(4) K-3 Illustrated by Robert Bateman. This straightforward biography of a Canadian nature artist will be of regional interest. Illustrated entirely with Bateman's own snapshots, sketches, and paintings, the book foregrounds a childhood spent outdoors and his work depicting diverse plants and animals. Although the still-living artist's personal journey feels unremarkable, his masterful photorealistic paintings of polar bears, puffins, and the like make for a visually absorbing picture book.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ashley Barron. This picture book shares how children from fourteen different countries celebrate their birthdays. From Russia to Jamaica and Peru to Lesotho, readers learn about the various birthday traditions in each culture, including the special meals, clothing, ceremonies, and games involved. Barron's cheerful cut-paper-collage and digital art lends additional appeal. An introductory world map highlights each child's location; activities are appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Citizen Kid series. Illustrated by Pedro Covo. Written in an engaging storylike style, this account of an orphaned elephant also includes photos and facts about elephant rescue in southern Africa. When teenager Aaron pulls baby elephant Zambezi out of a swimming pool, he becomes Zambezi's keeper and only human caregiver at an elephant nursery. Atmospheric mixed-media paintings accompany the moving story. "How You Can Help" section appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Nizar Ali Badr. Syrian artist Badr used ordinary beach stones to compose the three-dimensional collage art depicting the harrowing journeys that many present-day Syrians undertake. Ruurs's free-verse text, in English and Arabic, chronicles one specific journey of fictional girl Rama, whose family must flee its war-torn village. A memorable look at what it means to leave one's home in search of "a bright new future." Websites.

Reviewer: Debora Pearson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alice Feagan. Fourteen real schoolchildren around the world each give a snapshot of a typical school day: Marta speaks Amharic with the seventy other students in her Ethiopian classroom; Johannes attends a boarding school in Germany and learns to sail; Shanika attends a Cree First Nations school in Canada. Both the narrative and collage illustrations are welcoming; informative endnotes encourage readers' curiosity. Glos.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jessica Rae Gordon. This picture book presents a collection of brief profiles of families around the world. Simple text and bright illustrations in mixed media, including cut-paper collage, make the various child narrators accessible and friendly. Devoting each spread to a different family and country allows for great diversity but limits the depth of information, and some of the text feels repetitive. Suggested activities are appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) K-3 From a roofless school in India to a boarding school in a Scottish castle, this book explores a variety of educational institutes and why they are valued by their students. Each double-page spread highlights a different place with a description and photos. Some give more details about the region than the school, but all are interesting and enlightening.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ron Broda. Ruurs introduces the behaviors of toads, snails, and other backyard creatures. Her descriptions range from lyrical ("When spiderlings are ready to leave home, they fly away on silvery threads") to incongruous ("Like a little helicopter, the hummingbird hovers by flowers"), and the transition between seasons is too subtle. But Broda's meticulously crafted paper-sculpture illustrations encourage visual exploration of every page.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Andrew Kiss. The realistic wildlife paintings are the strength of this book. Raccoons, otters, geese, skunks, bear, fox, and other forest creatures with their young are showcased in pencil drawings and full-color landscapes. One line of text describes what the young are doing. Four pages at the back provide aditional information about the animals and give clues about words hidden in each picture, but the separation of information and illustrations is awkward.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Barbara Spurll. Her chicken coop becomes unusually cold one day, so Emma tries--unsuccessfully--to get warm by imitating the other barnyard animals. After the farm family finds her huddled outside their window, illuminated by the outdoor Christmas lights, the farmer suddenly remembers to turn on the heat lamps in her coop. The illustrations for this comical story reveal Emma to be one determined chicken.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert