(2) 4-6 In this verse novel set in 1999, twelve-year-old Isabel Ligaya leaves her home in the Philippines to reunite with her mother in California. Mama immigrated to the U.S. five years ago to work as a nanny, and Isabel is eager to see her but nervous about leaving her grandparents, her friends, and her beloved sampaguita (jasmine) plant. Having grown up with grandparents who sell vegetables at the market, Isabel is familiar with tending a garden, but the transition to growing a life in the U.S. has challenges. She's self-conscious about her accent, finds making new friends daunting, and is disappointed that Mama spends most of her time looking for a job. Over the course of a year, Isabel discovers what can grow when one nourishes a seed with tenacity, love, and friendship. Respicio conveys Isabel's experience mostly through accessible free verse and narrative poetry, and includes acrostic, haiku, palindrome, tanaga (an indigenous form of Filipino poetry), and concrete poems. The novel brings light to unconventional family structures and hate crimes against Asian Americans elders. An author's note discusses the poetic forms and imagery, as well as the experiences of Asian Americans today.

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

(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

(3) K-3 Adapted by Amy Novesky. Illustrated by Genevieve Godbout. This picture book adaptation, more Disney than Travers, stands on its own as the Banks children enjoy dreamlike adventures with a very special nanny. They float through the air with Mary's uncle, watch the Corry family putting stars in the sky, and meet zoo animals that speak at night. Soft pastel and colored-pencil drawings have an ethereal quality that heightens the magic.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) 4-6 Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler. In this spirited conclusion to the series featuring upstanding governess Penelope Lumley and her "incorrigible" raised-by-wolves young charges, all identities are revealed, disguises thrown off, relationships explained, villains dispatched, and long-lost loved ones returned. The arch narration and tongue-in-cheek humor that characterized the previous five volumes will here carry readers through to the tidy and satisfying but forward-looking ending.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) K-3 This homage to P. L. Travers's Mary Poppins stories features Mary Poppins returning (via kite string) to Cherry Tree Lane to visit Jane and Michael Banks. They sightsee around London and enjoy magical nighttime adventures before she leaves again. The rhyming text is a bit forced; Druvert's stunningly intricate lasercuts that divide the black-and-white drawings on each spread are the true stars here.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) 4-6 Since Stanley's stay-at-home father died, his family (and their home) has been in shambles. The unexpected arrival of Mr. Gedrick, whose quirks recall those of Mary Poppins, inspires tidiness but also familial affection and fun. Although Stanley suspects magic is involved, Mr. Gedrick ultimately reveals a different kind of secret. With warmth and humor, Carman updates Travers's classic to the modern day.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans. When Jemima and little brother Jake meet diminutive babysitter Marge (size jokes abound), they are astonished to learn that she has rainbow-colored hair under her hat and creates (consequence-free) chaos wherever she goes. Written and illustrated with enthusiasm and energy, this fantasy about a wacky, messier Mary Poppins–type strains a bit too hard to convince us that breaking the rules is tons of fun.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer. Narrator Henry and his (hijab-wearing) nanny, Gulsa, go to the hospital to visit his grandmother. When Gulsa gets held up outside the building, Henry takes it upon himself to locate Grandma in the labyrinthine structure; along the way, he chats with workers and patients. This humane journey–cum–hospital tour is original picture-book terrain. Institutional colors dominate the expansive, ultra-clean-lined art.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Translated by Annira Silver. Illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen. A Finnish mother leaves her kids with a monster nanny during a spa retreat she's mysteriously won. As the resourceful and likable Hellman siblings investigate why all the neighborhood kids have likewise been left with monsters, they also learn to be open-minded to those who are different. Some of the fantasy details don't add up, but the mystery surrounding the monsters is well built.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Kris Easler. In this follow-up to The Day the Mustache Took Over, twins David and Nathan come face-to-face with who they think is Martin, the beloved mustachioed manny (male nanny) who previously tamed the rambunctious boys. But this is Myron, Martin's twin brother--or so he says. Zany adventures continue with the eccentric sitter(s) as the boys investigate this mysterious twist.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) YA Fiona's new job as a governess is complicated by her attraction to both the estate's young heir and the stable hand. Meanwhile, either she's made an enemy who wants her expelled or she's inherited her mother's mental illness. From curtains of fog to ghostly hauntings, Moore drapes this Scottish Highlands–set romance with plenty of gothic trappings; unfortunately, predictability trumps suspense in her plotting.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Kris Easler. Rambunctious twins David and Nathan have a talent for chasing away nannies. So when the next nanny is a bushy-mustached manny, who also lives "for TV, junk food, and jumping on the beds," the boys think they're in for a real treat. Fast-paced dialogue propels the silly adventures as the madcap babysitter transforms the boys.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Karen Donnelly. Nanny X, a Nanny Action Patrol agent, and her charges, Ali and Jake, haven't been given an assignment since their first adventure, and they're feeling stir-crazy. When the NAP calls upon them to catch the villain threatening the president, the gang sets out among DC landmarks, armed with a diaper bag full of gadgets. This is a strong, action-packed follow-up to Nanny X.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) 4-6 Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler. In this fifth installment, exemplary governess Penelope Lumley comes closer to solving the ongoing central mysteries, from curing the Ashton family curse to discovering the identities of her three raised-by-wolves charges. She also admits her love for Simon--and, in a cliffhanger ending, is exiled to Russia. Wood's narration is as cheeky as ever; the plot continues to be filled with humorously exaggerated incident.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) YA Seventeen-year-old Ren is spending the summer nannying for a family on Nantucket, far from her London home. It's a summer of danger (for the second year, a foreign nanny is murdered) and romance (Ren's torn between rich, charming Jeremy and bad boy Jesse and his "Abercrombie chest"). This addictive, Gossip Girl–esque read is full of secrets, parties, privilege, passion, and suspense.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Karen Donnelly. Siblings Alison and Jake discover that their new nanny is actually a special agent who works for NAP (Nanny Action Patrol). The kids are quickly drawn into solving a mystery to help exonerate a wrongly accused friend. Alison and Jake narrate this action-packed adventure told in alternating chapters.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Dan Santat. In this third Nanny Piggins novel, the porcine former-circus-performer-cum-caretaker leads her three (human) charges in ridiculous adventures such as mediating a dispute between a dissatisfied lion and her tyrannical tamer. The varied word choice and deadpan humor marks this as a solid read-aloud option. Spot- and full-page art illustrate memorable moments in each adventure. A chocolate soufflé recipe is appended.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mary Shepard. With a graceful introduction by Gregory Maguire about his meeting with Travers in the 1990s, this omnibus edition contains Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Comes Back, Mary Poppins Opens the Door, and Mary Poppins in the Park, all illustrated with Mary Shepard's original drawings. An excerpt from Travers's "On Not Writing for Children" is appended to the hefty but manageable volume.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) YA Escaping her dysfunctional family in Detroit to attend college in San Francisco and nanny for a wealthy family, Annie feels as though she's hit the jackpot. But as the Cohen matriarch becomes increasingly demanding and manipulative, Annie begins to question her own sanity. Annie is easy prey and displays little agency, but this tense psychological thriller is still satisfying.

Reviewer: Allison Cole

(3) 4-6 Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler. This fourth series entry finds plucky governess Penelope Lumley visiting her alma mater, the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, where trouble ensues and more of the mystery surrounding the Ashton family and Penelope's three orphaned, raised-by-wolves charges is revealed. As ever, the sprightly narration is the strongest feature, and fans will revel in the voice even as the plotting slows.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano