(2) 4-6 Growing up in Santa Maria, a (fictional) country "somewhere in the Américas," Maximiliano Córdoba is familiar with the legends of the Guardians and the Hidden Ones they led to safety--he's heard them from his grandfather all his life. It's his mother's story that remains a mystery. When she disappeared, she took almost everything with her, including proof of Max's birth. Now Max dreams of making the village fútbol team, but without a birth certificate, he won't even be able to try out. As Papá sets out to get him one, Max discovers a secret about his family--the original Guardians--and the circumstances surrounding his mother's disappearance. Legends and the realities of life come together (and the pace picks up) when Max must rely on his Buelo's stories to help him escort a refugee child safely through Santa Maria, if not all the way to Mañanaland, a place whose true nature eludes him. Ryan skillfully balances Max's day-to-day concerns (friendships, fútbol) with his longing for his mother and his growing awareness of a moral responsibility to help others, even in a world where compassion is criminalized. The novel is rich and relevant, hero Max "true of heart and proud of the legacy into which he'd been born," and a good fútbol player, too.

Reviewer: Anamaría Anderson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. Macaroni penguin Tony "does not love trouble...but trouble loves him." When he ruins his store-bought pirate costume before the school Halloween parade, Tony's family, instead of assigning blame, helps him still "stand out in the crowd." Saturated colors and vibrant, expressive line drawings highlight Tony's excitement and innocent misdeeds in a welcome addition to the popular series for emerging readers.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. Everyone's favorite macaroni penguin is back, here with a new school project. Tony Baloney finds his "perfect match" in new pen pal Sam, who, like Tony, rides a scooter and is the middle child. But when the two finally meet, Tony learns that friends can come in surprising packages. Confident emerging readers will appreciate the story's twist; brightly colored illustrations add friendly details.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova. A boy is mesmerized by a story about three princesses trapped under a witch's spell until they save a life through a special harmonica. This story within a story is prelude to three more. Ryan's storytelling prowess and vivid voice lead readers through a hefty tome illuminated by layers of history, adventure, and the seemingly magical but ultimately very human spirit of music.

Reviewer: Nina Lindsay | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2015

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. In his third book, penguin Tony Baloney is excited about his school's "Books and Buddies" night, when students bring stuffed animals and listen to stories read by flashlight. But can he manage "to be on Best Behavior all afternoon"? The smaller-size type and longer text recommend this engagingly illustrated book for emerging readers who have gained some confidence on easier fare.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. This easy-reader incarnation sees the well-meaning macaroni penguin start his first day of school. Happily leaving his big and little siblings behind, Tony plunges in--and ends up in mishap after mishap, despite his best intentions of following the rules. Spot-on sibling and classmate dynamics, sparkling prose, and bright illustrations give early readers an endearing, engaging hero.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. The trials and tribulations of middle children get zesty, energetic treatment in this story of a penguin chick, Tony, whose only ally is his favorite stuffed animal. Expansive digital illustrations marked by cheery blocks of primary color chart Tony's endurance, which inevitably reaches a snapping point. Readers will be happy when Big Sister Baloney finally gives Tony a break--even if her benevolence can't last.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2011

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Peter Sís. Perfect is the union that resulted in this novel: the subject, Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904–73); author Ryan who re-creates Neruda's spirit and sensibility; and the Czech-born illustrator Sís whose escape from oppression so hauntingly resembles Neruda's struggle for creative freedom. Sís's introspective, emotion-charged drawings spring naturally from this lyrical account of a difficult childhood. An author's note and several Neruda poems are appended.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2010

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Rafael López. Starting with an artistically rendered map in blues, greens, and reds, this book provides a quick tour of California. Double-page spreads highlight the state's major cities and regions. Rhythmic rhymed couplets along with cheerfully busy and textured acrylic on wood illustrations reflect each area's unique spirit. An appended section provides factual context for the geographic spots covered in the text.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 After her grandmother's death, sheltered Maya joins her maternal grandfather's family in Wyoming and learns to ride at their camp in the wilderness. A feral horse beloved by Maya's late mother rescues Maya when she's hurt during an earthquake. The premise is a bit saccharine and the ending implausible, but animal lovers will enjoy the horse lore. Glos.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Naomi's long-absent mother shows up at the trailer park where Naomi, her brother, and their great-grandmother have been happily living for the past seven years. With its quirky characterizations and folksy atmosphere, this engrossing family drama resembles a Sharon Creech novel on the surface, but it has its own uniquely affecting emotional core.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2004

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Craig Brown. Large-size, speckly marker and pastel art illustrates this double-barreled meditation on raisins: read only the slightly silly quatrains that ask where raisins come from, or add on the longer prose explanations that go into how raisins are cultivated, their history, and uses. Informative and whimsical, this should be welcome on any raisin-lover's shelf. Simple recipes are included.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Whyte. Sentimental watercolors embellish this wistful story in which Annie's family moves to a house on the beach, leaving old friends behind. But Grandma shows Annie her box of mementos and helps her create her own "box of friends." Each object saved represents a happy moment shared with a friend and helps Annie realize that she can form new ties in a new place.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) PS Illustrated by David McPhail. Surrounded by friendly make-believe animals, a boy and girl appear in various fanciful settings, all accompanied by a metaphoric line ("Stick is wand / when you suppose / the magic it can cause"). Soft, almost fuzzy watercolors exemplify and add nostalgic touches to the text, whose effect is sometimes pleasantly metric and sometimes a beat or two off.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brian Selznick. This picture-book biography of the American contralto indulges in mythification (although the keynote of the Anderson myth--being kept out of Constitution Hall by the D.A.R.--is here muted), but Marian Anderson's career was significant in both musical and social terms, and Ryan and Selznick get this right. Throughout both the large double-page spreads and text there's an intimacy of tone that gives life to the legend.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2002

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Rosa María takes pains to keep mice out of her house as she prepares for her granddaughter's birthday party. Nevertheless, the vibrant illustrations show a band of mice pilfering her birthday supplies and, in the end, secretly helping with the celebration. Readers of this clever story will chuckle at the skillful collaboration between author and artist. A pronunciation guide is included for the sprinkling of Spanish words in the text. Glos.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) 4-6 In this poignant look at the realities of immigration, thirteen-year-old Esperanza, daughter of an affluent Mexican rancher, is forced to trade fancy dolls and dresses for hard work and ill-fitting hand-me-downs after her beloved father dies. Laboring in the United States, picking grapes on someone else's land for pennies an hour, Esperanza is transformed into someone who can take care of herself and others.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2001

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brian Selznick. In this largely fictionalized biography, Ryan offers some reasons why Charlotte (Charley) Pankhurst, who pretended to be a boy to escape from an orphanage, continued the masquerade throughout her life as a stable boy, stagecoach driver, and rancher in Gold Rush California. Full-page pencil drawings give readers a sense of characters' emotions by focusing on close-ups of individuals or small groups.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.