(1) K-3 On May 4, 2007, a tornado leveled Greensburg, Kansas. The citizens who stayed decided to rebuild a community as environmentally sound as possible. Drummond creates a first-person narrator from a composite of experiences "meant to reflect [those] of many town residents." Concise informational sidebars explain the processes. Watercolor illustrations--a vibrant blend of vignettes, full-page art, and double-page spreads--reflect the town's can-do attitude.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Boris Kulikov. Max (Max's Words, etc.) and his older brothers drive to Shapeville and help the townspeople rebuild after a storm; in Count Town, the three hunt for the numbers needed for a rocket launch countdown. Banks's playful writing is clever and brisk, and math is everywhere in Kulikov's whimsical art. This is a book that inspires love for math.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2015

(2) 4-6 Lester and George, sixth-grade dog owners, devise an experiment based on scientist Rupert Sheldrake's (real-life) book Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home. Their growing friendship helps both boys cope with losses. Banks brilliantly evokes boytalk and boythink; a level of scientific richness is added through George's correspondence with Sheldrake on such topics as animal intuition and the challenges of data collection.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Hyewon Yum. A child shares with his two chatty dogs a list of things that scare him. The pug seems sympathetic, but the self-proclaimed "bravest dog ever" bull terrier is unimpressed...until it comes to the dark. The dog's fear pushes the boy to come up with a simple solution that sheds light on the subject of irrational fears. Expressive illustrations (not that scary) are varied, with plenty of white space.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015

(2) PS Illustrated by Blanca Gómez. In this loving concept book about the multitudes contained in the number one ("One is five. One bunch of bananas. One hand of cards. One family"), lyrical text and warm illustrations depict diverse families ranging from one member to ten. A final spread brings the families together, their interactions underlined by the conclusion that "one is one and everyone. One earth. One world. One family."

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2015

(2) K-3 The Star Child--"a flame of vapor, invisible and timeless"--visits Earth "as a human child." In a tender second-person address (in the voice of "his elders"), the text recounts the everyday joys and confusions of the life of a human being. Lyrical prose details all that the Star Child will learn, feel, and discover. Nivola's detailed paintings are rich with brilliant color and pattern.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(2) PS "On Wednesday, Thelma was bored," begins this imagination-rich story, "so...she decided to become a queen." Thelma's personality and the narrative's emotional arc are conveyed by surrealist-style paintings showing a pale and restrained heroine clad in Victorian children's clothing. The story ends where it began, with Thelma struck by an idea. What to make of Thelma? Swiatkowska leaves the reader lots of room.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(2) K-3 This visually stunning picture book biography includes a history of airplanes and pilots, the beginnings of air mail, two world wars, and an extraordinary number of plane crashes, all augmenting the central story of the golden-haired boy Antoine. The main text on Saint-Exupéry's life is supplemented with facts about his world, arranged in delicate circles around the edges of Sís's signature illustrated medallions.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(2) PS Those strong-willed sisters from The Twins' Blanket are fighting over Mom's attention. The situation worsens when Mom brings home a new baby sister. Yum's twins are believably childlike in their directness and their unshakable belief that the world revolves around them. Collage elements add texture and interest to the gouache illustrations. This is a fresh take on both the sibling-rivalry and new-baby themes.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2014

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. A small smoky-gray cat follows a family on its trip through Europe. She hitches rides, cadges food, and invites herself behind the scenes. Banks's text is confident and rhythmic, dotted with rhymes and half-rhymes that bounce off the tongue. Castillo's drawings capture both the grandeur of great cities and their human dynamism. An appended spread identifies the cities and the sights.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2014

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska. Whimsical textual and visual touches elevate two stories about manners. In Papa, Alice learns when she asks for things with a "please," her parents respond positively. In Mama, her parents teach her to say "please" and "thank you" on a birthday trip to the zoo. Swiatkowska's occasionally surreal mixed-media illustrations feature characters in from a bygone era in old-fashioned attire. Review covers these two titles: Please, Papa and Thank You, Mama.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska. Whimsical textual and visual touches elevate two stories about manners. In Papa, Alice learns when she asks for things with a "please," her parents respond positively. In Mama, her parents teach her to say "please" and "thank you" on a birthday trip to the zoo. Swiatkowska's occasionally surreal mixed-media illustrations feature characters in from a bygone era in old-fashioned attire. Review covers these two titles: Please, Papa and Thank You, Mama.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(2) YA An 1812 incident at Fort Wayne, Indiana, reveals the issues and human costs of westward expansion. Two boys--Miami Anikwa and settler James--are good friends. Then American and British armies arrive and prepare for battle. Apprehension on both sides breeds injustices and resentments that flare into catastrophic acts. Poignant and beautifully fashioned, the book is told in Frost's signature poems. Glos.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013

(2) YA It's 1959 in Southland (an alternate-universe New Zealand) when sixteen-year-old Canny discovers a hidden house and finds herself strongly attracted to the young man imprisoned there. This literary fantasy demonstrates why Knox is one of the genre's premier writers. The prose is lush and descriptive, the characters are drawn with finesse, the plot is a series of riddles nested within one another.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(2) PS "This is the house where my grandparents arrived from far away..." A girl associates tangible aspects of her house and neighborhood (a tree, the stairs) with meaningful kid-milestones and memories ("This is the street where I learned to walk, just like my mom"). Yum's rosy-cheeked, smiling characters and bright, expressive mixed-media illustrations offer visual warmth to complement the comfortingly circular narrative.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013

(2) PS Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. Showcasing nineteen of the twenty-six poems that provided lyrics for Merchant's album of the same name, the book works just as well on its own (CD is included). McClintock's illustrations place each poem in a traditional setting in keeping with the text; a closer look reveals a gratifying amount of detail, often adding humor and subtext to the sometimes enigmatic words.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2013

(4) PS Illustrated by Georg Hallensleben. A boy asks his mom to read his favorite bedtime book, in which a bear prepares for hibernation; as she reads, the boy prepares for (and submits to) sleep. The parallel-experience concept is solid, but sometimes the story's "meta" visual element ("The bear...crossed the page") is just plain confusing. Regardless, Hallensleben's paintings of wintry scenes are consistently sumptuous.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Peter Sís. Baz is apprenticed to a weaver whose cruel treatment causes Baz to question his fate. When the weaver trades Baz to a traveling magician, the boy's education begins in earnest. Banks's lyrical, imagistic, and thought-provoking text won't appeal to everyone, but middle-graders navigating their own metaphorical path toward illumination may find Baz's voyage inspirational. Sís's spare, delicate spot illustrations beautifully reflect the shifting mood.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(3) 4-6 Sixth-grader Minnie knows that her father lost his job for "blowing a whistle," but she doesn't understand that--or much else since her family's move. Then she forms a friendship with an equally isolated Muslim student and is challenged by an eccentric teacher. Minnie ultimately learns about loyalty and what it means to stand up for the truth in this touching story.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(2) K-3 Earle's intimate knowledge of the creatures she's spent over half a century observing, whether while snorkeling near the surface or walking on the ocean floor, permeates this enthusiastic biography illustrated with exquisitely detailed watercolor art. An author's note explains why we all need to get involved in efforts to curtail the threats of overfishing, climate change, oil spills, and other pollutants. Bib.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012