(2) PS Though signs on the opening page foreshadow drama, the narrator's description of events stays obliviously deadpan: "This is Mom. This is Mom's precious little baby. They are in the park together for some good, safe fun." By the page-turn, the baby has crawled away from distracted Mom, found a skateboard, and taken off on her own. With the cumulative energy of the Gingerbread Man, Skater Baby races through the park collecting objects: an umbrella from a picnicking couple, a dog from a dog-walker, a treat from an ice-cream seller, and more. Colorful cartoon art (in tidily patterned panels--at first) shows each object's owner joining the chase until there's quite a crowd in pursuit of Skater Baby and the lost items--always with Mom trailing behind, adding new terms of endearment to her ever-growing list: "My itty-bitty, lovey-dovey, teeny-weeny, honey bunny, cutie patootie, sweetie pie!" Meanwhile, the baby is headed straight for the skate park ("Skater Baby is totally rad") and the Mega Ramp. Things look like they could end badly, but a subsequent vertically oriented spread shows the baby coming "back down to solid ground" safely. Not for long! While everyone poses for a celebratory selfie, Skater Baby heads for her next adventure. The buildable details and exaggerated antics lend themselves well to sharing aloud one-on-one or with a group.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. Beginning with a title that introduces both Frederick Law Olmsted's work and the book's main idea, Partridge (Boots on the Ground, rev. 3/18) gives young readers a focused biography that shows not only what Olmsted accomplished--he designed and executed the completion of numerous parks, from Central Park to the U.S. Capitol grounds--but also what stirred him to do so. Deliberately, but never with a heavy hand, she fleshes out these accomplishments with the private motivations that gave his public work meaning. For example, readers see Olmsted as a restless boy who found joy in nature and a young activist who wanted to improve the lives of others, steady in his conviction that the land was the province of all Americans, no matter their backgrounds. Although his beliefs were altruistic, the execution of them was not always so, as his labors displaced African Americans and Native Americans in Central Park and Yosemite, respectively. (Partridge mentions both in the main narrative and elaborates on them in the back matter.) Stadtlander's (Fearless World Traveler, rev. 9/21) watercolor and gouache illustrations invoke folk art, underscoring the main idea that these parks are "for the people." Double-page spreads allow an emphasis on landscapes. Back matter includes a timeline of ­Olmsted's life in context with historical events; documentation; and a bibliography. In a concluding note, Partridge shares her experiences in two of her subject's parks, reminding readers that these green spaces still exist, for us all, over a century after they were first created.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Louis tells his grandma that he wants a dog. When she replies that there are already enough dogs in the neighborhood, Louis goes door to door to get a record of how many. As a result, he doesn't get just a tally of the dogs; he also gets to know his neighbors--Mr. Pierce, whose dog Harvey "will always live in my heart"; a blind woman with a guide dog; and many more (including a surprise appearance by Sadie from Stead and Cordell's Special Delivery, rev. 3/15). Meanwhile, in a subplot told only in the pictures, civic-minded Grandma rolls up her sleeves and establishes a dog park in a previously neglected part of town, City Hall clearly having given her an unsatisfactory response to the letter we saw her typing. As she tells Louis, "Sometimes if you want something done you've just got to do it yourself." Cordell brings to the page a vivid cast of characters as Louis canvasses the neighborhood. His shaggy, loose-lined illustrations in warm pastels are detailed and filled with humor. (The man who owns a dog named E. B. looks a lot like the Charlotte's Web author.) Stead creates an indelible character in Grandma, who is fierce, determined, and kind, and he leaves plenty of room in his lively text for Cordell to add layer upon layer to this already nuanced tale--one that ends sweetly, in more ways than one.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) K-3 Fox Tails series. In this lighthearted and lively early reader series, anthropomorphized Fox siblings Fritz and Franny's everyday experiences are depicted with imagination and playfulness. In Roller Coaster, the kids visit a (pinecone-themed) amusement park in search of the perfect ride. When they line up for "The Big One"--a huge looping coaster--their fears get the best of them, but they ultimately find a just-right amusement (for themselves and pet dog Fred). Bunk Bed finds the kids arguing at bedtime over which bunk is best before opting to snuggle together--in Fred's bed. In each title, the events of three short chapters come together to make one cohesive story arc. Straightforward and usefully repetitive dialogue is presented via speech balloons that have plenty of white space and color-coded outlines for each character. Prepositions and opposites (over and under, above and below) scaffold beginning readers' understanding of new words, and keep the books moving at a zippy pace. Vibrant-hued illustrations with thick black outlines complement the mood of the humorous tales. Back matter includes instructions from Kügler on how to draw one of the characters and a "What's Your Story?" comprehension and activities section. Review covers these Fox Tails titles: The Biggest Roller Coaster and The Great Bunk Bed Battle.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. On August 28, 1963, as Dr. King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington, Sharon Langley became the first black child to ride the carousel at a previously segregated amusement park near Baltimore. Dialogue keeps the story personal in this well-paced, engaging autobiography. Cooper's warm, vintage-style art homes in on faces and, of course, the colorful carousel. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. Marjory Stoneman Douglas, journalist and fierce champion of Florida's natural environment, spent her long life (1890–1998) advocating for the protection of the Everglades. ­Wallace's account begins with Douglas's brief childhood visit to sunny Florida with her father and her early life of books and nature in New England with her mother and aunt. In her own adulthood, divorced, Douglas arrives in Miami and takes a journalist position at the Miami Herald, the paper her father had started. Wallace's narrative incorporates relevant quotes from Douglas: "I wanted my own life in my own way." After service in the navy in WWI, Douglas returns to Florida and begins, with Ernest Coe, a campaign to designate the Everglades as a national park. Successes and obstacles ensue--"The Everglades is a test. If we pass it, we get to keep the planet"--set against Gibbon's illustrations of lush Florida landscapes filled with multitudes of birds, marsh grasses, people, and marine life, and contrasting images of ever-encroaching development. Douglas is unbowed, writing The Everglades: River of Grass and organizing the Friends of the Everglades. Though the biographical detail is selective, the back matter is useful for filling in blanks. Endnotes provides a timeline and background on Douglas, her conservation efforts, a field guide to Florida wildlife, and additional resources.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by William Goldsmith. This creatively rendered biography-in-comics, with Muir's imagined voice as narrator, is filled with the naturalist's adventures, from his childhood in Scotland to his pioneering conservation work and formation of America's National Parks. Illustrator Goldsmith's Muir is a feisty character, portrayed in loose pencil sketches with one or two accent colors. Vibrant spreads in the chapter transitions and interludes capture the stunning landscapes in which Muir found his purpose. Timeline. Glos.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA Lou Parker is a sarcastic, passionate teen with a summer job dressing as a hot dog at a rundown but beloved amusement park. Lou turns her enthusiasm into saving Magic Castle Playland from closing down, but relationship dramas among her park coworkers distract her. This is a pleasantly peppy rom-com populated with memorable characters and refreshingly nonchalant treatment of their varied evolving sexual identities.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Coyote and her father, Rodeo, travel the United States in a retrofitted school bus. Five years earlier, Coyote's mother and sisters were killed; now Rodeo refuses to talk about them. When Coyote learns a park where the family once buried a memory box will be demolished, she decides to retrieve the box--without letting Rodeo know that's why she wants to travel cross-country. Every mile inexorably brings Coyote closer to confronting her past, and its inevitable sadness, but Gemeinhart tempers her grief with triumphant growth.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) PS Pat looks like squirrel Cyril, but Pat's skinny pink tail (and rhymes-with name) reveals he's a less-beloved park rodent. Still, lonely Cyril sees "his new best friend" in Pat. The two do everything together--and annoy the other animals, who try to tell Cyril that his friend is a rat. Punchy and entertaining, with rhyming text and bright art, this boisterous but thoughtful look at friendship makes an enjoyable read-aloud.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by John Holyfield. In early-twentieth-century Birmingham, Alabama, fictional African American boy Frank can't visit Miss Fancy, a real-life circus elephant who retired to nearby Avondale Park: "NO COLORED ALLOWED." But then Miss Fancy--a known escape artist--takes herself on a chaotic, funny walk through Frank's neighborhood. Paintings are lush and supple, with Frank's emotions made poignant and clear. A window into the Jim Crow South and a compelling tale.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) K-3 I Like to Read series. An amiable yellow dog (from Geisel Honor–winning See Me Run) joins dogs chasing a tennis ball through a park. But then a beaver's tail and a bird start the ball (and the dogs) on an outlandish journey; a humorous circular ending returns the dogs to the park. Limited vocabulary, repetition, and clear clues in the lively watercolor illustrations give new readers support while also keeping them enormously entertained.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(3) K-3 First Facts: U.S. National Parks Field Guides series. These image-heavy volumes introduce young readers to major features of each national park, functioning as accessible travel guides. Engaging photographs accompany brief information about landmarks including geysers, canyons, and suspension bridges, along with brief overviews of wildlife and weather. Maps included. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these First Facts: U.S. National Parks Field Guides titles: Grand Canyon National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 First Facts: U.S. National Parks Field Guides series. These image-heavy volumes introduce young readers to major features of each national park, functioning as accessible travel guides. Engaging photographs accompany brief information about landmarks including geysers, canyons, and suspension bridges, along with brief overviews of wildlife and weather. Maps included. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these First Facts: U.S. National Parks Field Guides titles: Grand Canyon National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani. Young poetry-lover Sylvia writes a poem about spring and ties it to a birch tree. The next day in its place is a poem that Sylvia believes the tree wrote to her. When a school bully shows up at the park, the two discover that they've been writing to each other. Graphite-pencil and watercolor illustrations balance white space with pastel colors and provide subtle foreshadowing in this gentle tale.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(4) PS Illustrated by Brady Smith. One day at the park, a dad is fixated on his phone; "You're missing it!" his young son, surrounded by park excitement, yells more than once. What's it going to take to snap Dad out of it? Although the book's ending is lackluster, the put-down-your-phone message is solid. Fittingly, the cartoony, spring-toned art was created without digital interference.

Reviewer: Nell Beram