(2) PS Though wearing bright yellow pajamas that exude cheeriness, Cat wakes up in a gloomy mood, seemingly unaware of the sun shining through the window. Luckily, Dog knows how to let friend Cat have all the feels. This wordless picture book tells a gentle story with a powerful message: it's okay to feel down, and it's okay to get help. Double-page spreads convey our protagonist's frame of mind: one spread shows Cat after waking, ­sitting with downcast eyes, the bedroom a pool of blurry, gray shadows. Small vignettes denote action: seven scenes on a single spread show Dog's quick discernment of Cat's glum mood and wise decision to sit quietly nearby. When Cat, hiding under a blanket, invites Dog in, the vignettes become larger, making viewers feel they've joined the friends in their cozy cave. A final spread expresses Cat's emotional state at the end: after a lovely playtime, Dog secures some snacks and the two friends sit on the blanket together, looking out the window at the beautiful day. Ohi deliberately includes Cat's light-blue blanket in virtually every scene--an ever-present sign of clear skies to come.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(3) PS A young mouse is trying to be good while its little brother is napping, but every activity the mouse tries threatens to end noisily. Finally, when a block tower falls down, baby brother wakes up and can join the fun. But now his big sibling is snoring... With rounded-edge card-stock pages, this book offers young children a cheery and realistic story about an appealing sibling pair.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 A straightforward, low-key text tells how Kenta, a Japanese boy, loses his soccer ball to the ocean when a tsunami strikes his small village--and how it's found far away by a boy, who thoughtfully mails it back. The gently upbeat story, accompanied by quiet watercolors, ends with Kenta and other children playing soccer amidst the rebuilding of their homes.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander