(2) K-3 Clarke (The Patchwork Bike, rev. 11/18) pens a love letter from parent to child. The title page depicts a pregnant Black woman with one hand on her belly and the other held by a Black man, presumably the child's father. The vibrant colors and the positioning of their heads and hands give off a positive and affectionate feeling for the new baby. The poetic text opens with "Little one, / when we say Black Lives Matter, / we're saying Black people are wonderful--strong." The images that accompany these lines show the infant in the arms of their parent. As the child grows, the poem continues to define what it means to say "Black Lives Matter," with action verbs throughout: "...when we call out / when we scream out / when we sing..whisper...sob." The story ends with the child in cap and gown, preparing for the future. Textured, motion-filled collage art depicts Black lives as full and loving despite the pain inherent in much of Black history. Throughout, Clarke highlights the joys and struggles of what it means to be Black in ways that are affirming for all readers.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(4) 4-6 Oakwing series. Rowan (Oakwing) continues her mission to rescue her mother from the fairy realm. Younger sister Willow joins her this time, along with some animals freed from the London Zoo. There's plenty of action as the fairies battle the evil Vulpes and his army of foxes. The story is occasionally slow and has a slightly preachy ending, but fans of the first book will not be disappointed.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(3) K-3 Penguin Young Readers series. An overview of the Amazon rainforest is organized into chapters and short paragraphs. With clear and immersive language, a leveled text geared toward "fluent readers" smoothly introduces vocabulary as it touches on climate, geography, and the diversity of animals in each forest layer; a final chapter focuses on conservation. Quality photos appear throughout. Young readers will come away well informed. Glos.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. Unlike the other chameleons, Leon can't seem to change color to match his surroundings. Readers are interactively encouraged to count, whisper, smile, and more as neon-orange Leon searches for an environment (green jungle? yellow desert?) in which his brilliant glow will fit. Teckentrup's bold digital illustrations play with variations in shade and texture, demonstrating the many ways an animal can blend in--or not, in Leon's case.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Van Thanh Rudd. A child in an unnamed village "where we live inside our mud-for-walls home" describes the diversions of daily life, including zooming about with "my crazy brothers" on a "patchwork bike" built of scrap. Clarke's spare, mellifluous language is hand-lettered on Rudd's rough, tactile paintings composed of heavy acrylic paint on recycled cardboard. The illustration choices reflect the book's theme--exposing the harsh reality of life while acknowledging the resilience that comes from homemade joy.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) 4-6 At eleven-year-old Liv's new school, boys can wear pants, but "girls must wear a black, pleated, knee-length skirt." And while narrator Liv might "look like a girl...on the inside, I'm a boy." Strong-willed, introspective Liv is a likable and relatable protagonist navigating friendships, identity, and relationships at home with his two supportive moms. A touching novel on a timely subject.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(3) 4-6 When Rowan revisits the London park site where her mother disappeared seven years ago, she's transformed into a fairy and enters a miniature magical world. Rowan's quest to find her mom and return to human form leads her to new friends and the discovery of her own powers. Once the plot kicks into gear, fantasy fans will enjoy the whimsical adventure; the ending suggests a sequel.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(3) PS Illustrated by Migy Blanco. Sure, it's fun to make animal noises, but in this rendition of the classic children's song, Clarke swaps animals for vehicles, which create their own ear-pleasing din ("With a vroom-vroom here / and a vroom-vroom there," etc.). Loyalists to the animal-centric version won't feel slighted: the expansive, Golden Books–reminiscent illustrations show MacDonald's critters behind--and on, and around--the wheel.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) YA Faith's life has mostly revolved around her older sister Laurel's disappearance thirteen years ago at age six. Then Laurel reappears in front of their old family home. Between family drama and an unavoidable "tell-all" book deal, Faith struggles with the feeling that something is off with her sister. Drama, mystery, and a dark twist, all mixed with unexpected romance, will draw readers in.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) PS Illustrated by Charles Fuge. A baby gorilla is awakened--"smelly and yelly / and all forlorn"--by a hippo's yawn. In this cumulative rhyme, each jungle animal is awakened by another; what starts as a grumpy day becomes a happy day for all. Effective use of white space and creative placement of the large watercolor and ink illustrations of the animals add to the appeal.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) PS Illustrated by Emma Dodd. "I saw Anaconda swallow a tick... / It made her tummy hop and kick! / Will she be sick?" A child observes Anaconda as she gulps one creature after another until she is indeed sick--"ick!" The lift-the-flap format provides an inside view of Anaconda's stomach, and astute viewers will spot the next animal to be swallowed on each friendly, colorful spread. A gleeful--and gross--spin on a classic rhyme.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) PS Illustrated by Lee Wildish. Steggy Stegosaurus and Tracey Triceratops are among the dinos competing à la TV's Dancing with the Stars (here it's "dancing with the 'saurs"). Clarke goes for easy, obvious rhymes ("Tango with our T. Rex, / do the Steggy twist and shout! / Disco with the Duckbills / and shake it all about") that Wildish almost rescues via his eye-snaring illustrations.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Charles Fuge. Shark Gilbert (Gilbert in Deep) returns for another unsurprising undersea outing. Little brother Finn isn't much fun at the park. When Gilbert leaves Finn unattended, a killer whale nearly devours him, but Gilbert manages a last-minute rescue. In the end, the terrifying attack is laughed off as a game. Serene, sea-green illustrations and ocean puns downplay the danger of the situation.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) YA A woman in her sixties, Clementine, looks back to the most disturbing, charismatic character of her childhood: her older cousin Fan who lives with a mentally unstable, abusive mother. In this story of love and sadness, Clarke's baroque, metaphor-rich style matches the high emotional pitch of early adolescence--iron loyalties, rage at injustice--all set against a stark Australian landscape.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2010

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Wormell. Wormell's signature prints illustrate Moore's poem. Each individual piece is dramatic and beautiful; some, such as Papa peering out of the window with shadows of reindeer seen on the clapboard house, use dynamic perspectives. As a whole, however, the book feels somewhat static and repetitive, especially when Santa comes on the scene.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Charles Fuge. Against his mother's orders, great white shark Gilbert (Gilbert the Great) ventures off with his remora-fish friend to play hide-and-seek beyond the edge of their reef. Gilbert soon finds, however, that he's out of his depth. Playful blue-green illustrations provide readers with an imaginative view of the deep sea, but the story itself is didactic.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Garry Parsons. After a hen finds her chick stuck in the mud, she becomes trapped during her effort to free him. One by one, other farm animals and the farmer try helping and get mired. The surprise ending--the chick, who loves playing in mud, isn't actually stuck--is only mildly amusing. Parsons's acrylics serviceably capture the farm setting.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Kennedy. Humorous drawings illustrate a heavy-handed story about a young stork named Stanley whose parents are always fighting and who decide to divorce and live in separate nests. Through conversations at school with a classmate whose parents also live apart, Stanley learns that having two nests isn't as bad as he feared.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(1) YA Like an extended treasure hunt, Clarke's novel traces eight characters through chance meetings, family rifts, and decisive moments to a final, festive celebration of unity. The family's small decisions, actions, and experiences converge in a miracle of identities revealed, kindness rewarded, and apologies accepted. Clarke's sharp, poetic prose evokes each character's inner life with rich and often amusing vibrancy.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2007

(4) 4-6 This lively illustrated look at history, from prehistoric times to the 1990s, highlights a different time period on each spread. Pages include a brief description of the period, important events, and famous figures. The choices are generally solid, although slight attention is paid to women and non-Western societies, and some seem rather random (Johnny Rotten? Earl of Denbigh?). Good for browsing. Timelines. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee