size and age) to aid in comprehension. Particular attention is paid to how human behavior has changed Pando's environment and is threatening the organism's survival. Matching the text's reverence, Tran's delicately rendered illustrations glow with rich browns, golds, and greens. A glossary, "How You Can Help," and a bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) 4-6 Lucy's mother died researching sharks when Lucy was young. Now, during a summer project studying the great white sharks near their Rockport, Massachusetts, home, Lucy's best friend Fred dies in a tragic accident. Lucy turns to her mother's unfinished research and finds a way to strengthen remembered connections among her mother, Fred, and those still present in her life. Fluid writing adds depth to the meticulously drawn characters' emotional journeys.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019