(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lisk Feng. Handy and Feng explore and celebrate the juxtaposition of light and shadow from sunrise to sunset. With daybreak brings the opening lines: "There was a shadow. It was a new shadow, but also the last hint of night. It was a morning shadow." Throughout the day come hill shadows, noontime shadows, bug shadows, indoor shadows, and shadows "cast by moonlight," even the shadows of emotions across a face: worry, happiness, and sadness. Light brings "the play of light on water" and "the play of light on a face" (light does a lot of playing). The night sky would be all blackness if not punctuated by the varied lights of celestial bodies. The repetition of the phrase "there was a shadow" sometimes feels intrusive, but overall the poetic language beautifully complements Feng's gorgeous digitally rendered illustrations. There's a story in those illustrations: a child freely roams fields and hills, hangs out with friends under a tree, and returns home for supper to a kitchen infused with white light juxtaposed with "a warm shadow, a comforting shadow" (though two adult shadows are depicted). A final line -- "Or were they dreams?" -- offers much to contemplate.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin. This playful and introspective book asks readers to ponder what the world would be like if things taken for granted disappeared. What if "all the birds flew away"? What if "all the water disappeared"? What if "the sun never set"? Handy presents eight of these scenarios, each one imaginatively exploring what might happen in Corrin's energetic, full-bleed illustrations dominated by vivid ambers. If the birds flew away, for instance, skies would be "plainer." There's much humor here too. If the birds did indeed fly away, worms could take it easy--Corrin's illustration depicts worms lounging on beach chairs and reading books--and if all the water disappeared, soap would fail to work. (The absence of color results in some humorous crayon names: "Dirty Snow" and "Deepening Gloom.") The text succeeds on many levels; children are subtly prompted to consider the effects of climate change (if there were no more people, nature "could relax") yet to also ponder our creative contributions ("there would be no more music or art or stories or dancing"). Each scenario concludes with an exuberant statement in the affirmative to enthusiastically remind readers of the delights of their planet: "But there is WATER!" and "But there are COLORS!" The pitch-perfect ending invites discovery, asking us to contemplate the "something" missing "because it hadn't been dreamt of yet."

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023