(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eliza Kinkz. Young Jesús eagerly awaits Saturdays, when he helps his father with their family's­ lawn service business. Papá gives him the responsibility of taking care of the water jug, claiming that it is a magical clock and when the water runs out, it's time to go home. Hilarity ensues when Jesús doles out cups of water to three "super-old" thirsty cats, a dog in a sweater, and some peacocks, and uses lots of water to splash his face. The jug may now be empty, but Jesús and Papá can't yet go home: it's only ten thirty in the morning, and they still have eleven more houses to visit. Papá confesses that the water jug is not a magical clock after all; he had tried to make the day go more quickly by making the jug into a game. But as Jesús tells Papá, they can have fun in other ways. The protagonist's exuberance shines through in his observations of the world. Kinkz's art--in "pencil, ink, watercolor, gouache, crayons, and a few drops of queso"--brings this story to life. The colors are bright; the line drawings are childlike and full of zany energy. The garden-themed luchador endpapers will garner lots of laughs. This book mixes humor with the touching bond between a son and his papá, and a gentle message­ about the preciousness of water as a resource.

Reviewer: Yesica Hurd | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ross MacDonald. In the third punderful picture book (7 Ate 9, rev. 5/17; The Upper Case) featuring Capital City's dogged detective Private I, clocks and watches are disappearing, the time-strapped letter citizens are increasingly wound up, and Private I is ticked off. The nostalgic palette of the digitally assembled watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations enhances the mood of this not-so-hard-boiled noir spoof. The lively letter characters steal the spotlight with their distinctive features (a goatee on T, an apron on B) and stick-like cartoon arms and legs. Viewers may figure out the culprit before I does, as Z is pictured in plain sight running away with the gumshoe's wristwatch early in the story. The real question remains: why steal time? Thanks to an ingenious, low-tech plan, I nabs the thief in broad daylight, and the clock-napper reveals his motive: by making the other letters late, Z hopes to finally go first. The sympathetic letters explain that life isn't all that perfect earlier in the alphabet (A is sleep-deprived, for example), and the Grammar Police take a remorseful Z away "to serve hard time." This book's wordplay and visual humor are just right for the intended audience; time is sure to fly with Time Flies in the story-hour mix.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) K-3 Here's a classic David vs. Goliath tale, with a twist--or possibly more than one. The town of Puddletrunk, a higglety-pigglety, near-vertical construction on a tiny circle of land, is separated from the mainland by a deep chasm. The wooden bridges that span the chasm collapse with disturbing regularity--destroyed, apparently, by termites. A large bridge troll with bright green skin who towers over the other ­residents--"the fabulous Mortimer Gulch!!!" gushes the effusive and clueless narrator--bilks the residents of their money and possessions to pay for succeeding new bridges. (They're now on #272.) Then a newcomer, a diminutive clock repairman, arrives to rebuild the town's crumbling clock tower; he seems curiously immune to the troll's grift. And that grift is even greater than we first suspect, because it transpires that Mr. Gulch, not termites at all, is the ­culprit/bridge chewer. One night, he gnaws at the base of the (now fully repaired) clock tower--"Just as delicious as bridges!" enthuses the narrator--causing the tower to fall over. But when it does, it exactly spans the width of the chasm, becoming a strong, sturdy, covered bridge. The town rejoices, Mr. Gulch slinks off into the night...and the narrator still doesn't get it. The book's success lies in the sliminess of Mr. Gulch; the surprise outcome; the many clever details in the illustrations (including a blueprint that reveals what the repairman intended, all along); and the mismatch between the narration and the story being told in the illustrations. The palette's lurid colors, the exaggerated figures, even the curlicue font all match and reinforce the over-the-top, funny, and many-times-pore-over-able story.

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

(4) 4-6 When the Tinker family travels to Blackford House to fix its elaborate clock, they discover a mystery involving alchemy, animal statues that come to life, and the fast-encroaching Shadow Woods. Delightfully creepy at first, the story is weighed down as its theme of love overcoming fear grows heavy-handed, and the arrival of a handsome stranger at the conclusion feels tacked on for the sole purpose of setting up a sequel.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) PS "Wake up, Monkey! It's time to play." A little yellow dot with stick legs prods a tree-dwelling monkey to catch it, along with its dot friends, as they race clockwise around the branches. As the monkey's arms move like a clock's hands, readers will crack the code: the dots represent minutes! Young viewers will want to spend time with Hall's digitally-combined paper-collage art. Information about "Monkey's Rainforest Friends" is appended.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie series. Clockwork boy Charlie and his friends reunite with Charlie's brother to search for three magical objects that can defeat the Iron Cog. Assisted by the spirit of Wilhelm Grimm, they travel the globe to stop the sinister organization from conquering the world. A fascinating Victorian-steampunk setting combines with thrilling action and deepening character relationships for a satisfying conclusion to an engaging trilogy.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) 4-6 Adapted by Edith. Illustrated by Edith. This carefully crafted comics edition of Pearce's classic novel is true to the original story and tone--even if some of the book's most dramatic moments seem too muted (the skating-to-Ely scene; the Tom-meets-Mrs.-Bartholomew scene). The art itself is beautiful, with an effective contrast between the drabness of Tom's days and the lushness of his nightly adventures with Hatty in the garden.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) YA In the sequel to Timekeeper, Danny Hart and fellow clock mechanic Daphne Richards are sent to India to investigate a series of destroyed clocktowers. Meanwhile, Danny's love interest Colton, a clock spirit, uncovers secrets about his own past. Though the plot gets a bit convoluted, a diverse group of characters and swoony same-sex romance add appeal to the imaginative steampunk adventure.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) YA A mysterious glow-in-the-dark painting links modern-day teen Julie to Lydia and her sisters, in 1917–18, as they work at a factory that produces luminous watch faces, unaware that the paint they use causes radiation poisoning. This parallel narrative gives Julie's conventional YA romance story an infusion of originality. The historical background (expanded in an author's note) is intriguing, embracing chemistry, medicine, and labor and women's histories.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) 4-6 Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie series. Fleeing London, clockwork boy Charlie (The Kidnap Plot) heads to Wales with a warning for his murdered father's friend. Separated from his traveling companions, Charlie teams up with a band of dwarfs in a race to arrive before the evil organization that killed his father does. A worthy sequel chock-full of intricate world-building, plot twists, and an amusing assortment of new and familiar characters.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) YA In 1914, half-English, half-Indian fifteen-year-old Adi's life is upended when she accidentally foils the assassination plans of a shape-shifting, devil-like madman named Coal. Coal exacts his revenge by kidnapping Adi's brothers, presenting her with riddles to find them, and literally stealing her voice. Historical fiction melds with magical realism in this elegantly written but somewhat overstuffed novel.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie series. When Charlie Pondicherry's father, a clockwork machinery expert, is kidnapped, Charlie and companions--including a troll lawyer and his pixie assistant--scour a steampunk version of Victorian London for him. Along the way, they uncover a deadly plot and a secret truth about Charlie. Outlandish characters and their backstories, twists and turns, and plenty of action make this an ambitious, entertaining series-opener.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David C. Gardner. This warm picture-book biography chronicles the steps young Benjamin Banneker, a free-born African American farmer, took to invent the striking clock in 1753. Inspired by a pocket watch, Banneker meticulously studied, drew diagrams, and carved the parts for his clock using a pocketknife. Gardner's watercolor illustrations gorgeously evoke the passing seasons on Banneker's farm. An inspiring accompaniment for STEAM programming.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) 4-6 Reuben Pedley discovers an antique pocket watch with the power to turn the bearer invisible. As Reuben seeks the history of the watch and why villain The Smoke is so desperate to get his hands on it, the plot builds with a clean, comprehensible line that makes the over-five-hundred pages read effortlessly. Black-and-white illustrations lend a slightly gloomy, timeworn air.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2016

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Smallman. Wilfred Wolf doesn't mind not being able to tell time--until he's invited to a party that begins at three o'clock ("How will I know the right time to go?"). He tries everything to avoid the lesson, but finally a friend teaches him (and the reader) how to tell time. The illustrations are pedestrian, but the instruction is quite amiable.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Math World series. Illustrated by Katya Longhi. In this brief, run-of-the-mill story, Mia teaches younger brother James how to tell time while he waits for a friend to arrive to play ninjas. Both digital and analog clocks are introduced, but the latter aren't always drawn accurately; for example, an illustration of a clock at 9:30 shows the small hand pointing directly to the nine. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Wes Lowe. Galat clearly explains the basics of how early navigation worked, the limitations of sailing with just latitude as a marker, and how one man solved the longitude puzzle. Lowe's paintings help set time and place, but human figures are stiff. The complex concepts are best suited for older readers beyond the traditional picture-book age with understanding of math, science, and geography. Timeline.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(1) K-3 On the copyright page, we see a little wooden bird thrown from the back of a moving truck. This bird soon meets a toad named Vernon, who seems to know that Bird is lost--and helps him find his way home as the story comes full circle. Stead's loose-edged illustrations are delightfully casual, with an emotional quality that draws the reader to identify with these two friends.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sarah Chalek. Presenting a wide assortment of timepieces, this book begins with rhymed text--sometimes a bit forced--then moves to onomatopoeic descriptions of specific clocks ("Bzzzzz cries the buzzer clock angrily"). Humor comes through in the illustrations, which feature a cartoon horse wearing multiple watches and his blue jay pal. From grandfather clocks to cuckoos, it's a pleasant, if somewhat pointless, catalog of timekeepers.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John Abbott Nez. When the bronze animals on the Delacorte Clock start to "dance," Milo, a snow monkey in nearby Central Park Zoo, longs to join them. After his cage is left open he gets his chance; he's then horrified to learn he's been locked out. Metzger's rhyming text, while cheery, stumbles in places. Nez's cartoony illustrations have verve. More information about the Delacorte Clock is appended.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley