(2) K-3 Illustrated by Olivia Sua. "Water days are busy days, grateful, laughing, thirsty days." A young girl tells of her Cuban neighborhood's experience of the "water man's" once-every-five-days visit to deliver water for all the residents' needs. Engle's narrator shares all parts of the process breezily, from the lyrical way Bisabuelita talks to her fruit trees, telling them "she'll soon get their toes wet," to less pleasant realities like having to wait "to flush the stinky toilet. Ick." The "fish lady" bikes into town next and lets the girl add mosquito larvae–eating fish to the family's water supply, helping to prevent the spread of disease. Sua's painted cut-paper illustrations in a rich pastel color palette are as inviting as the girl's cheerful voice, which grows somber when recounting Bisabuelita's memories about how the neighborhood's water has dried up since she was young. The book culminates with an image of the family using their replenished water and a line that sums up how this tightly knit group views water day: "a river of joy that flows for my whole thirsty familia." Back matter includes an author's note about Engle's inspiration for the story, as well as information on the global water crisis and mosquitofish.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(2) 4-6 In this spooky fantasy, Annie finds a book of folktales from Litvania, her parents' homeland, and begins reading magical stories filled with clever girls and menacing beasts. For her tenth birthday, Annie's father gives her paper on which she is supposed to write her bad thoughts and actions and then feed the paper to the nuodeema burna, or the sin-eater, under the floorboards of her father's study. Once she begins participating in this Litvanian tradition, she ceases to grow, and the rats that have been plaguing the neighborhood get bolder still. Sinister family secrets, such as a never-aging father and a mother who'd mysteriously disappeared, come to the surface with the hordes of vermin that take to the town. Annie must restore order to her community--and all of Litvania as well. Her adventures are bound to find an eager audience in readers who value determination and moral fortitude in the face of an increasingly confusing grown-up world.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(3) 4-6 Edison Beaker has his trusty flashlight to protect him from monsters, and he's going to need it when he and little sister Tesla stumble into the Underwhere, another world filled with monsters. This colorful graphic novel borrows heavily from Ghostbusters but features enough kid pleasing humor ("'He said underwear' giggle chortle") and a protagonist so charismatic that the familiar premise can be forgiven.

Reviewer: Jessica Costello

(3) YA Ten chapters urge readers to expand their food choices to help ameliorate the interrelated issues of climate change and global hunger. Suggestions--most already enjoyed by humans in many parts of the world--include protein-rich, sustainably raised insects (crickets, grubs); local wild plants and "weeds" (dandelions, kudzu); and invasive animal species (periwinkles, nutria). Full-color photos, recipes, nutritional charts, and "grow your own grubs" instructions are included. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 With lively narrative writing and wonderfully detailed, painterly digital illustrations, Thornhill tells a meticulously researched history of the lowly grain-loving house sparrow, considered an agricultural nuisance since ancient times. Although its numbers have fallen, the bird has continually adapted to conditions on every continent except Antarctica. Appended with an origin and distribution map, life cycle chart, and a list of similarly adaptable animals. Websites. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Laugh Reader series. In the first two entries of this high-energy, giggle-inducing beginning-reader series, a ragtag group of animals tries to stop a nuisance in the garden (Pest) and figure out what is after them (Chasing). Bold words in the text and speech balloons helpfully emphasize inflection when reading. Digital illustrations with thick lines and bright colors are expressive and funny. Review covers these Ready-to-Laugh Reader titles: There's a Pest in the Garden! and What Is Chasing Duck?

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by David Anderson. Caricatures illustrate this examination of some underappreciated or feared animals. In lively prose, scientific facts--the good, the bad, and the ugly--about rats, cockroaches, snakes, leeches, and even rabbits are juxtaposed with humor to make readers reevaluate their perspectives, broaden understanding of these creatures' environmental niches, and illuminate complex questions about their value. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) 4-6 This title discusses the behaviors of blood-feeding species as well as their role in the world; a final chapter covers prevention and removal techniques for the animals that prey on humans. The book is thorough, but dense, small-print text and sophisticated language may pose a challenge for the audience. The eye-catching color photographs unfortunately don't indicate scale. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) 4-6 Zoom In On... series. From crime scene evidence and unusual insects to the creatures that live in our homes and on our bodies, scientists use microscopes to identify and better understand the world invisible to the unaided eye. Close-up photographs and insets combine with a simple, accessible text to provide a detailed if busy perspective on what the eye cannot see. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Zoom in on... titles: Bizarre Bugs, Crime Scenes, Body Invaders, and House of Horrors.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(2) 4-6 Eric is restless and mopey at the beginning of Christmas break, but a challenge presents itself in the form of an exterminator, Anjela Gabrail, who seems to have a mission to wage all-out war on a rat in Eric's basement. The mood is dark, intensified by the determined cheer of the season, and the writing is punchy and suspenseful as Eric joins Anje in the mission, and, eventually, tries to thwart it when his sympathies come to lie with the rat.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2000