(1) PS The child with the purple circle head and stick limbs from Are You Big? (rev. 1/24) again ponders size in this companion concept book. Asking the titular question, an unseen narrator offers different examples of things that are smaller than the child: "This book is small...a hamster is small..." Attuned to his audience's point of view, Willems makes sure to note that small doesn't mean unimportant or insignificant: "A baby tooth is small. (But it's a BIG deal when it comes out.)" Uncluttered double-page spreads follow the same pattern: the verso features the previous page's cartoony item walking off stage, while the recto introduces a relatively smaller object. For example, a smiley cookie crumb (smaller than the baby tooth) heads off the left-hand page, now looking big compared to the grain of sand waving on the right. Zooming in on the microscopic level, the narrator introduces (and doesn't really define) less-familiar terms, including a cell, a water molecule (small, "but they are essential for life on this planet"), an electron, and a quark. Back to the original question, "Are YOU small?" If young listeners are feeling a bit untethered at the idea of the infinitesimal, the narrator, who we now see is a grownup, reassures the child: "You are to ME! (at least, for now)." An amusing list of numerical size comparisons is appended. This small book does indeed have "BIG ideas in it."

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(1) PS Big, bigger, or downright astronomical -- it's all relative in Willems's latest concept book. On the first page, a round-headed, stick-limbed child smiles at the reader; text opposite asks, "Are you big?" Sitting in the middle of the square, solid-colored page, the kid looks plenty large. Then, a bespectacled hot air balloon arrives, dwarfing the perplexed child; the hot air balloon is big until an oversized cloud rolls in. Each previously big figure is bumped down the line and shrinks down to barely visible specks when truly colossal celestial entities enter the scene: the moon is big and the sun bigger, but wait until you meet the star Pollux or the M100 galaxy! The same gag repeats with each and every page-turn; appealing collage-style illustrations, oversized typography, and a just-right touch of escalating absurdity keep the joke feeling fresh throughout. Careful, clever utilization of relative size and composition allows Willems to capture the magnitude of his subject matter within a petite trim size, and back matter offers numerical comparisons for readers curious to know almost exactly how many "average kids" could fit inside a galaxy cluster. This is a playful introduction to the importance of perspective that brings big laughs.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 Unlimited Squirrels series. This installment of the early-reader series (I Lost My Tooth!, rev. 11/18; Who Is the Mystery Reader?) follows the format of silly main story, some informational follow-up, and three "A-corny" joke interludes. The "BIG Story!" concerns the Squirrel friends' attempts to make Zoom Squirrel's dream of sleeping "under the stars" come true. The gang is full of good if misguided intentions: enthusiastic cheering ("GO, ZOOMY! GO, ZOOMY! GO, ZOOMY!") and rival teams "PEACE!" and "Quiet!" keep Zoom awake until "THE STARS ARE GONE!" In one of two (mostly) nonfiction sections, shades-wearing "Squirrel to the Stars" Nutshell reveals that the stars aren't really gone and a few other astral facts. Quiz Squirrel's "Fur Real" provides information about sleep habits of squirrels, armadillos, and house plants. Color-coded speech balloons and Willems's reliably expressive cartoon characters aid comprehension; "Emote-acorns" show up "when the Squirrels have BIG feelings" to reinforce the mood. This genre mash-up has what it takes to encourage newly independent readers: "'En-cour-aged'? What does that mean?' 'Being told you can do it by a friend.'"

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) K-3 Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. In this metafictional easy reader, pachyderm Harold suggests to his porcine friend Hog that they pretend to be Gerald and Piggie. He pops an over-snout pig nose on Hog while he tries to act like Gerald--the joke being that exuberant Harold is as un-Gerald-like as they come, and that skeptical Hog is nothing like Piggie. Amidst the riotousness are welcome messages about appearances, behavior, relationships, and expectations.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amber Ren. Starting with Beethoven inspiring Schubert; leading to a young brown-skinned girl discovering music; and culminating in that girl becoming a composer and conductor, this is a jubilant celebration of the power of music. The narrative through line keeps pace with ribbons of music that swirl around the detailed digital illustrations featuring a variety of skin colors, hair, and clothing in a diversely peopled orchestra and audience.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(2) PS Willems's pugnacious pigeon is unsurprisingly unexcited about starting school. In direct-address text, the pigeon imagines worst-case scenarios, from the ridiculous ("What if I learn too much!?! My head might pop off") to the realistic ("What will the other birds think of me?"). Many children facing this milestone will relate to the pigeon's apprehension, though his histrionics are clearly demonstrated as such in both over-the-top text and restrained-until-they're-not illustrations.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(2) K-3 Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. A turtle snoozes in front of a rock that reads, "Dinosaurs Do Not Scratch." With instant, uncompromising absorption of that message, and self-justification regarding the virtues of "toughness," a passing dinosaur kid spreads the word. A twist ending clarifies the message (somewhat). The easy reader's all-dialogue text and bubbly cartoon-style illustrations have kid appeal, and the implicit issues surrounding individuality and questioning authority are broached at a child-comprehending level.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(2) K-3 Unlimited Squirrels series. Willems's lively new early-reader series (a step up in complexity from Elephant & Piggie) features fifteen cartoony squirrels, a yellow bird, and a couple of joke-telling acorns. "The BIG Story!" stars Zoom Squirrel, who has lost a tooth. Six shorter appended sections are packed with bite-size information and jokes about teeth. Willems's familiar cleanly designed spreads set the characters and their color-coded speech-balloon chatter on solid-bordered white backgrounds.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) PS Willems's offbeat ABC book follows a wide-eyed little-kid purple monster enthusiastically eating its way through the day (and the furniture). The culinary adventure begins at the breakfast table with a for "Apples!" and b for "Berries!" but then takes a more unconventional turn: "Furniture!" The creature's consumption, both food and not-food, is shown in cartoony, super-high-energy illustrations, most of them neatly contained in square or rectangular panels.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(1) K-3 Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. Witty wordplay, snappy dialogue, and rich watercolor and collage illustrations combine in Collier's first early reader. A young African American girl chooses which shoes to wear for a day out with her father. A varied cast of googly-eyed footwear vie for her attention: "PICK US!" The series' hallmarks--a limited, repetitive word bank; color-coded speech bubbles; appearances by Gerald and Piggie; and an inherent page-turning quality--are all present and well executed.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(2) K-3 Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. Yellow Bird, convinced that a particular button does nothing, lets Blue Bird and Red Bird try pushing it. Nothing seemingly happens...although Blue Bird is surprised and Red Bird disappointed. Of course, surprise and disappointment are not nothing--and this contradiction sends Yellow Bird into a flurry of comically caricatured emotions. The repetitive word bank, color-coded word balloons, and varied panels make for an accessible early reader.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(2) PS An offstage narrator addresses listeners using the language of the hospitality industry: "THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. / ...ENJOY YOUR STAY." Our world is presented as a cruise ship–like place: "Many activities are available for you to enjoy, including, but not limited to: / SLEEPING and WAKING, / EATING and BURPING, / POOPING and MORE POOPING." The whole (cardstock-page) board book is brilliantly executed and hilarious; it's also best suited to adults.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(2) PS In this sequel to Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, monster Leonardo's buddy Sam meets a girl who's "the second-most scaredy-cat kid in the whole world." At first too scared of each other to become friends, eventually the children figure out their similarities and work out their differences. Willems's comic timing is spot-on in both the text and the color-coded illustrations that shine a light on the kids' histrionics.

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

(3) K-3 Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. This spinoff series' first entries feature lively speech-balloon conversations with energetic illustrations to match. In Keller's quirky book, seven blades of grass and one dandelion discover they're growing but in different ways. Santat delivers a raucous math lesson, as four animal friends attempt to share three cookies. Willems frames each story with a brief, humorous exchange between enthusiastic readers Elephant and Piggie. Review covers the following Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! titles: We Are Growing! and The Cookie Fiasco.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. This spinoff series' first entries feature lively speech-balloon conversations with energetic illustrations to match. In Keller's quirky book, seven blades of grass and one dandelion discover they're growing but in different ways. Santat delivers a raucous math lesson, as four animal friends attempt to share three cookies. Willems frames each story with a brief, humorous exchange between enthusiastic readers Elephant and Piggie. Review covers the following Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! titles: We Are Growing! and The Cookie Fiasco.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) K-3 Elephant & Piggie Book series. In this final entry, Piggie decides to thank everyone who has touched her life. ("Everyone?" says elephant Gerald, incredulous. "You will forget someone.") You think you know where this is going, and Piggie does forget to thank Gerald, who does humorously blow his top. However, a twist provides an ending that is sweet, silly, metafictive, and heartfelt--everything the series has been all along.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(2) K-3 Young frog Nanette's mother entrusts her daughter with the responsibility of purchasing a baguette at the bakery. However, Nanette loses all willpower and eats it whole before reaching home. Alongside digitally rendered characters placed in a meticulously designed and photographed paper-crafted setting, Willems's playful text positively revels in assonant wordplay; his punch line reveals where Nanette has acquired her weakness for baguettes.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) K-3 Elephant & Piggie Book series. Elephant Gerald is "tired. And cranky." He settles down for a nap ("I hope I have good dreams") and is eventually joined by Piggie. "SNORE! SNORE! SNORE!" Piggie wakes up refreshed, but Gerald isn't...because he's "NOT napping!" Or is he? The illustrations cleverly indicate what's real and what's a dream; once they're in on the conceit, beginning readers will enjoy the narrative tricks.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. Willems's amiable chapter book introduces us to the sweet friendship between Diva, a tiny "guard" dog in a Paris apartment building, and Flea, a wandering city cat, or flâneur. DiTerlizzi's bright, expressive animal faces and elegant rendering of Paris, combined with an attractive, refined book design, elevate this simple but appealing story of bravery and trust. Author and illustrator notes are appended.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 Elephant & Piggie Book series. Piggie wants her elephant friend, Gerald, to try her favorite food (slop), which is spicy and tastes like old shoes. Gerald, though disgusted, tastes it out of friendship. The back-and-forth dialogue, presented through smoothly incorporated speech bubbles, uses easy words and varying font sizes to aid emerging readers. The illustrations selectively expand the color palette to humorous effect, conveying slop's strong taste.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth