(2) K-3 Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. Foreword by Nelson Molina. Throughout his childhood in East Harlem, Molina's mother instilled in him the principle that every object had value: loose scraps of wood could be fashioned into a birdhouse; a broken toy truck could be repaired and given to a grateful younger sibling. Molina carried these upcycling habits into his career as a sanitation worker. "Is there something more than trash in here?" he would wonder upon encountering an interestingly shaped garbage bag. "Is there something someone might love?" He repaired and displayed these gifts from the garbage around his sanitation garage until the collection grew so large (estimated at over forty-five thousand items) that Molina opened the collection to the public through his Treasures in the Trash Museum. The optimistic tone of Larsen's text matches the positivity of Molina's ideology, as do Vidal's warm, sun-soaked digital illustrations of New York City neighborhoods, especially the alleys and curbs where treasures from the trash are found -- a reminder that we can discover beauty, joy, and worth from the materials right in front of us. Back matter includes photos of Molina with his treasures and suggestions for how to mirror his sustainable habits by thinking of new uses for old objects.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(4) PS Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. Mama Duck's three children, Flap, Feather, and Spike (two ducklings and a dinosaur, respectively), are old enough to sleep in their own nest. But a loud noise keeps waking them up. First they hide, then they run; finally, they decide to face their fear--and discover that the noise is Spike snoring. A slight follow-up to Duck, Duck, Dinosaur, with bold but busy digital illustrations.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. Ducklings Flip and Flap and their dinosaur brother Spike (from the Duck, Duck, Dinosaur picture books) learn about the world around them with help from Mama. These characters are suited to an easy-reader text (e.g., Flap always says things twice, providing word repetition). With two to three short sentences per page, emergent readers will easily handle these sweet unconventional-family stories. Review covers these I Can Read titles: Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Bubble Blast and Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Perfect Pumpkin.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. Ducklings Flip and Flap and their dinosaur brother Spike (from the Duck, Duck, Dinosaur picture books) learn about the world around them with help from Mama. These characters are suited to an easy-reader text (e.g., Flap always says things twice, providing word repetition). With two to three short sentences per page, emergent readers will easily handle these sweet unconventional-family stories. Review covers these I Can Read titles: Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Bubble Blast and Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Perfect Pumpkin.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. A boy with a story to tell--"it's all about me"--keeps getting derailed: by a pirate, a dinosaur, and others who want the story to be about them. Unlike many of this meta picture book's brethren, this one is about something substantial, namely making "a bunch of crazy new friends." Dialogue bubbles and caricaturish art keep the humor constant.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. Mama Duck has three eggs; when they hatch, out come two ducklings and a dinosaur. "'Oh, what a sweet family,' said Mama." Like typical siblings, the hatchlings argue about who's the biggest, sweetest, and funniest. Under Mama's wings, though, "they were all the best." Vidal's bold, bright digital illustrations don't entirely save the story from becoming saccharine.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. One day, Wally's small town is invaded by monsters, and there seems to be no escaping the rampaging zombies, werewolves, and so on. It takes nothing fancier than Wally's good manners--"Will you PLEASE stop breaking all our stuff?"--to get the invaders to back off. The story is a little thin, but the comically creepy digital art adds dimension.

Reviewer: Nell Beram