(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. This globalized follow-up to She Persisted is a worthy entry point to female empowerment. Weighted toward Nobel Prize winners and activists, the list of thirteen featured women also includes less predictable choices such as J. K. Rowling and dancer Yuan Yuan Tan. Inspiring quotes accompany each brief profile, while watercolor and ink illustrations showcase the diverse women (and sometimes girls) at work.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. In her second adventure (Roxie and the Hooligans), Roxie accompanies best friend Norman and world-traveling Uncle Dangerfoot on what she thinks will be a beach vacation. Complications accumulate, and the children discover a secret jet pack Dangerfoot is testing. The shenanigans ramp up, culminating in a kidnapping. The pace is bouncy and the sensibility jokey, good-natured, and mildly anarchistic. Pencil drawings capture the mood perfectly for newly independent readers.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. On an ice-skating outing with new friend Kacie, Tallulah is convinced her ballet training will make her an instant "Super Skater"; to her chagrin, that's far from the case. But, happily, Tallulah decides to take it slow, practice hard, and (most importantly) have fun with her friend. A light-handed, sweetly illustrated lesson about letting go of unrealistic expectations and enjoying yourself even when you're not "super" at something.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Clinton directly addresses young girls, seeking to inspire them with the achievements of thirteen notable women in U.S. history. From familiar subjects (Harriet Tubman) to relatively unknown individuals (Virginia Apgar), each woman--despite discouragement--made a major contribution because "she persisted." Watercolor and ink illustrations denote time and place; a quote by each woman is included.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Lively if wordy text recounts how First Lady Jackie Kennedy, who restored a then "dreary" White House "into a stately home," waged a long, tough campaign to preserve NYC's historic, iconic Grand Central Station. The impressionistic watercolor, gouache, and ink illustrations convey the story's emotions and the station's grandeur, but Boiger oddly renders Jackie as a stilted, peg-legged character. Concludes with author's and illustrator's notes. Bib.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) 4-6 Magical Animal Adoption Agency series. Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Clover faces an unlucky summer without any pets or her best friend. When she discovers the hidden Magical Animal Adoption Agency, she decides to volunteer there. By the end of summer, she foils an evil witch to save the day. George's series-starter is a quick adventure story with a positive message of believing in yourself. Light pencil sketches break up the text.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) 4-6 Magical Animal Adoption Agency series. Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Now that Clover is a seasoned Magical Animal Adoption Agency volunteer, Mr. Jams leaves her in charge while he seeks a mysterious egg specialist. All alone, Clover must deal with the hatched egg, and the myriad creatures seeking magical pets. George's second installment offers an accessible narrative tempered by a clever, thoughtful protagonist. Light pencil sketches capture the story's whimsy.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. "Ballet girl" Tallulah loves dance camp...except for tap class, where she's frustrated and self-conscious about being "the worst student." Then fellow camper Kacie--whose tap skills Tallulah envies--admits her similar struggles in ballet class. Soft watercolor illustrations ably capture the woodland setting, the various dance movements, and both girls' heightened emotions in this relatable tale of learning new things.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Fish Doreen swims leisurely upstream oblivious to danger: a fisherman dangling his hook and Great Blue Heron looking for dinner. Even when the fisherman catches her, and later when the heron snaps her up, she remains blissfully, naively unconcerned, seeing only positives ("I'M FLYING!"). Bright illustrations and the narrator's urgent warnings ("Oh dear, Doreen. No. Not Flying. FALLING.") make this an enjoyable read-aloud.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. "Tallulah knew she'd never be a ballerina until she got a pair of pink satin toe shoes." Despite warnings that she is too young, Tallulah takes home a pair she finds in the trash at ballet school. Elegant watercolors reflect Tallulah's dreams of en pointe grandeur (and the pain of swollen toes). Few picture books deal this well with delayed gratification.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Dancing in The Nutcracker is not what Tallulah expected: rehearsals are boring, and her mouse costume isn't "elegant." Worst of all, on the big night, she inadvertently causes a pile-up of mice and toy soldiers. Backstage, others remind her of what being a dancer is all about. Gentle text and warm illustrations together offer an un-sugar-coated but humorous portrayal of theater life.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. A little girl dramatizes the advantages of bringing one's child to work (e.g., "Grown-ups love it when kids push elevator buttons for them"). While most of the winking humor is aimed at adults, kids will appreciate narrator Violet's self-assured presence. The mixed-media art sticks with a subdued palette, except for irrepressible Violet whose bright colors play up her unbusinesslike boisterousness.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Ballerina Tallulah's younger brother Beckett joins her dance class. When he lands a solo in their production of The Frog Prince and she does not, Tallulah sulks. She eventually realizes that Beckett takes ballet to emulate her, then helps him practice; she's rewarded in the casting of their next recital. The sweet story is illustrated in soft, appropriately dainty watercolors.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Bad Bart and Mean Mo engage in a blustery battle of the sexes to determine who is the biggest and baddest. Readers fond of pirate language and lore should enjoy spirited read-alouds of the text (set in an appropriately named typeface "CC Treasure Trove"). The caricature illustrations imbue the stormy sea--and the stormy relationship--with just the right atmosphere.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Tallulah's desire for a tutu leads to ballet lessons. She diligently practices--still no tutu. Tallulah quits in a huff, but her love of dance remains; she keeps working and eventually gains her prize. The story's light tone, along with colorful illustrations filled with movement, will reward ballet fans (though they shouldn't follow Tallulah's example for first position--she should bring her heels together).

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. A below-ground-dwelling little-girl monster named Lala, who longs to be a princess, creeps into the castle where three princesses dress her up. She's humiliated at a ball but ends up saving the day. Boiger's illustrations, contrasting the pinky princess world and Lala's brown-as-dirt reality, are effective, and MacHale's rhymes are jaunty, but the be-yourself message is deafening.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Four rambunctious children rebel when their mother introduces Emily Post's new 1922 etiquette book into their lives. Turning the tables, they embrace the letter of the law and insist that their mother do the same. Energetic, personality-plump illustrations vigorously depict the chaotic family. An appended "Meet Emily Post" page gives further details about her life and work.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Because of a doctor's silly (though fortuitous) advice, a wealthy man's fears, some thieving servants' foolishness, and his daughter's quick observations, a starving man and his hungry child end up with banquet-loads of food every night. The gently satirical text, picked up on by the amusing watercolor illustrations, contrasts lanky Doctor All-Knowing and his raggedy child with the well-fed wealthy folks.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) PS Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Children often find other people scary. Jenkins's red-pig-tailed narrator takes each of the book's seemingly frightening people in turn, positing theories that, for instance, the spiky-haired skateboarder "kisses his cat on the head." Boiger's paintings catch perfectly the balance established in the text: initially the scary person does look terrifying, but at the page turn a friendlier personality emerges.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. With her trademark ingenuity and humor, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle teaches children lessons and dispenses cures for such conditions as slow-eater-tiny-bite-taking, showing off, and interrupting. The books are newly illustrated, and Boiger's clean-lined, old-fashioned-looking black-and-white drawings occasionally work in some subtle modern-day touches (e.g., a child wearing a backwards baseball cap). Review covers these titles: Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz