(2) K-3 Illustrated by Monica Arnaldo. Cecilia, a Latine girl, juggles two jobs: kid and interpreter. Text bubbles in yellow for Spanish and blue for English differentiate the languages spoken by Cecilia's "clients" (i.e., her parents) and by those at "grown-up places," including the doctor's office and the DMV. As Cecilia dutifully translates questions, concerns, and instructions, Arnaldo's colorful watercolor and pencil-crayon illustrations elaborate on Abtahi's metaphor -- Cecilia appears to work in an office, wears an oversized suit and tie, and gulps down coffee -- while conveying, through her frizzing ponytail and rumpled jacket, the pressures of "working overtime." When Cecilia is asked about her feelings during a parent-teacher conference and admits the truth, her mother and father console her and promise to get more help. Abtahi, who took inspiration from her own multilingual childhood, strikes an important balance in her resolution: the necessity of interpreting for immigrant parents is not dismissed or shamed, while the pressure it can place on their children is addressed with empathy. After other family members step in to "pick up shifts" for Cecilia, she's able to continue helping her family while prioritizing her primary job: being a kid.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) K-3 When a sandstorm makes "the city orange -- the sun like a tangerine, the waves like clementine peels," Sakina and her mother spend the day at a museum. While her mother is moved to tears, Sakina is confused by the sculptures of a "chubby crocodile filled with papers," of a jaguar guarding Hammurabi's Code, and of winged lions. She throws herself on the floor in exasperation at "these old, boring, boring things." A few sculptures follow her home, where they cause a ruckus. Sakina realizes the crocodile is stuffed with poems, one of which pleads, "I hope they will remember me." Looking at her grandmother's photo, Sakina cries as she finally understands that the crocodile is a memorial. Watercolor and ink illustrations bring the unnamed city to life as yellow sand-coated landscapes contrast with blue waters, palm trees, and Arabic letters and calligraphic inscriptions that float in the air. Sculptures wink, strut, stretch, and sneak into backpacks. Art (the "uninvited guests") literally comes alive and shows Sakina how the "old" and "boring" can be fascinating and connected to family histories. This imaginative book invites readers to learn more about their heritage through art; the illustrations beg multiple viewings to notice details. An author's note adds context about the ancient artwork and the etymology of the citrus fruit Sakina enjoys.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA Pimienta's (Suncatcher; Twin Cities, rev. 9/22) latest graphic novel explores divisions and connections across families, borders, languages, and cultures. Middle schooler Ave has reluctantly moved from Mexicali to Lawrence, Kansas. Living apart from their father and older sister, stuck in a predominantly English-speaking community, and confronted with their family's set of expectations regarding gender roles (e.g., cooking, chores), Ave, who is nonbinary, finds themself in a perfect storm of adolescent frustration. Tensions reach a boiling point when Ave's mother confirms that her separation from their father is permanent. Slowly but surely, Ave develops meaningful friendships with a handful of classmates while simultaneously building a greater understanding of their family members' unique relationships with assimilation. The hand-drawn and inked illustrations have a lively, undulating line, with flat, understated digital colors. Pimienta's storytelling features substantive dialogue ("And you're okay with speaking broken English?" "It's not broken. It's growing"), skillful transitions between past and present, creative use of a largely three-tiered page/panel structure, and employment of silent panels to develop setting, mood, and characterization. Back matter includes an author's note with sketches and reference photos.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) 4-6 Color by Elaine Bay; coloring by Eleonora Bruni; lettering by Rob Leigh. In this wacky and entertaining graphic-novel series starter, readers are welcomed to Scissors City, famous for its superhero-barber team, the Snips. In their spare time, the Snips invent hair-related gadgets and formulas (a "shatterproof peluca"; "drone barber bots") and travel the world to discover "hairstorical artifacts" ("la Trenza de Medusa"; "la Barba de Rasputin"). Member Nubes Cloudhead has even broken the world record for most haircuts in one day -- catching some negative attention from rivals the Bad Buzz Boys, who will go to drastic lengths (i.e., give bad haircuts) to beat the record themselves. With his usual irreverent flair, Raúl the Third (Vamos!: Let's Celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos, rev. 9/24, among others) gives readers a hilarious, thrilling showdown between the two barber groups, putting all the hairdos of Scissors City at stake. The dynamic illustrations (in explosive colors by Bay) are jam-packed with action shots, references to classic comics, and clever details that merit multiple looks. Spanish is naturally incorporated and often translated into English, and an appended "Snippets from Flealix" provides the story of the real-life world record holder for most haircuts in one day.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) PS Baby Rhyme Time series. Illustrated by Annie Kubler & Sarah Dellow. Bouncy babies and toddlers cavort in this catchy play rhyme that scans well in English and Spanish. Kubler and ­Dellow's cartoon tots, who wear bold colors and charming prints, perform each line of the verse against a white background. One welcome aspect of the entire Baby Rhyme Time series, often available in bilingual editions, is its inclusive diversity. In this offering, youngsters see a range of skin tones, a child wearing a hearing aid on the cover, and a tot with a therapeutic helmet. A Haitian Creole version, Fè Yon Ti Sote! / Hop a Little!, is forthcoming. For more bilingual offerings, try The Fruit Shop / La frutería and The Flower Shop / La ­florería (Candlewick) by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Zara González Hoang.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) K-3 World of ¡Vamos! series. Color by Elaine Bay. Little Lobo, Bernabé, and friends, some dressed as other characters from the series, go trick-or-treating on Halloween night, a time when "neighborhood streets creep and crawl with extravagant weirdness -- a who's who of wonderment." Eventually, and with their candy conveyances filled-to-overflowing, the group shifts gears, helping elders prepare for the next day's start of Día de los Muertos. With Kooky Dooky, whose corn-palace home is adjacent to the cemetery, acting as host for the next two nights, the entire community comes together to pay tribute, through offerings and memories, to those they have lost. Tears are shed, but "happiness fills the air as la comunidad celebrates the lives of those who lived." As usual in this vibrant fictional world, there are near-infinite details, references, and jokes to notice on every bursting-with-life spread; every Halloween costume, every altar and ofrenda. Spanish is naturally incorporated into the main text, illustrations, dialogue, sound effects, and labels. A glossary and a Día de los Muertos activity (unseen) are appended.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gabriela Larios. "The nipa hut is family too." Yelena Mendoza lives in a traditional nipa hut in the Philippines with her family. Made from palm leaves and bamboo, the structure has stood for many generations, lovingly cared for and repaired by its inhabitants when it needs "a change of clothes." During a big storm, the nipa hut "sways," "shakes," and "flinches." A gust of wind pushes the windows open, bringing in rain and cold; are "Yelena and the nipa hut...no match for the storm"? With Papa's help, they make it through -- though afterward the nipa hut is in need of repairs. "'You will be okay,' [Yelena] says. 'Thank you for taking care of us.'" Abalos's warm text is true to a child's perspective; Larios's color-saturated illustrations, teeming with wildlife and plants native to the Philippines, have a compellingly naif quality. Details in the art enhance the story: Papa has a prosthetic leg; a framed portrait on the wall might be Yelena and baby brother Marco's mother, whom the story doesn't mention. An author's note dives deeper into the history and architectural influence of the nipa hut (its structural flexibility inspired the first skyscraper), the Philippines, and climate change and includes a glossary of Tagalog words.

Reviewer: Gabi K. Huesca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) 4-6 Luchy's birthday marks the end of summer vacation, and she's excited to start middle school; she and her two best friends, Mateo and Cami, are finally going to be at the same school. But when Cami comes back from visiting her family in Colombia, she's changed, and she expects Luchy to change too. Luchy, whose family is also Colombian, likes who she is -- at least, she thought she did. Her family and Mateo encourage her to be herself, but Luchy thinks she needs to "grow up" to try to save her friendship with Cami. Her efforts only lead to an embittered back-and-forth with her friend. When their schism deepens on the soccer field, Luchy is forced to accept that growing up looks different for everyone, and you never know what others might be going through. Set in Miami with lots of multicultural Latine details (Luchy's abuela cooks Cuban recipes that she learned from her friend; Mateo's family is Chilean) and naturally incorporated Spanish, this is an endearing middle-school transition story that ultimately lands in favor of expressing who you are and being open to new and changing friendships.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. In engaging, economical, and colloquial prose, Alonso chronicles the ascent and career highs of legendary right fielder Clemente (1934–1972), who endured racism as a Spanish-speaking Black man while shattering records during his illustrious baseball career. This energetic account begins with young Roberto playing béisbol in Carolina, Puerto Rico, using crinkled-up cans for baseballs and branches for bats. After a talent scout spots him in 1955, the nineteen-year-old travels to Montreal, where he spends more time on the bench than the field. Then he joins the Pittsburgh Pirates and impresses everyone with his ability to hit, slide, and leap for catches. Alonso (a journalist for MLB.com) writes with the immediacy of a play-by-play announcer, whisking readers from one achievement to the next. She directly addresses the extreme prejudice Clemente experienced: crowds heckle him for speaking español; dismissive reporters insist on calling him Bob instead of Roberto. Gutierrez's inventive mixed-media illustrations explode with dynamic colors and kinetic motion. Each double-page spread resembles an intricate mural, capturing jumps in time and changes in locale with swirls and attention-grabbing line work. While Gutierrez employs many abstract touches throughout, he gives Clemente an expressive photorealistic face that shows his determination and drive. Excellent back matter includes a timeline, a bibliography, photos, and an informative note from Alonso.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(3) PS Illustrated by Jon Klassen. Spanish translation of How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? (rev. 11/23). The interplay of Barnett’s “expert” childlike speculation and Klassen’s signature “graphite, ink, and digital...straight-faced brand of humor” works just as well in this edition. Minor changes in meaning do not detract from the story, and at times even add to the ruminative tone (“Pensándolo bien, las luces del árbol son iluminación suficiente para que Papá Noel pueda ver”). An excellent Spanish addition to the Christmas read-aloud shelf, just as wry as the original.

Reviewer:

(2) K-3 Translated by Elisa Amado . Illustrated by Santiago Solís Montes de Oca. Aztec emperor Montezuma is having a bad day in this playful take on Mesoamerican history and mythology. His court can't cheer him up with "a beautiful suit of armor," "a headdress made of a thousand feathers," sacrifices, or dancing. His snake-like helper tries to convince Montezuma to complete his duties and eventually gets fed up: "You are in an even worse mood than Quetzalcóatl, the plumed serpent." The only thing that soothes the angry emperor is an elaborately prepared gourd of hot chocolate. Feeling better, Montezuma declares, "Chocolate for all because it gladdens the heart!" Lively digital illustrations with hand-drawn textures in pinks, oranges, and teals depict the pouty emperor and the human and animal members of his court as mostly friendly (details such as the animal sacrifices are lightly alluded to). The appended glossary includes words in English, Spanish, and Náhuatl and mentions some similarities between the Aztec and Mayan cultures. It also acknowledges both the attacks by Spanish missionaries on the Aztecs and the preservation of Aztec culture through language and -- of course -- hot chocolate.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Tales of the Feathered Serpent series. Illustrated by Charlene Bowles. This follow-up to Rise of the Halfling King (rev. 11/20) tells the story -- again in graphic-novel form -- of Mayan demigod twins Hunahpu and Xbalanke, sons of demigods One Hunahpu and Lady Blood, a royal ruler of Xibalba (the Underworld), "the only good and lovely creature in that place." Wooed by the trapped soul of One Hunahpu, Lady Blood leaves Xibalba to give birth in the Overworld. From the start, her sons are forced to compete with their older twin half-brothers for the attention of their grandmother, the goddess of the cornfields. With the encouragement of Lady Blood to achieve their "destiny" to rescue their father and uncle from Xibalba, the younger twins concoct a musical plan to trick their older brothers and get them out of the way for a bit. Straightforward and humorous language paired with clear, eye-catching comics-style illustrations make this an engaging retelling of a selection from the Mayan Popol Vuh. An appended author's note further explains the origin of the story and inspiration for the series, and a list of characters in the opening pages is helpful for navigating the tale. A Spanish edition, Los héroes gemelos y la magia de la canción, will be published in spring 2025.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Sonia Sánchez. Each year, Grandma makes tamales to sell so she can make Christmas magical for her familia. "With masa in one hand, corn husks in the other, Grandma's just getting started...Grandma is tenacious...Grandma's at it again," etc. Punctuated with this changing refrain, Briseño's inspiring text, from the point of view of a grandchild, is full of awe for this impressive matriarch. The pages count the tamales that Grandma makes -- in dozens -- all the way to "1,000 dozen tamales!" Sánchez's expressive pastel-style illustrations, rendered digitally with handmade brushes and textures, perfectly capture a loving and boisterous family who are happiest when they're together. Concurrently published in Spanish a Tamales para Navidad.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rosa Ibarra. A richly illustrated picture-book biography of Puerto Rico's first female mayor, Felisa Rincon de Gautier (1897–1994), with a lively text. As a tropical storm batters San Juan at the start of the book, the fearful residents seek refuge in the 4home of their trusted local hero, lovingly called Doña Fela. Born to a wealthy family, she recognized the social inequities in Puerto Rico from an early age, particularly those faced by Black Puerto Ricans and jibaros (farmworkers). Despite the gender restrictions of the time, which initially prevented her from voting or holding office, she maintained a strong commitment to helping the less privileged, from small acts such as providing coffee and bread to farmworkers to eventually cofounding a political party on the island. Her achievements as mayor included affordable housing, cleaner streets, and establishing the first preschools in the city. Boldly colored oil-paint illustrations admiringly portray Fela, her fellow Puerto Ricans, and the island itself. Fela is depicted in bright-colored clothing with a flower in her hair, helping readers follow her across spreads as the book moves from her youth into her later years. Back matter includes a glossary of Spanish terms, an author's note providing further context and discussing Fela's lasting influence on Puerto Rican women in politics, and an artist's note describing her personal connection to the subject. A Spanish paperback edition will be published in October.

Reviewer: Jessica Agudelo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) YA Inspired by the author's own immigrant experience, this contemporary-set graphic novel centers Lia, a middle schooler whose family relocates from Romania to Canada. Enrolled in a "welcome class" to learn French with other non-native speakers, Lia struggles to adjust to her new life in Montreal. She grapples with homesickness, difficulties in connecting with classmates, and excruciating menstrual cramps. Her love for art offers a reprieve, and as Lia perseveres, she finds joy through reading her favorite fantasy series, listening to a beloved musical artist, and joining the school's magazine committee as an illustrator. Lia finds a supportive friend group as she turns thirteen and winter break approaches. She faces stressors -- including school, a crush, and a misunderstanding-fueled fight with a friend -- with growing self-confidence. Creative panel work adds depth to the eye-catching visual narrative, which features trendy fashions and uses tropes reminiscent of manga. Exaggerated, humorous forms depict Lia's big feelings. Vibrantly colored emanata enhance characters' reactions, and technological elements (text messages, video calls, and memes) are seamlessly integrated into the slice-of-life story. The art also clearly indicates languages spoken, as well as dialogue the protagonist does not comprehend. The middle-school friendship drama rings true, with flawed, endearing characters; some unresolved plot points hint at a sequel.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) YA In a graphic memoir set in 1993, thirteen-year-old Chinese Canadian Ruth is apprehensive about her family's upcoming move from Toronto to Hong Kong. While her parents are thrilled (her mother is returning home after thirty years), Ruth loves her life in Toronto and doesn't want to leave. Her father tries to reassure her, telling her that "it's okay to be nervous about change and the unknown. Just remember that you'll be okay. The unknown is simply a part of life." But adjusting to the move is difficult. Ruth feels alienated from her extended family, struggling to communicate in Cantonese and often breaching Chinese etiquette. When a new friend begins ignoring her and her father's job takes him away from the family during the week, Ruth's emotions erupt over a double-page panel. She finds understanding when her mother shares her immigration story and when her father acknowledges her difficulties. Showing the courage, perseverance, and patience of her ancestors, Ruth gains confidence in herself and learns to thrive in her new home. Ruth's emotional world is active and relatable, and she is depicted with a range of facial expressions. Panels set in 1993 are shown in a soft, neutral color palette and reflect the bustle of her modern-day life in Hong Kong; flashbacks to her parents' stories are sepia-toned, evoking nostalgia about villages and farms. Sincere and engaging, Chen's memoir explores themes of cross-cultural family dynamics and finding a place to belong through human connection.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) YA After Shiloh receives a box of clay as a bar mitzvah present, he and his younger sister, Faye, meet their estranged grandfather, who sent it, for the first time. The siblings learn that, on their father's side, they are part of a lineage that can create golems: "human figure[s] formed from clay and brought to life with the Hebrew alphabet." While visiting their grandfather's apartment to practice harnessing this power, they encounter in dreams their ancestors' traumatic stories of antisemitism and oppression at various points in history. (These dreams include strong descriptions of cruelty and death that make this book best suited for readers who can handle realistic violence.) What they learn about their past sheds light on the present day as they grapple with contemporary antisemitism. In addition to the historical Jewish golemcrafters they meet, Shiloh and Faye also face questions of identity that arise from their Japanese ancestors on their mother's side. This memorable story takes a strong stance against victim-blaming in favor of defending oneself and one's beliefs. Caring familial relationships are centered, and while sibling rivalry is a factor in their dynamic (Faye has more golemcrafting power than Shiloh), the two love and support each other above all.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Chris Riddell. Quick, lyrical prose, an ear for the music of words, and an affection for Britain's medieval past characterize much of Crossley-Holland's work. He brings it all into play in this "wonder-journey" first recorded in Old English by King Alfred in the ninth century. At home in his busy hall in Winchester, Alfred is an eager pupil, learning Latin so he can translate books into the language of his people and record their stories too. Then Wulfstan shows up and tells Alfred's court a strange tale. Shipwrecked with his "salt-friends," he was rescued by a people whose ways were very different: they drank only mares' milk and mead -- never ale. Imagine Wulfstan's even greater astonishment when their headman died and was packed with ice -- remaining in an ice coffin for a month while friends and family "kept him company" before setting him on his funeral pyre. Such unfamiliar rites are wonders in themselves, and Crossley-Holland vividly evokes the suspense of strangeness in Wulfstan's tale. With deft, pliable sentences, neatly embedded Old English poetic language (wonder-journey, bone-house), and a subtle orality of tone, Crossley-Holland makes Alfred's pursuits and the performance of Wulfstan's tale entrancing. The text's font, with its pen-on-parchment effect, quietly implies the temporal distance, as do Riddell's monochromatic images: pale browns for Alfred's court; fantastical, haunting blues for Wulfstan's tale. Yet the otherworldliness of the past is immersive in Riddell's double-page spreads, which draw us right into Alfred's hall or the pending weight of a colossal wave. An author's note contextualizes King Alfred's rule and literary legacy.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gardiner Kate. When Francis's family plants Gaawaandagoonce ("little spruce" in Ojibwemowin) in her grandmother's garden located alongside Gichigamiing (Lake Superior), the tree and baby Francis are almost the same height. The two grow together: "While Francis learned to walk on two little feet, the spruce tree walked in her own way -- stretching her roots out into the ground, where they talked to roots of other trees." Grandma knows that "trees, like people, are stronger together," which is why Gaawaandagoonce was planted near older spruces. Drouillard's inviting text naturally weaves information about trees' root systems and species' interconnectedness into a story about adjusting to change. When Francis's grandparents eventually need to move from their Grand Portage home, the family brings the little spruce to Francis's aunt's house. They carefully and lovingly transplant the tree, but acclimating is tough. Slowly, she connects with the other spruces and begins to feel at home again. Children who have had to move to a new place will relate to Francis and Little Spruce. The gouache and colored-pencil drawings' limited palette is a good match for the text's contemplative tone. An author's note explains that the story is based on a real spruce tree, and Drouillard discusses the importance of land and the significance of its loss for the Ojibwe people. Two Anishinaabe uses for white spruce and a glossary of the Ojibwemowin words included in the story are also appended.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Summer is excited for her annual visit to her maternal grandparents and extended family on a Cree reservation in Canada. After crossing the border, Summer falls asleep in the car and dreams that she is a young Cree girl trying to escape a residential school. Shortly after she wakes up, she and her mother pass the residential school the government once forced her mosom (grandfather) to attend. The strange dreams continue while she's on the rez; Summer learns that the young Cree girl's name is Buffalo Dreamer, but the school calls her Mary. When Summer tells her cousin Autumn about her dreams, the two decide to investigate what became of Buffalo Dreamer. Along with providing a glimpse into life on a Cree reservation today, Duncan's middle grade friendly narrative introduces readers to the devastating impact of residential schools. For example, readers learn that Mosom had to learn Cree customs from his wife because the school prohibited him from engaging in them. The chapters that follow Buffalo Dreamer reveal the dangers of trying to escape from the school. An author's note adds personal context; a glossary (unseen) is appended.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024