(2) PS Illustrated by Brooke Boynton Hughes. Given the state of Archer's room, it comes as no surprise that he has lost track of his pet turtle, Kevin. Kevin is just one in a list of things that he has declared missing, including a drawing pad and pens, a toy truck, and a baseball bat. Kevin makes a break for it right on the title page, and though persistent viewers (along with the cat) will be able to find him always hiding close by, he stays just out of sight of frustrated Archer, whether in Archer's bedroom, in the kitchen, or out in the yard. To complicate matters, Archer keeps finding his other lost objects and getting distracted by them: "'My baseball bat! I love my baseball bat!' said Archer. 'It's my favorite!'" Detailed cartoon art with soft colors and gentle lines creates a broader sense of a warm home life. Finally heeding the advice of his pragmatic and remarkably unfazed mother, Archer does some tidying and considers what might make Kevin want to come out on his own. Food, water, a clean tank, and patience ultimately coax the friendly reptile out of hiding. "'Kevin!' cried Archer. 'You're my absolute favorite thing of all!'" Kevin joins a number of other loyal but independent pet turtles venturing beyond their tanks lately, and readers who enjoy this story may also want to make the acquaintance of Reidy and Cummins's Truman (rev. 9/19) and Heder's Alfie.

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

(1) YA Fourteen-year-old Maisie characterizes her 1960s coming-of-age in the Bronx as "one of those fairy tales / where the witch eats the child." And for good reason. Her perfume mogul dad has moved out, leaving Maisie and her little brother to the not-so-tender mercies of their mother Judith, an abusive woman whom Maisie grimly compares to Medea. Maisie copes by immersing herself in art and venting to her neighbor Richie, who is waging his own battle against his father, recently returned from Vietnam. Maisie finds a kindred spirit in Kiki, her best friend Rachel's bohemian mother, and blossoms under her kind attention. But when Maisie starts seeing Rachel's philandering boyfriend on the sly and Rachel finds out, her thin safety net breaks, and she is forced to turn to the one person she swore she would never ask for help--her father. Bottner's "somewhat biographical but mostly fictional" first-person novel in verse is rife with wrenching domestic and relationship drama. Maisie's big emotions are splashed messily across every page, much like the Pollock paintings she admires. Her stormy relationship with her mother is heartbreakingly rendered, such as when she raids Judith's closet: "I'm trying to wear my mother. / It's the only way I can get close to her." A detailed author's note describes what aspects of Bottner's adolescence inspired the novel.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Emberley. Six-year-old Priscilla becomes obsessed with gorillas because "they always get their way," unlike Priscilla, who has to concede to her teacher. Alternating between school and home, the story provides an engaging look at the dynamics Priscilla negotiates as she struggles with both independence and cooperation. The story's unassuming narration highlights the characters' funny quips, while the pencil and watercolor illustrations make their emotions clear.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Maggie Smith. It's bedtime after a day at the beach--"You must be tired, from your head to your toes," says Fiona's mom. Under Fiona's direction (e.g., "Toes, go to sleep!"), Mama adds some description: "Toes were for gripping flip-flops on the way to the beach," and so on. It's original, affectionate, and loaded with merry illustrations of exhaustion-making beachside scenes.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Emberley. Narrator Missy eagerly anticipates Miss Brooks's morning Story Nook time. One morning when the power goes out, Miss Brooks has the kids tell their own stories instead. Missy begins a story that also helps work through her bullying problem--"An ogre lives down the street from me..."--and her punchy narration offsets the pat resolution. Pleasingly detailed pencil-and-wash illustrations give the characters distinct personalities.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Emberley. In this disorderly classroom, Adelaide annoys Bailey who blames Clyde, etc.; the pandemonium continues through Z, then Adelaide apologizes for starting it all. The students engage in refreshingly childlike actions, which add up to a whole lot of slapstick fun. Cartoon line art with watercolor expertly draws eyes across the pages while offering pictorial clues about what might happen next.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Emberley. A first grader finds her school librarian's passion for books "vexing," to say the least. She also dismisses her classmates' book choices: "Too flowery"; "Too clickety." But when her mother brings out Shrek! she finally meets a book she can love. In Emberley's ebullient pencil and watercolor pictures, the little girl's stubbornness is reflected in her wearing the same outfit day after day.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss. It's Rosemary's birthday, so why are the "horrible out-of-town cousins" visiting? Where is her special birthday blueberry French toast and tickly kiss at breakfast? And how does she end up in the principal's office in her Frankenstein's monster costume? Bright illustrations lend a playful tone to this story about discovering that there is more than one way of having a spectacular birthday.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nancy Hayashi. Squirrel Raymond and rabbit Nelda are best friends--until he laughs at the wrong time. Nelda misinterprets each of Raymond's olive-branch notes, but their letter carrier helps broker a truce. There's something pleasingly old-fashioned about a story devoted to a topic as unglitzy but universal as hurt feelings, and Hayashi's world of anthropomorphized animals is inviting.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Barbara Bottner. Although they have their differences, best friends Pish and Posh have one common dream: to get their fairy wings. According to The Fairy Handbook, they must first learn to wish wisely. Young readers need to pay attention to punctuation and context cues to make meaning; the expressive illustrations provide extra help for readers who are better at identifying words than comprehending them.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2006

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Beth Spiegel. Rosa has just moved into a new house, and her bedroom feels too empty. Day by day, starting on Monday, she makes improvements: a poster, library books, a flowery bedspread. On Sunday, she asks her neighbor Lili to visit; Lili becomes a friend, and Rosa's room feels comfortably lived-in at last. Animated illustrations effectively portray the changing ambiance of Rosa's room.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Olof Landstrom. Wallace, a list-making mouse, isn't much of a free spirit until he meets his adventurous neighbor Albert and learns to cut loose a little. The comical art incorporates Wallace's lists ("1. Water plants. 2. Take a walk") and chronicles his predictable, lonely life as it expands to include spontaneity and friendship.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Victoria Chess. The Scaredy Cat family can't function for fear of the what ifs. They go through a day of paralyzed inertia, until at bedtime Baby Scaredy Cat reminds her parents that if all kinds of bad things can happen, so can all kinds of good things. The cumulative structure works nicely within the diurnal time frame and gives the text an easy rhythm. Chess's edge-of-loony illustrations add hugely to the humor.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2003

(3) PS Illustrated by Alexander Stadler. Although Charlene looks likes an exuberant child, with her bright clothing and curly red hair, she is shy, and only loves to make noise when she is playing her drums--alone in her room. The well-designed book makes good use of white space so that the heavily outlined figures draw the reader's eye. The affirming text describes Charlene in simple statements that focus not only on her bashfulness but also the traits and abilities that make her special.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) PS Illustrated by Barry Gott. When a young boy tries to train his obstinate brown dog, he meets with total failure until he gives the dog the one command he can't disobey. He orders him to "be brown!" At last, he's a good dog. The text of this thin story consists of one word commands--sit, come, fetch--while the cartoonlike illustrations carry the narrative and show the boy's mounting frustration.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley