(2) K-3 Translated by Johanna McCalmont. Illustrated by Nicoletta Bertelle. "Once there was a tiny seed. So small in the great big world, it felt lost and lonely." The earth, rain, and sky all help the seed thrive, offering a place to land, plus water and sun so it can grow into a strong apple tree. "The Earth said to the seed, 'Don't be afraid. I'll take care of you.' And welcomed it into its sweet, soft soil." Once grown, the tree extends the care given to it by inviting a bird to raise her chick in its branches. The bird, in turn, carries an apple seed to fertile soil to start the cycle again. "Carefully, she picked up the tiny seed in her beak and gave it to the Earth." With relatively few words, Giraldo gives readers a simple science lesson, a message about interdependence, and a comforting story about generosity (perfect for elementary classroom social-emotional learning). Bertelle employs rich, bold colors for her lush illustrations. The thick layers of acrylic paint with visible brushstrokes and scratched lines are as multilayered as the story itself. In the final spread, when the bird sings to the seed, waiting for it to sprout, the birdsong is pictured as multicolored egg-shaped bubbles, bursting with apple blossoms and other flowers, suggesting a celebration of the rebirth to come.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) PS Translated by Johanna McCalmont. Illustrated by Florian Pigé. A girl in a treehouse regularly explores the woods through her binoculars: "I know the forest inside out." Suddenly, she spots something new--the antlers of a deer reaching into the sky. She runs to the deer and secures permission to climb his antlers. "You can tell me what you see," says the deer. As she climbs, she passes a birthday party of woodland creatures; a mouse reading a newspaper; a garden, complete with a Venus flytrap; and a huge sleeping snake. From the top of the antlers, she takes in a brilliant sunset. "I didn't know I could climb so high," she tells the deer when she's back on solid ground. The enchanting scenes of the creatures settled into the twisting, curving antlers will thrill young ­viewers--expect to linger on these spreads to engage with the details in Pigé's velvety and textured earth-toned illustrations. Both author and illustrator give the wide-eyed protagonist an abundant curiosity that propels page-turns. Best of all, the inquisitive girl takes it all in as the habitual nature-watcher she is. Though she knows nature is wondrous (mice drying off with towels don't surprise her), she's still awed by seeing a glorious sunset from an all-new height.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Laura Fanelli. This engaging book uses magazine-style infographics to depict several consequences of climate change (rising sea levels, desertification, etc.) in a series of two-page spreads. Each topic is presented with an overview alongside a "before and after" illustration and sidebar explaining a particular issue's importance and how things have changed over time. Follow-up spreads use diagrams to show how these problems develop and why they're ongoing. Additional sidebars explain what's being done to combat these challenges and how readers can help. Minoglio's informative, concise text combines with Fanelli's striking full-color illustrations for a worthy introduction to this timely subject. Websites, a glossary, and index are appended.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr. As soon as the sun peeks above the horizon, a silver-crowned friarbird alerts the denizens of Australia's Arnhem Land region that the day has begun. Aboriginal writer Morgan (who "belongs to the Palyku people") offers a spare, lyrical text that captures the quotidian action: "Here comes Sun rising and shining. Time to stretch, Little Bird, time to sing the world alive." Little Bird's warbling causes the water buffalo, cranes, dingoes, lizards, snakes, kangaroos, and echidnas to stir. The friarbird rides on the wind, feasts on crimson blossoms, and chases its avian pals through the clouds. A passing rainstorm allows the creature to wash its feathers and, at dusk, to make its way home to roost with its family in a "welcoming tree," with dreams of flying among the stars. Malibirr's visually arresting, graphically stylized acrylic paintings are done in an earth-toned color palette of red, yellow, ochre, black, and white. The Yolngu artist uses a traditional design to create distinctive and eye-catching animals adorned with intricate crosshatching and placed on solid backgrounds. From two Indigenous creators, this gorgeous glimpse at the land Down Under will have broad appeal.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Bannock. A story from New Zealand about a rare natural wonder. A father awakens his child late at night to "find an Aurora." The child asks, "What's an Aurora?" but Dad doesn't explain, prompting many guesses. The pair enters the cold and climbs to the top of a hill far enough away that they lose sight of their farm. As in Yolen and Schoenherr's Owl Moon, they then wait quietly. Soon auroral light illuminates the sky, leaving the child speechless and wide-eyed. With the first glimpse of colors, the child, wearing a bright yellow coat, stands page left, mouth open, marveling at the "wide wings of light," while the background displays deep shades of blues, purples, pinks, reds, and oranges, with a few stars overhead. The following page shows swirling colors, while the words, mostly gerunds suggesting motion, mimic the contours and flow of the light. In the third aurora image, only distant silhouettes of father and child appear as they celebrate this amazing, color-filled sky, arms raised. The soft ­pastels perfectly complement the story (particularly this three-page climax) because of the ability to smudge and blend colors, evoke movement, and highlight the rough texture of the paper. Informative back matter answers many questions the child asks about auroras. A stunningly beautiful, informative, child's-eye ­initiation into a notable celestial ­phenomenon.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ann James. A child named Sam says a fond and very thorough goodbye to their house in the country ("This is the last time I'll fish in this river"; "This is the last time I'll swing on this gate"; "Goodbye, old house. Goodbye"), then reverses the process upon arrival at a new house in the city ("This is the first time I'll jump over these cracks"; "This is the first time I'll push open this gate"; "Hello, new house, hello"). The symmetry of Wild's text, with its mirror-imaged farewells and greetings, is effective and emotionally satisfying. Unlike most picture books about moving, this one has a distinctly upbeat vibe, thanks mainly to James's striking illustrations, "brush and ink drawings with acrylic gouache backgrounds combined digitally." Even as Sam says goodbye to beloved places and animals and activities and individual rooms of the old house, the mood conveyed in the illustrations is predominantly light and airy, with Sam's body language occasionally feeling almost Sendakian, à la A Hole Is to Dig. The child dances in doorways, smiles at a pony while giving a goodbye pat (and the pony appears to smile back), etc. With the protagonist portrayed in black-and-white against richly colored backgrounds, the viewer's eye always knows where to focus. Details are childlike and relatable. For instance, in the old bedroom we see poignant writing on the wall: "Sam lives/lived here." In the new house we see Sam taking ownership, happily sprawled across the "comfy window seat" of the new bedroom and writing, "Sam lives here now."

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jess Racklyeft. Ivy Bird follows a small bird--whose feathers match her young human companion's red hair--through a day's activities: paddling with ducks, collecting shiny objects with bowerbirds, chirping with magpies, and so forth. Readers can spot a variety of birds in the vivid mixed-media illustrations, or turn to the back for descriptions of the whole flock.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) K-3 Translated by Elisabeth Lauffer. Illustrated by Julie Völk. If you leave pieces of yourself behind in a place you love, how can you help yourself feel whole in a new home? This story's protagonist is a little girl who is going to "fly in an airplane to another country and live in a new house there." There are so many things she doesn't want to leave behind--an aquarium; the wooden chair her grandpa made for her; the pear tree outside her house; her bus driver and school bus; her best friend--but none will fit into her small suitcase. Looking at the ocean, the only thing that she doesn't have to take with her because "it's everywhere," she realizes that these favorite things can still join her in her new home by being in her heart--by becoming her favorite memories. Völk brings Sarihi's simple but heartening story to life through beautiful graphite and colored-pencil illustrations set against generous white space. The softly colored art complements the text by blending the little girl's imagination with reality. (In one double-page spread, the girl stands in front of suitcases that are the same size as the city's buildings.) Staying true to its childlike perspective, this book offers the opportunity to explore and discuss themes of change, resilience, permanence, and connection.

Reviewer: Weileen Wang | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(2) K-3 Translated by Elisabeth Lauffer. Jacob could fly before he could crawl--an abnormal feat for a human child. Once his parents got over the initial shock, they began to enjoy the many benefits of having a son who could fly. When the family decides to take a Mediterranean vacation, they're able to save on airfare, as Jacob insists on flying there himself. Along the way, he encounters fifteen cows, has a bite to eat with thirty-one squirrels, and joins a flock of eighty-three birds. When one of the birds is caught by a bird-catcher, Jacob comes up with a plan to rescue his new friend. Disguising himself with feathers and a tied-on beak, Jacob is able to fool the bird-catcher into believing he is the rarest of birds. The man quickly grabs his net and runs outside just as the remaining eighty-two birds swoop into the house to set free each and every feathered friend in the man's collection. After a small celebration, Jacob finally arrives at his destination, where his parents have been patiently awaiting him. The book's illustrations, rendered in Japanese ink, crayon, and inkpen, are charmingly old-fashioned and playful. Jacob's adventure is exciting, and the story is filled with child-pleasing details (for instance, the contents of Jacob's backpack: "cheese sandwiches, water, and a compass--just in case").

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020