(2) PS Illustrated by Kate Hindley. Hindley brings a Richard Scarry vibe to Fitzgerald's zany bedtime frolic. From the start, the direct-address narrator breaks the book's titular promise: the "quickest bedtime story EVER" is "only ten words. BUT before we begin, listen up." Listeners join a cast of pajama-clad animals in a series of interactive bedtime-stalling antics. They pledge to go to bed at the end of the book, while grownups promise to use their best reading voices. Everyone warms up (aided by silly, near-page-filling text), stretches (rotating the book to achieve a full vertical extension), tucks in their toys (from biggest to smallest, in colors and patterns, or "even try out [their] own ideas"), practices careful page-turning, and so on. Finally it's time for the story, which sums up this delightful romp: "Once upon a bed, / you laughed, / and played, / and read." Colorfully cluttered illustrations offer myriad details, inviting repeat readings, encouraged by the book's closing words: "(Until tomorrow!)." In the final pages, Hindley's bright, wakeful colors give way to sleepy shades of blue, glowing from decorative string lights, and everyone -- well, almost everyone -- is sound asleep.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Robert Starling. Some stories encourage quiet listening, but books can also call for moving around and being silly. This latest I Am installment (I Am Happy; I Am Hungry) centers on a wide-eyed pink bunny with a lot of pent-up energy to release. "I am wriggly. REALLY wriggly. Wriggly, wriggly, wriggly." Spot art shows this energy building as the narrator begins to shimmy, tap its feet, and then start hopping. The activity ramps up from there. The creature wriggles its body and then starts adding toys, utensils, and furniture into the game. By the end, the combination of narrative action and increasingly colorful and lively mixed-media illustrations shows this bunny working itself into a frenzy of wriggles: "I can't stop wriggling, I can't stop giggling." The situation finally peaks, and the rabbit suddenly recognizes that it can stop when it wants and take a little rest. An opening "Note to Grown-Ups" encourages using this story to initiate play and explore language with children as a means for self-expression. From start to finish, the snappy text and large, bold art effortlessly facilitate audience participation through prompts for physical activity and verbal engagement. A smart choice for a wriggly toddler storytime or for anytime when releasing some extra wriggles might lead to better self-awareness and an expanded way to appreciate books.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) PS Sharing a cinnamon bun, watering a flower, gazing at the starry sky: these small happy moments and more make up the fabric of everyday love between children and caregivers in this appealing counting book. On each spread, a brightly painted numeral sits in the center of the verso, surrounded by delicately drawn, countable images (a single cinnamon bun, seven twinkling stars, etc.). On the opposite page, a rhyming couplet accompanies an engaging gouache and ink illustration; each vignette depicts a different child and grown-up pair absorbed in a gentle, playful interaction. The patterned text and warm, carefully composed imagery create a steady, cadenced movement from one to ten. In the final pages, before Schwartz reaches her finale -- "I love you...ten!" -- the nine children are reintroduced before they gather at the tenth child's home for a toddler party, where heart-shaped cookies are served. Adorable? Absolutely, but the late Schwartz's unfussy art style and keen eye for the tender, intimate scenes of a young child's life feel decidedly sweet rather than saccharine. This simple read is ideal for sharing in a lap with the youngest readers and pre-readers -- especially fans of Karen Katz or Meyers and Frazee's Everywhere Babies (rev. 5/01).

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) PS Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. In this rhythmic picture book, Oliver McSnow finds himself stuck in a cycle of contrariness. He answers "NO!" to tedious requests such as cleaning up and brushing his teeth but also "NO!" to treats including ice cream, pizza, and popsicles. "His NO! became so strong...there was no way to stop it." Bright cartoon digital and pencil illustrations capitalize on the self-imposed drama of the situation, ramping up humor on every page. The impacts of small Oliver's strength of will play out in the funny details of his environment and the exaggerated expressions of those around him. All this negativity eventually starts to wear on Oliver too; though he grows more tired, grouchy, and smelly as the story bounces on, he seems unable to turn the situation around. Mercifully, cousin Jess comes over to play, and Jess likes to say "YES!" as much as Oliver likes to say "NO!" Jess brings Oliver along for a whole day of "YES!" and Oliver gains much-needed perspective on what he has been missing. The engaging and silly details of the text and art help offset the forcefulness of the lesson being presented. Endpapers that start the story with a barrage of red "NO!"s wrap things up hopefully by sneaking one striking green "YES!" into the template.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) PS Illustrated by Charlotte Voake. A grandmother and toddler grandchild spend a day on a stormy beach sharing the classic seashore pleasures of dodging waves, challenging the wind, watching birds, gathering seaweed, greeting dogs, and sorting shells. Hesse's rhythmic text in rhyming couplets avoids sounding singsongy with thoughtful punctuation and page design. The first line summarizes the whole story: "Granny and Bean went walking one day / in the sand, by the sea, with the sky all gray." This plainspoken text provides a foundation for Voake's atmospheric mixed-media illustrations in which the interplay of gray and white in sky, sea, shadow, and rain is celebrated. Against this dynamic, impressionistic background, Granny and Bean, in glowing primary block colors, are sturdy and joyful. Granny's bright yellow slicker tells us much of what we need to know about her. A curlew and beach grass on dunes suggest a specific location, but the relationship between a small child and an adult who has the time and patience to wander, who doesn't mind wet feet, and who provides a sustaining snack at just the right moment feels universal. A fine addition to "going for a walk with a grandparent" stories.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rowboat Watkins. Over-the-top writing meets equally over-the-top illustrations in this tongue-in-cheek tale featuring "the tiniest king...Cedric, King ME the First" (a possible relative of Lloyd-Jones's His Royal Highness, King Baby, rev. 11/17). From his absurd handlebar mustache to his delusions of grandeur, the self-absorbed and self-conscious Tiny Cedric is more cartoonish caricature than credible royal. To make himself feel "all big and tall, and NOT SMALL," Tiny Cedric banishes from the palace everyone taller than himself. His brash action leaves the tiny tyrant without adult workers--and with a castle full of babies. Hilarity ensues across a series of spot-art sequences after Tiny Cedric hires the little ones, culminating in an impressively chaotic spread featuring a botched rescue by the "Baby Fire Brigade." Not until Tiny Cedric is forced to perform a few simple caring acts for the babies does he see past his own insecurities and open his heart to others. The mixed-media illustrations have a handmade, tactile quality, featuring colorful watercolor washes and a pleasing, wobbly pencil line. Additional storytelling is packed into the highly detailed illustrations--from sardonic articles seen in Tiny Cedric's personal newspaper (The Daily Me) to a meta-cameo of this very book in the bedtime-story pile. While a modern political analog to Tiny Cedric may be obvious to more savvy readers, the overall message of general fairness and mutual respect, delivered through humor and whimsy, remains timeless.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) PS Illustrated by Dan & Jason. Tiny Spoon has always helped Baby eat solid food until the morning a new utensil emerges from the next kitchen drawer. "The name's Little Fork. The job? Feed the baby." Baby may be ready "to BITE! And CHOMP!" but Tiny Spoon isn't going down without a fight. Spoon and fork trade barbs ("I'd like to see you try and twirl spaghetti!" "I'd like to see what you would do with chicken soup!") until Baby pads into the kitchen ready for breakfast. "The moment of truth has arrived." Who will Baby choose? Baby grabs both utensils, lifts them up, and--very on-brand for toddlers--throws them on the floor. The two utensils call a truce and work together to get back up on the highchair tray, where they find they're both useful in their own ways (oatmeal! scrambled eggs!). Easy-to-follow digital comic-style panel illustrations work with the all-dialogue text to amp up the humor, convey action and emotion, and help advance the plot. All the characters, from the kitchen clock to the cutlery to Baby and Baby's chipper stuffed bunny, are engagingly expressive. Silly fun with a side helping of the benefits of cooperation.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) PS Illustrated by Polly Dunbar. This collection of poetry for the very young opens with a note to adults: children need to explore the sounds of language, and readers-aloud of these poems should feel free to "repeat things, or change things...or anything else." The playful poems that follow lend themselves to experimentation. Arranged in order of a child's day, Rosen's poems are full of sound effects and not-quite-nonsense words ("Here come my floppy shoes / flip flap flappety flap / Here come my clippy shoes / trip trap trappety trap"). In Dunbar's digitally finished ink and watercolor illustrations, assorted members of a preschool-aged friend-group march, dance, and spaghetti-slurp their way across the pages--often in vignettes, but even the full-bleed double-page spreads keep backgrounds spare enough to highlight the kids. Don't be surprised if these poems' easily memorized and malleable short lines ("Bibble, bobble, bubble / dibble dobble double... / You can't catch the bubble, / The bubble can't catch me") become household refrains.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(1) PS Opening on a morning scene of autumnal domestic bliss, a large, bathrobe-clad bear holding a steaming mug looks out the window at falling leaves. "Sweaters ON!" the bear declares to a roomful of ­pajama-­wearing cubs, and the story takes off. Wrangling seven small bears into sweaters is no easy feat, and the gloriously chaotic effort goes on for several pages, punctuated by brief, lively speech bubbles (the book's only text, and all it needs). Phelan's (You Are My Friend, rev. 11/19; Turtle Walk, rev. 1/21) soft, colorful art, created with pencil, ink, and watercolor, amplifies the coziness of all the bears and their clothing. The littlest cub, who is perhaps the most enthusiastic, manages to unravel its green sweater completely. Finally, six bear cubs are dressed; the littlest one is stuffed into a large stocking cap that the large bear has been knitting; and out everyone goes into...the night. The humor of the ending is just right, as is the large bear's last directive--"Pajamas ON!"--leading to the story's natural evolution into a bedtime book. This tribute to the realities of parenting small children (and bears) revels in the humor and joy that can be found when the ­best-laid plans go awry.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo. This book's "old dog" prefers to take things slow, but the arrival of a new baby has sped up his family's life to "fast fast fast!" His daily walks are now rushed, leaving no time for smelling the grass or searching for just the right rock. Dozing in a sliver of sunlight, old dog dreams of bygone days when there was time for long walks and "balls and lakes and fields." He wistfully yearns for a friend to join him for afternoon ambles and impromptu leaps into leaf piles. A particularly poignant double-page spread shows old dog hanging his head and tail ("His heart thumps. His tail does not") in loneliness. But then a new pair of feet hits the ground and toddles over. Old dog and small girl become fast friends, and together they roll down grassy hills, jump in leaves, hunt for the perfect rock, and fall asleep next to each other in the "soft gold room." The illustrations, which combine brisk pen-and-ink lines with soft watercolors, convey the weariness of old dog, the contagious energy of small girl, and the tender bond they share in this cheerful and touching story of unexpected companionship and the value of an unhurried life.

Reviewer: Emmie Stuart | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(2) PS Illustrated by AG Ford. Chronicling the nighttime routine of a family, Brown has penned a bedtime story that is immediately warm and relatable for families with young children. We follow an Afro-Latinx couple as they finish their day with their little one and entreat him to "Look, mi hijo, at the sun / Setting now that day is done / Moonlight's breaking, night's begun / Come, my sweet brown baby." Activities include cooking dinner while their "noisy rowdy baby" bangs on pots and pans, dinnertime during which the "independent baby" attempts to feed himself, bath time with a "silly splashy baby," and a bedtime blessing of "Buenas noches, baby." Double-page spreads portray the family dynamic: the mischievous grin between father and son during prayer time, the warm family hug as the parents dry baby off after a bath. While the facial expressions of the mother and father remain mostly peaceful and calm, illustrator Ford captures the toddler's changing emotions as he goes through his nighttime routine. With the rhythmic text and engaging illustrations, here's a book that could become part of yours.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) PS This follow-up to Mad, Mad Bear! shows the ups, downs, and all the emotions in between as we watch Bear attend dance class for the first time. Bear has new leggings, new slippers, and a new pink tutu, all of which make our protagonist very, very glad. He warms up at home, smiling in the mirror, and leaping out the front door with a "WHEEEE!" When Bear arrives at the dance studio, his excitement turns to hesitation, and soon Bear is much less sure of himself. He looks around the room at the other dancers (all bears of different shades), and feels like he doesn't fit in. Is it because he traded his dance slippers for cowboy boots? Is it because he's wearing his pink tutu over his leggings, unlike the other (assumed) boy bear in the class? Whatever it is, all of Bear's fears melt away as the music starts and that good feeling returns. Gee's soft, cheery illustrations (rendered in black Prismacolor and colored digitally) and simple text make this an excellent choice for discussing the worry young children may experience when trying something new. Preschool audiences will relate to Bear, while also enjoying the visual treats the illustrations have to offer.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) PS This opposites book follows one active brown-skinned toddler and stay-at-home-father throughout a busy, fun-filled day. "Up, up, up!" as Baby tries to climb out of the crib, followed on the next page by "Down!" At breakfast: "No, no, no" to scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and toast; "yes!" to blueberries. Clear, unfussy digitally painted pencil illustrations in subdued hues against lots of white space make the story line clear.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) PS Illustrated by Allison Black. "When Mason and Mia were babies, they pooped a lot." Now that the twins are "ready," each gets a personal potty and, by book's end, figures out what to do with it. The text's abundant humor ("'Is the potty for naps?' says Mia. / 'NO!' says Mason") is enhanced with eye-popping art in which the twins, in their sphere-headed adorableness, resemble plush toys.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. Two parents, a young toddler, and a handful of stuffed animals move through a cheerful bedtime routine. Soft-edged, well-composed vignettes depict every step between dinner and bed, with simple rhyming text reinforcing each illustrated activity. The characters' persistent smiling feels more aspirational than realistic, but the child-centered narration may encourage less resistance and more autonomy from young listeners.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Troy Cummings. Clarence, the superheroic picture-book truck, returns in these charming early readers. Clarence makes short work of his farm chores by secretly transforming himself into a super vehicle (Farm); he teaches news chopper Stella when to use her outdoor and indoor voices (Traffic); and he babysits for energetic truck-tots (Zip). Cummings's signature chunk-tastic art is, yes, super. Review covers these I Can Read Book titles: Mighty Truck: On the Farm, Mighty Truck: The Traffic Tie-Up, and Mighty Truck: Zip and Beep.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Cinta Arribas. "It's my birthday. So boo! I hate all of you." The birthday girl unleashes what seems like a (hilariously) gratuitous torrent of rage, but as pages turn, her underlying insecurity peeks through ("How old am I now? I am always too little"). A brazen, totally-going-there picture book, with gangbusters red-and-purple art featuring people who are lumpy and incomplete, as if courtesy of a child's hand.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS This simple, straightforward story perfectly captures a toddler's struggle with emotional regulation when life feels unfair. After expressing his anger, Bear takes deep breaths, slows down, and naps, and then he can go back to playing. The pattern of his tantrum will be familiar--and reassuring--to children and parents. Gee's understated, colorful illustrations show the world from Bear's perspective.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) PS Illustrated by Lori Richmond. "If your job is to pour but you spill on the floor, just say... / OOPSIE-DO!" Richmond's art, featuring cartoony dot-eyed characters with a range of facial expressions, profiles a toddler making toddler-scale blunders at school and home. Musician Kubart's text may double as song lyrics (singalong link included), but it suits a picture-book format: the peppy rhymes scan when recited aloud.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Ruth Hearson. Baby Leo, now "a big boy," goes for a checkup at the doctor. As in the other books about brown-skinned Leo (and his sister, Lola), the illustrations radiate diversity and sweetness: the waiting room shows a range of skin tones, a mother nursing, etc. The book's thick cardstock pages and rounded corners will make it one young readers-to-be will want to hold themselves.

Reviewer: Kari Allen