(2) K-3 Creepy Tales! series. Illustrated by Peter Brown. Reynolds and Brown (Creepy Carrots!; Creepy Pair of Underwear!, rev. 9/17) are back to haunt another innocuous item: your crayons! Jasper Rabbit could use some help with his schoolwork, and he gets it from a purple crayon with an expressively drawn cartoon face. That at-first-friendly visage eventually shows its sinister true colors as the crayon goes from helpful (magically improving Jasper's spelling) to downright possessive (scrawling "YOU NEED ME" on a mirror). Purple pops as the only color besides the noirish black-and-white of the illustrations (other than cameos by green underwear and orange carrots). Harold and the Purple Crayon meets Faust, and the imaginative, humorously written result is so ridiculous that it's hard to stay really scared.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Emma Reynolds. When Miranda sees her teacher, Mrs. Birdley, "loose" in the grocery store, she springs to action. "Luckily, Miranda Montgomery had been preparing for this moment her entire life." She knows what to do from watching Nature Joe rescuing and returning wild animals to their natural habitats on her favorite television show. Bright retro-style illustrations show eager Miranda taking charge and planning elaborate traps as she imagines the grocery store's interior morphing into the wild setting of a Nature Joe episode. For bait, Miranda uses "low calorie" blueberry yogurt: "It was all Mrs. Birdley ever ate back in her natural habitat." Mrs. Birdley barely avoids falling into this trap, but in the end Miranda captures her in a garbage can. She rolls Mrs. Birdley back to her classroom habitat and locks her in. The illustrations offer extra details and side stories (including the deli worker's persistent attempts to return Mrs. Birdley's forgotten change purse). As the book winds down, it seems that the adventures are only getting started. Now that Miranda has some real-world practice, she gets right to work when she spots her principal, Mr. Canklestout, at the hardware store. The over-the-top comedy pairs well with the expressive stylized art to keep the book energetic and silly.

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

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dan Santat. A platypus ("DUDE!") and a beaver ("DUDE!") hit the waves with their surfboards. When one spots a shark in the distance ("DUDE...?"), the surf buddies scramble for shore ("DUUUUUDE!"). "Dude" is a surprisingly malleable word, making it a good fit for a one-word (well, almost) yarn. The elastic facial expressions of the three main players in the colorful illustrations say everything the text can't.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. Sea Monkey is scared he will sink to the bottom of the ocean; similarly, puffer fish Bob is scared he will float to the surface. They promise to save each other if either happens. A deadpan text of color-coded dialogue is more concerned with the friends' touching reciprocity than with any actual science of buoyancy. Ohi's digital cartoons play up the conversation's humor.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Peter Brown. In this companion to Creepy Carrots, young Jasper Rabbit begs his mom to buy a pair of green glow-in-the-dark underwear with a Frankenstein's-monster face. But once he's alone in bed in the dark, Jasper's fears take flight. The humorous text captures Jasper's not-quite-a-big-kid dilemma. Brown's noirish, digitally colored and -composited pencil illustrations--accented with Day-Glo green--heighten both the silliness and the spookiness in equal measure.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Matt Davies. Diminutive, bespectacled, smartphone-carrying Nerdy Birdy and hulking, hooded-eyed Vulture make an odd-couple pair of best friends. The friendship works well, though--until Nerdy Birdy joins "Tweetster." All of a sudden, he's more concerned with the attention of his virtual friends than of his actual one. The story avoids preachiness by incorporating myriad LOL-worthy details into the wry text and scratchy pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoons.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sara Varon. A blowhard hot-pink squid shares with readers his qualifications for becoming president; they include having a big house and being famous ("I even have a book named after me! / You're reading it right now!"). Timed just right, given the election year, this book, illustrated with loud, cartoony art that suits its subject, will crack up readers of all ages.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Phil McAndrew. In this goofy graphic novel, Caveboy Dave and his cohort have reached their coming-of-age as hunters, but Dave has more ideas for inventions than he has muscles. Scatological humor and STEM concepts abound, and the kids achieve success--their way. The characters are familiar (the wimp, the overachieving girl, the golden boy), but entertaining dialogue and skillful illustrations keep the book feeling fresh.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Matt Davies. Nerdy Birdy wants to fit in with the talented, attractive "cool birdies." When they make fun of his allergies and obsession with books, he finds a new crowd but eventually learns it's much cooler to celebrate others' differences. Cartoonish pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations portray birds of different feathers while emphasizing the story's important themes of avoiding labels and the need for honest friendship.

Reviewer: Caitlin Kling

(3) PS Illustrated by Jeremy Tankard. As he lays waste to a city, Destructosaurus is reprimanded for his bad manners, leaving messes in his wake, etc. The parental voice that admonishes the cuddly reptile eventually softens ("Sorry I yelled. How about a hug, Destructosaurus?"), and mostly all is forgiven. Tankard's rollicking digital illustrations heighten the text's comedy. Share this with destructors of all sizes for a good giggle.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Barneda. Too much booty? Just head inland to bury it--that's how a band of animal pirates ends up in Old Cheyenne. The pirates can't understand the cowboys' jargon and vice versa, necessitating a intervention from Pegleg Highnoon, "the world's only pirate cowboy." Reynolds gets the language just right and Barneda's palette of browns and muted colors evokes the dusty Wild West setting.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dan Santat. Tired of being ostracized for their bad behavior, the lion, the great white shark, and the timber wolf set out to fit in but ultimately find that you can't deny who you are. Santat's signature humor diffuses the threat of Reynolds's ferocious heroes, and readers will laugh out loud at the depictions of carnivores disguising themselves as (and then devouring) gentler creatures.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Peter Brown. Is Jasper Rabbit losing his mind? Or are the carrots from Crackenhopper Field--where he gorges daily--really "coming for him!"? No one else sees them, but Jasper knows they're there; he can hear "the soft...sinister...tunktunktunk of carrots creeping." Brown's dynamic illustrations, all in gray-scale except for the orange sentient carrots, take full advantage of the goofy story's mock horror.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Barneda. Rhyming text relates a typical snow-day adventure--with a robot twist. The McSqueak kid-robots sled on trashcan lids and make ice sculptures with their chainsaw hands. When a wintry blast freezes the robots, they "warm up every part and piece" with "cocoa spiked with axle grease." Rich acrylics and colored pencils add warmth to the snowbound residents of Clackentown.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. An African American boy and his mother are on the same bus as Rosa Parks when she refuses to relinquish her seat. The story, told from the boy's perspective, shows that although he doesn't understand everything that's going on, he may have a glimmer of understanding and a dream of the future. Reynolds's poetic narrative and Cooper's warm and expressive oil illustrations sustain the premise.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) 1-3 Joey Fly, Private Eye series. Illustrated by Neil Numberman. In his second graphic novel, private investigator Joey Fly looks into another crime in the "bug city." Butterfly actress Greta Divawing has disappeared on the eve of her opening-night performance of Bugliacci; the suspects are other members of the cast. Varied cartoon-panel illustrations feature details of bug life that add interest and humor to the mystery.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) 1-3 Joey Fly, Private Eye series. Illustrated by Neil Numberman. In this graphic novel comic-drama, Joey Fly and his young assistant Sammy the scorpion solve the mystery of a missing pencil box and save a friendship gone wrong. Readers learn some tricks of the detective trade along with often-clumsy Sammy in this mock-noir satire of life in "the bug city." Sepia and blue-tinted illustrations feature exaggerated insect caricatures, ratcheting up the humor.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Andy Rash. Leonard can't wait to start superhero school. He's quickly dismayed to find that it's all about learning mathematics. After Ice Zombies kidnap his teachers, though, Leonard and his classmates discover that they will need to apply their math skills in order to save the day. Illustrations in digital collage of gouache and Sharpie match the story's comic-style sensibility.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Hoppe. Devon is fascinated with the "metal man," a local urban sculpture artist; his mother less appreciatively calls him the "junk man" ("That ain't art, it's junk"). Devon gets the chance to create his own work of art, and his mother comes around. The mixed-media limited-palette illustrations emphasize the story's focus on mentorship.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paulette Bogan. Despite the wealth of culinary goodies available for serious snacking during the big football game, Rooster still feels something's missing: buffalo wings. He heads west to search for buffalo, encountering adventures and surprises (who knew buffalo wings were actually made of chicken--gulp!) along the way. Zesty watercolor illustrations highlight Rooster's comedy of errors. Recipes are included.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo