(2) YA Desert and rural landscapes from the U.S. Southwest serve as the backdrop to the coming-of-age stories of two childhood friends. High school senior Magdalena "Mags" Herrera, who lives with her abuela, is in a secret relationship with a girl at school. Mags is afflicted by grief, guilt, and uncertainty for a variety of reasons, and when her childhood friend Nessa, who is trans, comes back to their small town, it stirs up a rollercoaster of emotions. As the two friends spend time together, they uncover repressed memories, including a friend's death. A mysterious creature that lives in Mags and Abuela's basement brings mythical elements to the narrative and connects to family and personal secrets. The illustrations in this graphic novel effectively shift between black-and-white for the present story and color to represent childhood memories. Although Mags's heritage isn't specifically named, the incorporation of Spanish language (with occasional errors and, at times, an overly formal tone), settings, names, and motifs indicates a Latinx Catholic household. Strengths of the novel include the fully fleshed-out queer characters as well as the depiction of their internal and external battles as Mags and Nessa release their respective hurts and discover their real selves. An author's note, with images, reflects on Ostertag's process.

Reviewer: Sujei Lugo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Vicki Trego Hill. American Southwest storyteller Hayes retells ten folktales (five new and five from the original 1994 edition) with straightforward, often funny text in both English and Spanish. In these tales, women's cunning saves the day from people with unsavory intentions or unfortunate habits. Soft, realistic black-and-white illustrations, some new and some reused from the previous edition, open the stories. Back matter includes notes about the origins of each tale.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(4) 4-6 Native American Oral Histories series. Each book provides information about the Native American tribes of the region, retells several traditional stories, and quotes contemporary Native storytellers discussing the tradition. Color photos and maps break up the accessible texts; researchers may find the writing prompts and links in this Common Core–focused series distracting. There are four other fall 2017 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Native American Oral Histories titles: Traditional Stories of the Southwest Nations, Traditional Stories of the Great Basin and Plateau Nations, Traditional Stories of the Arctic and Subarctic Nations, and Traditional Stories of the Northeast Nations.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) 4-6 Exploring America's Regions series. This pleasantly written and up-to-date series of guidebooks provides brief overviews of each titular U.S. region, followed by concise chapters on history, landmarks, wildlife, industry, and people and culture (including Native peoples). Features throughout the texts offer further resources, critical thinking questions, and engagement with primary source quotes. Photos and maps enhance the information. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Exploring America's Regions titles: Exploring New England, Exploring the Mid-Atlantic, Exploring the Midwest, Exploring the Southwest, Exploring the South, and Exploring the West.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) YA In a post-apocalyptic Southwest United States, lovers Sarah Jac and James are on the run after a farming accident is mistaken for murder. Pretending to be cousins, the pair hopes to find refuge on a supposedly cursed Texas ranch. At once lyrical and gritty, this magical-realism-flavored dystopian novel loses momentum once the central romance fizzles.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Antonio Castro L.. Only beans grow on the poor Hayes family's farm, so they eat nothing but. When the father buys a large hambone, it's used repeatedly by the family and their neighbors to flavor their beans, and it comes in handy when Grandpa loses his teeth in the well. Caricature illustrations (somewhat garishly) play up the humor in this homey, Southwest-flavored tall tale.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 North American Indian Nations series. These titles introduce Native American peoples living in each geographic area, discussing traditional way of life, spirituality, arts, changes after European influences, and modern times; each concludes with notable Native Americans from the region. The broad texts, covering many native nations within each book, are fractured in their focus but illustrated with helpful maps, photos, and tables. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers the following North American Indian Nations titles: Native Peoples of the Great Basin, Native Peoples of the Plateau, Native Peoples of the Arctic, Native Peoples of the Subarctic, Native Peoples of California, Native Peoples of the Plains, Native Peoples of the Southwest, and Native Peoples of the Northeast.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) 4-6 Fact Finders: United States by Region series. This series looks at regions of the United States; in each book, four brief but efficient chapters cover people, history, land, climate, daily life, economy, culture, and recreation. Although the topic is broad, teachers and mid-elementary students will welcome the zoomed-out perspective. A clean design of well-captioned photographs, fact boxes, and integrated glossary definitions further the series' appeal. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Fact Finders: United States by Region titles: People and Places of the Northeast and People and Places of the Southwest.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) YA Odysseys in Nature series. Illustrated with glossy, artistic photos, each slim volume features a continuous, sequential narrative of a food chain, beginning with a producer (plant) and moving through varied predators. For example, Prairie starts with bluestem grass and progresses through the differential grasshopper, prairie shrew, bull snake, and badger. Whole-page inserts about other species, such as the red-tailed hawk, somewhat interrupt the narrative flow. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Odysseys in Nature titles: A Desert Food Chain, A Mountain Food Chain, A Prairie Food Chain, A Rainforest Food Chain, An Arctic Tundra Food Chain, and An Ocean Food Chain.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 Left at a gas station by their unstable father, sisters Liberty, twelve, and Billie, eight, try to hide their lack of a guardian as they move through the Southwest; interspersed flashbacks reveal details of their backstory. Liberty is strongly characterized by her unwavering sense of responsibility, and her smart survival strategies should keep pages turning (even if her end goal is vague).

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Antonio Castro L.. After Joe rescues a trapped rattler, the snake follows him home. Joe's dad tries to get rid of the dangerous animal, but it keeps coming back. The ending twist may leave kids feeling let down, but the narration's tall-tale feel (though awkward at times) makes the story a suitable read-aloud. The earth-toned, realistic illustrations emphasize the beauty of the Southwestern desert.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) K-3 Little Burro reluctantly follows her band of wild burros away from her favorite rock to a lake, which soon becomes her "other favorite place." Inspired by a real experience (delineated in the author's note), naturalist and artist Arnosky infuses his appreciation for the natural world into the gentle story. Imbued with desert warmth, illustrations with simple borders picture hummingbirds, wild cactus, lizards, and rocky ledges.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Dupré Buckner. This book chronicles the nineteenth-century experiment of using camels to transport army supplies from Texas to California. Fisher relates the camels' journeys from North Africa to Texas, their reception by the public, and their trips westward. Full-page illustrations--some static, some with compelling perspectives--accompany the interesting but awkwardly written text. The author's note offers additional background information and historical context.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Photographs by Jan Sonnenmair. This book invites readers to experience a Navajo Nation rodeo. While focusing on adult competitions (bronco riding, steer wrestling, etc.), Flood doesn't ignore the roles children play. Double-page spreads feature some combination of free-verse poems, narrative accounts of events, and snippets of the announcer's dialogue: "Ladies and gents, give a big warm welcome to our youngest competitors." Well-chosen photographs accompany the readable text. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(2) K-3 In Pinkney's brilliantly illustrated, nearly wordless Aesop fable, Tortoise's plodding journey across a desert landscape shows a host of critters native to the American Southwest cheering him on. The richly detailed pictures are lively and humorous, but what makes this retelling particularly ingenious is Pinkney's use of the "slow-and-steady" moral in a cumulative progression, both to recount the action and provide dramatic tension.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Harrington. This picture book puts a southwestern spin on the classic Chicken Little tale. "¡Aye Chihuahua! What was that?" exclaims Chacalaca Chiquita when a pebble falls on her head. Both the text and the colorful art are amusing, if a little slick, and will entertain readers right through to the final joke. Appended is a glossary of Spanish words used in the text.

Reviewer: Belinda Arrendondo

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Dan Burr. This compilation of twenty-two poems presents a clear image of cowboy life by touching on issues such as branding, the bunkhouse, stampedes, and cattle drives. The free verse, written in country vernacular, is rhythmic and filled with genuine-feeling details. Burr's digital paintings create a rugged southwestern setting of hardship, toil, and beauty. An addendum on cowboy history extends the offering.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Fun and Simple State Crafts series. In each book, two craft projects per state are preceded by a chart providing facts about that state (capital city, state bird, flower, etc.) in addition to explanations of the craft's sometimes oblique connection to the state. The projects, though fairly easy to follow, are unexciting: refrigerator magnets, mobiles, flags, pencil holders. Reduced-sized patterns for a few of the crafts are appended. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Fun and Simple State Crafts titles: Fun and Simple Great Lakes State Crafts, Fun and Simple Midwestern State Crafts, Fun and Simple Pacific West State Crafts, Fun and Simple Southwestern State Crafts, and Fun and Simple Western State Crafts.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) YA This volume celebrates Howell's famous images of the people and landscapes of the Southwest, and his ability to observe "the world around him with a child's fresh eyes." The text leans toward being overly sentimental but is grounded in research and French's conversations with Howell before his death in 1997. Young readers will respond to the mystical, symbolic, and vibrant paintings. Ind.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(4) YA After her little brother is murdered by Mexican soldiers, fourteen-year-old Siki decides to follow the path toward becoming an Apache Indian warrior. Her actions bring revenge but not peace as she struggles to understand violence, love, loyalty, and the mystery of her identity. Though its historical and cultural accuracy are suspect, the story itself is compelling. Bib.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot