(2) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Hughes. "My pink pony and I ride the wide open spaces from sunrise to sunset," young narrator Kayla declares. Her "pink pony" is a small bike with training wheels, and the "wide open spaces" are her neighborhood's sidewalks. But she's outgrown the bike, so Wild Blue comes into her life--a much bigger and more spirited bicycle. Kayla saddles Wild Blue up, but..."Daddy! This bike's not tame enough to ride!" Despite her efforts, the new bike bucks her off time and time again. With her father (on "his red stallion"), Kayla heads to the park to practice, gradually learning to ride with confidence and joy. "Her legs are my legs. Her mane, my mane. Her breath, my breath." Slater does an excellent job inhabiting that space between imagination and real life that allows two things to be true: Wild Blue can be simultaneously a horse and a bicycle. Hughes's soft acrylic-ink illustrations capture that space as well: we sometimes see Kayla in a cowboy hat in the company of a large horse, and at other times in a bicycle helmet with her bike. Readers will appreciate Kayla's commitment to her imaginative life, along with Slater's twist on the familiar learning-to-ride-a-bike story: in the end Kayla denies that she's tamed her new bicycle, instead insisting, "She's still wild...but so am I."

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) 4-6 Slater (winner of a Boston Globe–Horn Book Nonfiction honor for The 57 Bus, rev. 1/18) here presents an entertaining, fantastical summertime story. Twelve-year-old Rufus's grandfather lives at Feylawn, an estate overtaken by nature and, as Grandfather puts it, prone to "cantankerous" moods. Though his parents don't like him spending time there, Rufus loves Feylawn and wishes he could spend his whole vacation exploring. Rufus's summer takes a bizarre turn, though, when he finds a small train on the grounds and discovers that "feylings," or fairies, live at Feylawn and are waiting for that very train to take them back to the Green World from which they came. Rufus and his highly accomplished cousin Abigail have to sneak around the adults' suspicion in order to help the stranded feylings return home. The entertaining and lively story line is unhindered by side-quests or complications, setting Rufus and Abigail on a fairly straightforward adventure. Sassy feylings and other rambunctious magical creatures make the tale feel fresh, while the drama from opposing fairy factions (and nefarious shopkeepers) never gets too scary. Rufus's self-confidence grows with every chapter, and realistic tension between his family members works itself out in a satisfactory, but not simplistic, way.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sydney Hanson. Peppy French snail Escargot--in a striped shirt, neckerchief, and beret--asks readers to help it reach a salad. While the interactive text creatively incorporates French words and snail facts--and encourages trying new foods--the final twist is confusing. Pastel-colored, digital-looking illustrations with varied pacing and perspectives help the expressive invertebrate stand out.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(2) YA In 2013, on the 57 bus in Oakland, California, African American Richard, egged on by friends, set white, genderqueer Sasha's gauzy skirt on fire. Sasha survived but sustained third-degree burns; Richard was arrested for a hate crime. Using interviews, court documents, and news accounts, Slater has crafted a compelling true-crime story that goes beyond the headlines to tell the very human stories behind these individuals and their families.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Terry Fan & Eric Fan. Inquisitive fox Marco joins a ship's wayward deer and pigeon crew, and they battle a fearsome sea, hunger, and pirates. The Fan brothers create mood through rich textures and a soft color palette, giving the book a nostalgic feel. The journey turns out to be the destination, made even better in the company of curious--in every sense of the word--companions.

Reviewer: Minh Lê | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Princess Amanita delights in dangerous things, so the thorny stems of Prince Florian's roses win her over. She requests rose seeds from his gardener, but noses grow instead. On her perilous journey to return the noses, Amanita realizes that friendship might be as desirable as danger. The story is overly strange, but Docampo's art, with its razor-sharp lines and vivid colors, is eye-catching.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Catia Chien. When a tiny sea serpent unexpectedly drops from the faucet into a little girl's bath water, it seems like a wonderful new friend has come to stay. But little girls and sea serpents grow up quickly, and even good friends have to part sometimes, however reluctantly. Subdued blue and green acrylic and charcoal-pencil illustrations enhance the story's wistfulness.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. A little girl drifting off to sleep conjures up a company of firefighters (King, Penelope, Almondine, and Bruce) that rescues a royal family after a fire-breathing dragon unintentionally sets a blaze; a woman who ate a too-hot pepper; and a boy floating in the sky. Unusual visual angles highlight the surrealistic art in bold colors, adding to the book's dreamlike feel.

Reviewer: Nell Beram