(3) K-3 Illustrated by Masha D'yans. "Pictures were his words, fashion his language." Blumenthal's quote-filled tribute to New York Times street-fashion photographer Bill Cunningham focuses on his approach. D'yans's vibrant watercolors catwalk across each page, emphasizing the patterns, palettes, and shapes of the clothing that so enamored Cunningham; the man himself is fittingly pictured where he most liked to be: behind the camera. An author's note provides more straightforward biographical information. Bib.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Freeman. African American designer Ann Cole Lowe learned dressmaking from her mother and grandmother. She eventually designed for some of America's most powerful families (including making Jacqueline Bouvier's now-famous wedding dress). Freeman fills the pages with vivacious patterns and saturated colors. Audiences will take pleasure both in the vibrancy of the dresses and in the dedication of the couture artist who created them. Reading list.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(4) YA As category five Hurricane Danielle bears down on Houston, Jillian finds herself fighting for survival alongside handsome River, the former star quarterback who was sent to juvenile detention under mysterious circumstances. Some awkward perspective shifts mar the narration, but personal revelations and romance unfolding against the backdrop of a natural disaster lead to plenty of suspense and excitement.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Fifteen-year-old Allie has decided to undergo rhinoplasty, encouraged by two girls she met online who also want the surgery. But some unexpected friendships--with a popular girl and a photography-obsessed boy--buoy her confidence, making her reconsider. Though the message is delivered without subtlety by largely oversimplified characters, it's an important one that self-conscious readers may take to heart.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Adam Gustavson. After an old man dies, his dog--now a nothing-special stray--wanders the streets of Cody's neighborhood. But the pup is special to Cody, and with patience, he finally gets the creature to trust him. "Dogs find their way / inside you / and you want to keep them there," Cody muses. Emotion-filled oil illustrations complement the graceful, moving text.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Miles Hyman. When racehorse Black Diamond starts losing races, he's sent to a horse-rescue program in a men's prison. There he befriends Blake, a thief with noble intentions. They're separated after Blake is released, but the two are eventually reunited. This touching if slight story told from the horse's perspective suffers from heavy-handed sentimentality. Hazy, idyllic pastel illustrations will attract horse lovers.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Denise Brunkus. Pet guinea pig Charlie abandons his owners and heads to Hollywood, where he lands a big part in a movie. Ultimately, he feels like a pig out of water and returns home. There's abundant humor in the illustrations of humans unblinkingly accepting a talking, auditioning guinea pig, whose slick speech ("No problema") has, perhaps inevitably, a scripted feel.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Chayka. After their seaside home is destroyed by a storm, a family comes to terms with their loss by spending the following summer in a tent at the same site. The melancholy tale brightens only slightly as the children learn to appreciate new traditions. Luminous paintings capture the contemplative mood.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. In these three appealing stories, big sister Annie cleverly solves the problem of Sophie's finicky eating habits; Sophie simply can't stop making noise after her sister declares a quiet time; and Annie comes up with an unusual but ultimately satisfying "pet" to share with Sophie. Exaggerations in the illustrations help communicate the familiar ups and downs of the sisters' relationship.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ted Rand. A young girl describes how every year members of her small town, including prison inmates (one is her uncle), build an ice palace for a winter carnival. The narrator makes a somewhat heavy-handed suggestion that the prisoners get a new perspective on life through their involvement with the carnival, but otherwise the book, featuring Rand's frosty watercolors, has a light, lyrical touch.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mary GrandPre. This nostalgic plot features a young girl interested in family history who, with the help of her grandmother and great-aunt, puts together a family memory book from photos and other memorabilia. This occasion spurs numerous brief reminiscences of bygone relatives, whose various characteristics (such as the beehive hair of the title) are whimsically illustrated--and exaggerated--in the pastel artwork.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian