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Horn Book Herald: Early February 2025
The Youth Media Awards announcement is a much-needed bright spot during an especially “long, cold, lonely [mid]winter.” You can find our coverage and reviews here. See also our Calling Caldecott blog, including this year’s mock vote, and Dean Schneider’s just-announced Robin Smith Picture Book Prize selection. With intriguing illustration in mind, this issue of the Herald includes recent and upcoming books that use art in engaging ways.
And introducing a new feature: What are we reading? JLG’s Rebecca Cybulski, founder of the MSI-wide (Horn Book, JLG, Library Journal, School Library Journal) book club, says: “For MSI’s February Book Club meeting, nearly 50 employees are reading We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida. Filled with interrelated short stories, feline friends, and feelings of hopefulness, this literary fiction title will leave you wanting to snuggle up to your own furry friend! The book was voted in by an overwhelming majority of our group, and we can’t help wondering whose cat, dog—or bird!—will tune in to our next book club meeting.”
—Elissa Gershowitz, Editor in Chief
(3)
4-6
This evocative collection of ten-word stories, paired with unique illustrations from twenty-one artists, sparks imagination in readers of all ages. The stories, though extremely brief, are varied and thought provoking, offering a mix of humor, emotion, and fantasy. Each illustration complements its story beautifully, showcasing a range of styles and interpretations. While primarily designed to inspire children to write their own tales, the book also serves as a visual feast for creative minds. Back matter provides a primer on story craft.
Reviewer: Summer Edward
(3)
PS
Three retellings that first appeared in Cousins’s 2009 compendium Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales (“Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” and “The Little Red Hen”) are featured in this new volume. While the text for each story sticks to the script, Cousins’s signature cut paper–inspired illustrations shine in accompaniment. Whimsical details such as Goldilocks’s larger-than-life hair, the billy goats’ boldly patterned shorts, and a polka-dot flour mill liven up the read-aloud experience.
(3)
4-6
Grimpy, a rosy-cheeked dumbo octopus, introduces the special features of many types of cephalopods in this graphic-style overview. But what’s special about Grimpy? The other cephalopods explain that dumbo octopuses are built to live in the deepest water on Earth. The approachable text and friendly pink-, blue-, and red-hued panels effectively and humorously convey the amazing diversity among animals in this group. Appended resources include a glossary, bibliography, further reading, and a photo of a real dumbo octopus.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns
(3)
K-3
The speaker in this silly metafictive picture book promises to draw whatever readers or listeners picture in their heads, but instructs, “DON’T THINK OF TIGERS!” Of course, tigers of all sorts and in all styles show up constantly in the humorous, boldly colored illustrations. An enjoyable read-aloud that, with the help of an author’s note, encourages young artists to take risks and “make BAD PICTURES!”
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Matt Rockefeller.
A grieving boy embarks on an adventurous quest through mythical realms to find peace after the loss of his mother. With minimal, palindromic text and detailed, cinematic illustrations, this poignant, graphic novel-like picture book explores bereavement, memory, and healing, offering a complex, emotionally resonant experience for readers of all ages. An absorbing and deeply reflective journey.
Reviewer: Summer Edward
(3)
K-3
Two young siblings learn more about Lunar New Year celebrations in this ebullient early reader. A team of lion dancers is practicing at Lily and Noah’s kung fu club; the older dancers are eager to share the meaning behind the festive tradition as well as how the dancers move their bodies and manipulate the lion costume. Shum’s dynamic ink and watercolor illustrations are full of movement and expression -- especially spreads that feature dancing lions in action -- and symbolic tones of yellow, red, green, and blue are used throughout. This is an informative, accessible introduction to a joyful cultural tradition.
Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald
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