(3) K-3 A young Black girl named Eve lives in a veritable Eden at the edge of a forest somewhere in Africa. Like her biblical namesake, she feels dutybound to care for the living world, a role her dad says trees--the girl’s hobby horse--also play. Eve’s favorite green friend is the baobab tree, so she is delighted when Grandma gifts her a baobab seedling with which to continue an intergenerational tradition of planting a tree for each family member. Like her seedling, Eve will need patience and tender loving care in order to grow big and strong. Wilson-Max’s warm, painterly acrylic illustrations glow with rich subtropical colors. This gentle celebration of our bonds with family and nature is appended with facts about trees and African re-greening projects.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) PS These British imports star a young child named Lenny, Lenny's loving parents, and pet dog Wilbur. Dad (who appears in Where's Lenny? but not Lenny and Wilbur) has brown skin like Lenny; Mom's skin is light. Where's Lenny? depicts a rousing game of hide-and-seek—Lenny hides, Dad counts and seeks (and distracts?), and Mom does some home repair. In Lenny and Wilbur, it's bath time for Wilbur; Lenny helps. Both books include singing and giggles (and some repetition of vocabulary to support emergent readers throughout the straightforward texts), and both end with snuggles. Wilson-Max's (Astro Girl, rev. 11/19) illustrations feature bold crayon-box hues with thick black outlines around characters, minimal extraneous detail, and thoughtful use of visible brushstrokes and background washes. The images are simple yet contain all the warmth and love that emanate from this close-knit family. The books' small, square trim size--with the smiling child on the cover--is another successful choice to welcome viewers into Lenny's everyday world. Review includes these titles: Lenny and Wilbur and Where's Lenny?.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) PS These British imports star a young child named Lenny, Lenny's loving parents, and pet dog Wilbur. Dad (who appears in Where's Lenny? but not Lenny and Wilbur) has brown skin like Lenny; Mom's skin is light. Where's Lenny? depicts a rousing game of hide-and-seek—Lenny hides, Dad counts and seeks (and distracts?), and Mom does some home repair. In Lenny and Wilbur, it's bath time for Wilbur; Lenny helps. Both books include singing and giggles (and some repetition of vocabulary to support emergent readers throughout the straightforward texts), and both end with snuggles. Wilson-Max's (Astro Girl, rev. 11/19) illustrations feature bold crayon-box hues with thick black outlines around characters, minimal extraneous detail, and thoughtful use of visible brushstrokes and background washes. The images are simple yet contain all the warmth and love that emanate from this close-knit family. The books' small, square trim size--with the smiling child on the cover--is another successful choice to welcome viewers into Lenny's everyday world. Review includes these titles: Lenny and Wilbur and Where's Lenny?.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) PS After spending the day together, astronomy-obsessed Astrid and her papa drive to pick up Astrid's mother from work--at the space center. Wilson-Max's painterly illustrations convey the warmth and joy of a family of color consisting of an impressively accomplished working mother, a loving father, and a young girl who dreams of reaching for the stars. Informative back matter highlights five female astronauts and a handful of space-flight facts.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(4) PS Big Blue, an elephant, is too afraid of the dark to enjoy the night stars with his friends, Little Pink, a pig, and Max, a boy. Finally, Max finds a creative way to bring the stars indoors. The story is slight and the humor strains ("Big Blue is a scaredy-elephant!"), but the vibrant, craggy-edged illustrations set in a delightfully surreal, no-adults world are endearing.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 While a Kenyan family picnics by a lake, every other spread gives five or six Swahili vocabulary words matched with pictures from the family's picnic. Although the black-outlined paintings are attractive and child-friendly, the story line is thin and the family's culture is more recognizably western than African.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 An uninspired story about Chidi and his friend Michael takes a back seat to this language lesson. Every other double-page spread features Zulu words for common things in the limited vocabulary text, such as "door," "house," and "mother." Bold illustrations with strong black outlines are eye-catching and dynamic. A pronunciation guide is included at the end of the book.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) PS This interactive pull-tab and lift-the-flap book, presented in the same format as 'Big Red Fire Truck' and 'Little Green Tow Truck', invites readers to "whoosh" rocket boosters into space, maneuver the shuttle control panel, and launch a satellite. Eye-catching, dynamic art and sturdy space gadgets combine for a successful liftoff and rewarding voyage.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.