(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Husband & Mike Love. "Billions of years ago, Earth was very hot." This effective overview begins by describing conditions that made life possible on the planet and how climate change has occurred naturally over the millennia. Most of the discussion is devoted to our current environmental crisis, touching on extreme weather, threats to animal and human populations, and exacerbation of poverty (particularly for girls and women). The lively double-page spreads balance the sober text with cartoonlike touches (speech bubbles, burping livestock), making concepts more accessible to younger readers. A glossary is appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Little People, Big Dreams series. Illustrated by Melissa Lee Johnson. This picture-book biography focuses on the blind musical prodigy's rise to superstardom. Per the series's formula, Vegara breezes through some highlights from the musician/composer/singer's life and career, from signing with Motown at eleven to being named the United Nations' 2009 "Messenger of Peace." The cheery cartoon illustrations are a good match for the accessible text. Back matter includes four photos, a simple timeline, more biographical information, and two recommended books.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Little People, Big Dreams series. Illustrated by Paulina Morgan. Soccer phenom Rapinoe was always most at home on the field and in the game. This series entry follows Rapinoe as she and her twin sister play the sport growing up and win college scholarships. From there, Rapinoe--now with her distinctive purple hair--begins her ascent, collecting World Cup and Olympic wins. Vegara mentions Rapinoe's coming-out announcement before the London Olympics and her wish to "be an example for other gay athletes." The stylized cartoon illustrations should help draw readers to the story. Back matter includes four photos, a simple timeline, additional information, and two recommended books.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) YA Illustrated by Marianne Ferrer. The fifteen-year-old narrator reflects on her leukemia diagnosis and five years of treatment as she waits for her latest test results. Strong bonds with her parents, boyfriend, favorite nurse, and fellow patient Maxine help her cope with pain, fear, stress, loss, and "helpful" comments that are more alienating than encouraging. Stylized, often surreal illustrations in a palette of muted blues and greens with deep red accents heighten the story's emotional impact.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(2) PS With gouache paintings rendered into collagelike illustrations via Photoshop, Hawthorne's version of the Christmas carol notably features Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as a brown-skinned family. The text includes all three verses of John Freeman Young's English translation, thoughtfully divided and carefully placed. The figure and animal drawing is supple, with good contrast between the black and midnight-blue sky, the angels' white wings, and the delicate coloring of textiles.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Alice Lindstrom. Politics, romance, murder, madness, magic--it's all here in this handsome volume of twelve abridged prose retellings of some of the Bard's most famous plays. Each story begins with an iconic quote and a cast of characters in portrait ovals; the text is modernized and accessible. Color-saturated, textural collages lavishly illustrate every spread. End matter includes a complete list of Shakespeare plays.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) PS Illustrated by Loris Lora. This picture book examines a day in the life of children in over forty countries (fact files of each appended). Vintage-style gouache illustrations present simple portraits of smiling children as short bits of text cover the schooling, food, play, and customs of a diverse array of kids as they go about their day. The brevity of information combined with the sunny art pitches the familiar concept to a preschool audience.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 This picture book inspired by Ella Fitzgerald's friendship with Marilyn Monroe centers on an instance in the 1950s when Monroe's influence supposedly helped black Fitzgerald be allowed to perform at a popular NYC venue. Evoking the nightclub's glitz and glamour, the bright-colored, graphic illustrations on thick pages are the draw here. Short bios of both women and a photo conclude the book.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger. This beautifully illustrated oversize book offers the family trees of twenty-five historically significant families, from the Ptolemaic Dynasty to the Medicis to the family of Martin Luther King Jr. An overview of one prominent family member along with other short bios and bits of related history are included on each spread. An original and appealing angle from which to view connections throughout world history. Reading list.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls. Young Zazi and Ziwelene find a photo of their great-grandfather, Nelson Mandela, at their grandmother's house, which inspires them to ask her about him. The book's question-and-answer narrative seems contrived ("Why did Grandad go to jail?"; "What is justice?"), but Grandma Zindzi's answers are nimbly worded. Qualls's acrylic, collage, and colored-pencil art has a stateliness worthy of the book's subject.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Ana Albero. Fifty personalities across history and many disciplines are profiled in one-page summaries, organized by categories in a faux awards show recognizing creativity, bravery, etc. The selection includes well-known figures such as Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, and Malala Yousafzai, as well as lesser-known pioneers, including British slave and memoirist Olaudah Equiano, first woman in space Valentina Tereshkova, and Gurindji activist Vincent Lingiari. Cartoonlike portraits and vignettes accompany the sparse information.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 Little People, Big Dreams series. Illustrated by Beatrice Cerocchi. Each appealing picture-book biography spotlights a famous woman and her accomplishments, foregrounding the influence of childhood experiences. Vegara emphasizes empowerment and tackles difficult issues (such as slavery in Tubman) with honesty and sensitivity, but overall the texts are pretty simplistic. The illustrations (each book by a different artist) vary greatly in style. Back matter includes photos and/or paintings along with more detailed biographical information. Reading list. Review covers these Little People, Big Dreams titles: Harriet Tubman, Jane Austen, Jane Goodall, L. M. Montgomery, and Simone de Beauvoir.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Little People, Big Dreams series. Illustrated by Anuska Allepuz. Each appealing picture-book biography spotlights a famous woman and her accomplishments, foregrounding the influence of childhood experiences. Vegara emphasizes empowerment and tackles difficult issues (such as slavery in Tubman) with honesty and sensitivity, but overall the texts are pretty simplistic. The illustrations (each book by a different artist) vary greatly in style. Back matter includes photos and/or paintings along with more detailed biographical information. Reading list. Review covers these Little People, Big Dreams titles: Harriet Tubman, Jane Austen, Jane Goodall, L. M. Montgomery, and Simone de Beauvoir.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Little People, Big Dreams series. Illustrated by Christine Roussey. Each appealing picture-book biography spotlights a famous woman and her accomplishments, foregrounding the influence of childhood experiences. Vegara emphasizes empowerment and tackles difficult issues (such as slavery in Tubman) with honesty and sensitivity, but overall the texts are pretty simplistic. The illustrations (each book by a different artist) vary greatly in style. Back matter includes photos and/or paintings along with more detailed biographical information. Reading list. Review covers these Little People, Big Dreams titles: Harriet Tubman, Jane Austen, Jane Goodall, L. M. Montgomery, and Simone de Beauvoir.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Little People, Big Dreams series. Illustrated by Katie Wilson. Each appealing picture-book biography spotlights a famous woman and her accomplishments, foregrounding the influence of childhood experiences. Vegara emphasizes empowerment and tackles difficult issues (such as slavery in Tubman) with honesty and sensitivity, but overall the texts are pretty simplistic. The illustrations (each book by a different artist) vary greatly in style. Back matter includes photos and/or paintings along with more detailed biographical information. Reading list. Review covers these Little People, Big Dreams titles: Harriet Tubman, Jane Austen, Jane Goodall, L. M. Montgomery, and Simone de Beauvoir.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Little People, Big Dreams series. Illustrated by Erica Salcedo. This installment in the appealing picture-book biography series spotlights modern painter O'Keeffe's accomplishments, foregrounding the influence of childhood experiences and emphasizing empowerment. The narrative is upbeat but pretty simplistic overall. The cartoonlike illustrations feature stylized, goggle-eyed human figures. Back matter includes photos along with more detailed biographical information. Reading list.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Little People, Big Dreams series. Illustrated by Pili Aguado. Each appealing picture-book biography spotlights a famous woman and her accomplishments, foregrounding the influence of childhood experiences. Vegara emphasizes empowerment and tackles difficult issues (such as slavery in Tubman) with honesty and sensitivity, but overall the texts are pretty simplistic. The illustrations (each book by a different artist) vary greatly in style. Back matter includes photos and/or paintings along with more detailed biographical information. Reading list. Review covers these Little People, Big Dreams titles: Harriet Tubman, Jane Austen, Jane Goodall, L. M. Montgomery, and Simone de Beauvoir.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Aitch. Mostly culled from early-twentieth century folklore collections, these accessible retellings are organized by region: Africa, Asia, North America, South America, and Australia and Oceania. The short tales, presented in small print in two columns, include familiar and lesser-known tales. The folkloric spot- and full-page illustrations are more decorative than dramatic. Bib.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton