(3) K-3 Illustrated by Shino Arihara. This rhyming alphabet book offers a realistic portrayal of a Puerto Rican barrio. The text and art don't shrink from showing the less-pretty aspects of life in an urban community, such as broken bottles and abandoned cars. However, the verse and illustrations make the neighborhood come alive with a sense of love, joy, friendship, and family.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Shino Arihara. Via a tour of the seasons, this book provides thought-provoking meditations about zero, upending the notion that zero amounts to nothing. In summertime, "Zero is... / the footprints on the beach / when the waves come in and in and in. / 0 footprints." Franco's lyricism is reflected in Arihara's gouache paintings, which are quiet and contemplative with subtle yet eye-catching details.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Shino Arihara. This sophisticated picture book describes the life of Arn Chorn-Pond as a boy in 1970s Cambodia. At a children's work camp, he learned to play the khim (a traditional Cambodian instrument) and found that his talent could help himself and others temporarily escape the horror around them. Arihara's paintings effectively contrast the lush countryside with the severity of life in the labor camp.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) PS Illustrated by Shino Arihara. "Why are there birds? / Why is there sky? / Why are there words? / Why is there why?" An African American girl's rhymed quartets of questions take her through one entire day; refreshingly, readers are trusted to come up with their own answers. The fastidious gouache illustrations of the city are as earthly as the girl's questions are ethereal.

Reviewer: Nell Beram