(3) PS Music arranged by Cheryl Eissing. Children will enjoy the sly humor and the chantable repetition of this twist on the classic cumulative folk song, "There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea." In Long's bold, full-spread illustrations in deep, mossy greens, a turtle and a little snail provide additional visual comedy. Sing-aloud musical notation and lyrics are appended.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) YA This compelling and inspring collection is comprised of personal essays by various students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who survived the mass shooting in February 2018 and became gun-control activists. Their stories take us from the day of the tragedy to the massive protest known as March for Our Lives and their ongoing campaign for commonsense gun laws.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 1-3 Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer. A charming collection of stories (translated from the German) about going to sleep and saying goodnight are told through the experience of best friends Fox and Rabbit, who sleep in the same bed. Each small tale features one friend or both having trouble falling asleep; misunderstandings and curiosity stir up trouble but are reassuringly resolved. Quaint line and wash illustrations add to the appeal of this sweet, old-fashioned bedtime read-aloud.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) PS Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Although it begins small, a "big, friendly" red umbrella fantastically expands to protect and comfort everyone--big and small, human and not--during a city rainstorm. "There is always room." This low-key, simply told story about kindness and acceptance is an effective allegory for our times. Kids will enjoy identifying the sets of legs under the umbrella in the watercolor, pencil, and gouache illustrations.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Orbie. Delivered to "the Zoom" (instead of the "Zzzzzoo"), a sloth doesn't understand why the animals are always in a hurry. She takes her time, and eventually, gradually, makes friends with a snail. In the end, the other animals pause long enough "to become fast friends." This tale will especially appeal to children who move at a different pace; Orbie's illustrations offer lots to slow down for.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) PS Illustrated by Lou Fancher & Steve Johnson. A snowplow and its driver begin their work as snow starts falling. All through the night and through the town they continue their important work clearing the roads. Along the way, a car spins out and needs towing, a train goes by, and the driver must stay alert and awake. The mixed-media illustrations beautifully capture the snowy silence evoked in the rhyming text.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 This sequel to The Perfect Score picks up the next fall as the five kids who cheated on a standardized test are made to volunteer at the senior center. The co-narrators have new goals, including reuniting an estranged pair of mother-daughter teachers. Fans may be pleased to be reacquainted with this likable group, but a slow pace and superficial exploration of myriad issues probably won't win new ones.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) PS Engaging full-bleed illustrations shore up a spare, low-tension text to show what a boy and his dog do with a stick: "throw it," "balance with it," "swish it," "stir with it," and so on. The boy drops the stick from a bridge, and it floats downstream to a little girl. She uses the "very useful stick" in a tent she's building, and the two (plus pup) play together.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 When TV-obsessed Annie's best friend Savannah--who's not only popular, pretty, and smart, but talented, too--wins a starring role in a local web show, their friendship is suddenly at risk. Annie is jealous, and not even her habit of making up commercials for imaginary made-for-TV products brings her joy. An amiable if typical growing-up narrative is interspersed with Annie's humorous television ads.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans. This sequel to Marge in Charge is more convincing in its depiction of fun-loving Marge, a Mary Poppins–ish babysitter whose adventures just skirt the edges of reality. Jemima and little brother Jake--guided by Marge--take care of a "pirate baby" cousin, go on a water adventure, and save a wedding from disaster. The magic, mayhem, and silliness that ensue are underscored by Ceulemans's line drawings.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Set on a remote Aleutian island during World War II, this survival story is slow to start but eventually picks up speed. The unusual setting and the two main characters, resourceful eleven-year-old Izzy and disaffected fourteen-year-old Matt, help make the narrative compelling. The two endure cold, hunger, fear, and injury, finding strength in their friendship.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 Filled with colorful photographs of people, plants, animals, and landscapes in a lively format, this book combines very simple and somewhat sophisticated information about the arrival of spring. The brief text mainly focuses on the science of spring but occasionally strays to present more superficial information on seasonal cultural traditions. Craft and activity ideas are appended.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova. Violet tells a "Little Red Riding Hood"–inspired story with herself and toddler brother as main characters. She dramatically narrates "a journey fraught with danger and peril" as they make their way to a sick neighbor's apartment to deliver soup and cookies. The mixed-media illustrations play along, bringing Violet's vivid storytelling to life in the ordinary apartment-building setting.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 A ring lost in Ireland in 1830 ends up purchased by a couple in 1967 New York in this sweet tale about the passage of time and the endurance of love. The poetic text's deeper meaning may be lost on younger readers, but they will appreciate witnessing the ring's journey through time and place. Graham's moving illustrations are rendered with his usual light touch.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Olga and her creature-of-unknown-origins pet called Meh return (Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere) with hopes of going into space. But Olga observes that Meh is acting stranger than usual and uses scientific inquiry to investigate. Budding scientists will enjoy Olga's science-minded thinking, broad (and sometimes gross-out) humor, true affection for her pet, and her collection of odd friends in this clever cartoon-filled story.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 This year, twelve-year-old Shayne's annual idyllic Maine vacation devolves into disaster: she realizes that her grandmother's quirky "collecting" may have become hoarding; her summer-BFF Poppy is spending all her time working and otherwise preoccupied with boys; and Linc, the new neighbor, is oddly obsessed with the Civil War. Told with sensitivity and insight, this summertime coming-of-age story touches on loss and true friendship.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Hughes. This story about building a treehouse is an adventure in imagination, with appealing, whimsical illustrations showing a multicultural cast of kid-builders. The text may puzzle some young readers and listeners with its layers of narration and overly poetical language. Still, the fantastical structures in Hughes's art, hand-drawn in graphite and with Photoshop, are awe-inspiring.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 In a short and poignant narrative, Ho tells how, at age four, she was left behind in Vietnam while her family fled to Canada in 1981. Decidedly anti-communist, the tale is filled with details about school, hard work, hunger, and the sorrow Ho felt until being reunited with her family when she was eight. Appended are family photos, a coauthor's note, and interviews with Ho and her parents.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Originally published in Sweden, this collection of evocative haiku is beautifully illustrated with scenes from around the world. Each spread is a striking rain-infused tableau, often featuring young people and nature, paired with a poem about small moments and big ideas. The thought-provoking pictures and text may also be useful with older children or teens as inspiration for their own writing.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Richard Jones. Wednesday is a whale who lives in a big fishbowl "smack in the middle" of a city, but she's drawn to a distant patch of blue. She first learns the word sea from a compassionate young visitor named Piper; a giant leap (portrayed on a vertical gatefold) finds the whale finally home. A lovely story, gorgeously illustrated in grays and muted blues, of discovering where you belong.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee