(2) K-3 "It's not fair," begins this relatable picture book narrated by Alex, big sibling to--and room-sharer with--pesky little brother Lucas. Lucas invades Alex's space (so delineated by the classic "tape across the floor" method); takes his brother's stuff; and makes too much noise. When things become intolerable, Alex heads outside--and comes up with a plan to carve out his own space in the family's backyard. Big sister Emma helps; and when Lucas inevitably feels left out, Alex finds it in himself to include his little brother, knowing that it's on his own terms. Refreshingly, the sibs solve the problem on their own, without grownups to complicate things. Falwell's textured cut-paper-collage illustrations are cheerfully cluttered and childlike, the kids' shared bedroom littered with toys, games, and puzzle pieces. Alex's expressive body language says it all, from the arms-crossed, not-fair stance at the beginning to relaxed ease after he's been able to smooth over his brother's hurt feelings. Their relationship doesn't magically turn perfect; near the end, we see Alex, looking annoyed but resigned, reading and wearing headphones under the covers while Lucas strums a guitar--on Alex's side of the tape. Pesky siblings will be pesky siblings--but the final page-turn shows they can be welcome playmates, too.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(3) K-3 Birds' nests and quilting are two ideas brought together in this story of a family's preparations for a new baby. To help the family "nest," Maya, who loves birdwatching, makes a small quilt with a geometric birds'-nest design for her new brother. Appropriately, fabric collages are integrated into the book's homey illustrations. Instructions for sewing a small quilt are included.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Three children visiting their grandpa don't mind getting wet and muddy in the rain to help him gather vegetables from his garden. After harvesting produce such as orange carrots, yellow peppers, green beans, and purple cabbage, the kids help cook and eat Grandpa's rainbow stew. The chipper but singsongy rhyming text is paired with genial multimedia collage. A stew recipe is appended.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) PS A mother and child examine features of different pond animals ("This baby has a wiggly tail. Whose baby is this?"); answers appear after a page turn ("Frog's baby"). The effective patterned text, illustrated with unfussy cut-paper collages, concludes by bringing the child back into the mix: "Whose baby is this? MY baby!" A "Be a Pond Baby!" activity page is appended.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 From spring through winter, young Jenny observes the wild turkeys in her yard. Expressive illustrations with the look of block prints show the toms and hens nesting, raising babies, roosting in trees, etc. The appended "Jenny's Journal" provides more information than the clunky rhyming text. Suggestions for activities and an animal-tracks guessing game conclude the book.

Reviewer: Pearl Higgins

(4) K-3 All spring and summer, two children watch the progress of a mystery vine as their other vegetables sprout ("First came lettuce, / crisp and crunching. / Bright green peas, / so good for munching"). When autumn arrives, they realize the vine is growing pumpkins. Some of the rhymes sound forced, and the subtitle gives the mystery away. Attractive collage illustrations, recipes, and projects are included.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) PS This tale features pond animals in action, from green frogs to great blue herons. Its constant, though, is "six silent turtles" that "sit still as stones" on a log--until story's end. Alliteration, rhyme, and a pleasant rhythm create effectively spare text, while bright collages present the animals, vegetation, and water artfully and accurately. An author's note about nature study is appended.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) PS A buoyant text describes characteristics of and uses for five basic shapes: "Lots of rectangles, / standing tall-- / build them, / climb them, / make a wall!" The dynamic cut-paper, paint, and ink illustrations feature five children clad in black-and-white patterned hoodie outfits, their imaginations on full display as they manipulate oversize, boldly colored shapes.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Artistic expression is the subject of this encouraging picture book, illustrated in cut- and torn-paper collage. Kiri gets origami paper for her birthday, but her attempts at folding leave the beautiful paper creased and torn. A combination of practice and inspiration finally enables Kiri to make the art she wants. Instructions for folding an origami butterfly conclude the book.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) PS Evocative collage illustrations depict a number of forest creatures that startle ten Eastern Painted turtles, one by one, in this reverse counting book. Often alliterative, the rhymed text introduces the critters sharing the turtles' woodland environment: bullfrogs, deer, polliwogs, butterflies, and others. A leaf print art activity extends the possibilities of the concept book. Glos.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 When shy David arrives at school, he draws the leafless tree that he saw earlier that morning. As classmates pass by, they admire his talent and contribute their own details to the drawing, transforming both the winter landscape and David himself. Attractive cut-paper and fabric collage illustrations depict a young African-American boy and his racially diverse classmates.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) PS An African-American family and their guests prepare for Christmas as the text counts twice from one to ten. They sing and wrap presents, eat cookies, and pack baskets for the needy. The figures are made from cut paper and fabric against a white background, creating crisp, colorful, loving visions of the family-oriented traditions of the season.

Reviewer: Suzy Schmidt

(4) K-3 One morning at breakfast, Anna discovers her spoon can change the cereal letters in her bowl into different words, just like magic. So when she meets up with a lost boy, she uses her magic spoon to create anagrams that lead the way home. The somewhat contrived story line is dictated by the anagram combinations, but the concept of word manipulation is vividly depicted in the bold collage illustrations.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.