(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao. For many children, the afterschool hours are anything but relaxing, "because now there is homework. Or a piano lesson. Or dance class." Detlefsen and Bontigao effectively portray this frenetic time between school dismissal and bedtime in an enjoyable picture book featuring a biracial family. The dad, who may be a stay-at-home parent, oversees the three young children's activities. Mom is in the military and joins her family via a video call in the evening, during which the kids experience the "pang of missing someone who feels too far away." While the children may be "exhausted...or in a mood" at day's end, there are also moments of lightheartedness. Dad and the kids enjoy taking a walk at twilight, telling knock-knock jokes, and eating bread fresh from the oven. Mom's return home makes the family complete but doesn't put an end to the chaos. Bontigao's expressive digitally rendered illustrations capture the havoc surrounding the family (e.g., the dog eats a child's homework, a vase is knocked off a table and shatters), while the text's soothing rhythm makes for a fine bedtime story.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. This lively picture-book biography introduces readers to "one of America's first bird photographers," whose early-twentieth-century books about the natural world have inspired generations of conservationists and birders. Unconventional for her time, Stratton-Porter (1863–1924) develops her fascination with birds and their behaviors during a carefree childhood in rural Indiana. As a "grown-up married lady," she writes about her birding experiences but declines to be published when she learns her words would be accompanied by unlifelike drawings of birds "posed in silly positions." Photography changes everything for Stratton-Porter, and she embarks on a five-year project in the Limberlost Swamp near her home, photographing birds in their natural habitat (including "the world's first photo series of a growing vulture chick"). Esbaum's (Jack Knight's Brave Flight, rev. 5/22) conversational text engagingly conveys her subject's single-minded pursuit of her passion: sharing her love of birds with the world. Gibbon's (illustrator of Marjory Saves the Everglades, rev. 3/21) evocative acrylic-ink and colored-pencil illustrations depict the era and the beauty of the environs. Back matter includes more about Stratton-Porter and her influence; two photos of the subject and one of her photographs of a barn owl; a bibliography; and a list of Stratton-Porter's own books.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) YA Bletchley Park, a World War II cryptology center, operated in the English countryside where an extensive and complicated code-breaking operation allowed the Allies to decipher secret messages sent through German Enigma machines. Those transmissions included enemy plans for naval attacks, ship locations, ground positions, and bombing targets, and Fleming (Crash from Outer Space, rev. 11/22, among many others) reveals that the feat of decoding the thousands of pieces of information every day was largely executed by teenage girls and young women. Recruited with little or no knowledge of what their jobs would be, the code breakers were sworn to secrecy--an oath that would remain unbroken for over thirty years. Fleming's account focuses on ten such young women (one of whom is an offsite radio operator) but, in a masterful presentation of related subject matter, seamlessly intersperses segments on larger historical events, beginning with the Battle of Britain and concluding with V-J Day; clear and thorough explanations of codes and ciphers; and technical advances that led to the use of computers. The girls' personal experiences, from coping with housing shortages, to falling in love, to discovering their future life's work, adds another dimension. Amid the often-tedious work of breaking the ciphers, moments of humanity appear: the joy of pinpointing an enemy bombing target on British soil; the recognition that a freshly bloodstained Nazi cipher book meant "somewhere this German airman was still bleeding, dying maybe...That really did bring the war close." Appended with an author's note, a bibliography of both primary and secondary sources, source notes, and an (unseen) index.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jerry Jordan. Johnson's compelling text tells the inspirational true story of a Black suffragist who fought injustice all her life. This biography of Wells begins with her birth in 1862, a year before the Emancipation Proclamation freed her parents. The Fifteenth Amendment nominally enfranchised Black men, but after Ida's father voted for the first time, his white boss fired him, which led him to open his own business, Wells's Carpentry. At sixteen, Ida lost her parents and younger brother to yellow fever, and she began teaching and pursuing an education to support her siblings. Wells refused to accept discriminatory laws or the racist treatment of Black citizens on public transportation and fought against the brutal practice of lynching. The last half of the book focuses on her suffrage work, including her founding of the Alpha Suffrage Club and participation in the 1913 march of the National American Woman Suffrage Association -- an association that fought exclusively for white women's suffrage. Wells and other women of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, including Mary Church Terrell, participated to show that they, too, required the vote. Jordan's skillfully crafted oil on cloth illustrations effectively capture the historical era in which Wells lived and the determination she showed regardless of the challenge. The detailed back matter -- including an author's note, a timeline, photographs, and source notes -- offers readers ample resources for learning more about a person and history that all young people should know.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Nabila Adani. The Al-Qarawiyyin Library of Fez, which serves as the first-person narrator of this nonfiction picture book, beckons the reader to hear the tale of its founding, glory days, disrepair, and restoration. From a humble start ("I began as a small corner for books") within a Moroccan mosque founded in 859 CE by Fatima al Fihri, the library becomes a grand part of Al-Qarawiyyin University, a place of tranquility, reflection, and learning. Though the knowledge held within its walls is a constant, amid changing kingdoms and threat from a great fire, the library falls into disuse. Passing by the building as a child, Aziza Chaouni, who holds a familial connection to the library, later returns as an adult architect. Her team restores and preserves the library and its materials for generations of learners to come. Khan's poetic text is accompanied by Adani's equally gentle, textured imagery of geometric patterns, tiles, and architectural features of Fez. The digital illustrations are further enriched with small details from Kufic script in the Qur'an to the variety of skin tones and dress styles displayed. An author's note, a glossary, and references are included in the back matter. A lovingly told ode to libraries, Islamic intellectual history, storytelling, and the role of women in Muslim history.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. Adapted from King's autobiography, this picture book offers a new generation the remarkable story of the activist, artist, wife, and mother whose grace in the face of unspeakable loss continued the momentum of a movement. Beginning with glimpses into her childhood in segregated Alabama, King (1927–2006) describes being the second Black student admitted to Antioch College (her older sister Edythe was the first) and her fight to teach in Ohio -- readers see that her pursuit of equality started long before she met and married Martin Luther King Jr. The first-person retelling of events such as the March on Washington is compellingly personal. Holmes's vibrant illustrations (in acrylic with elements of collage incorporating print and photos) saturate the pages with color. The illustrations also take great care in communicating the very human emotions that King and her family experienced in scenes including her surrounded by her young children at the piano; a phone receiver hanging from its cord at the news of MLK's death; and her speaking to a crowd despite her grief just hours after arriving in Memphis. Art and text bring this civil rights icon to life, reminding readers of a dream yet to be fully realized. Back matter includes a timeline of her life and major events.

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Alison Jay. Perseverance and a willingness to try new things win the day in this lively picture-book biography. Latvian Jewish immigrant Annie Cohen Kopchovsky (1870–1947) is a hard worker with a determined spirit, and when she sees an advertisement that the first woman to bicycle around the world in fifteen months will win ten thousand dollars, she immediately signs up for cycling lessons. Despite never having ridden a bicycle before, Annie (now with a new last name given to her by an advertiser) soon starts a grueling journey from Boston with many setbacks, from injury to thievery to overzealous customs officials. She builds support wherever she goes by connecting with other cyclists, completes her journey in the allotted time, and begins her new life as a celebrity journalist championing women's independence. Kirkfield's text picks up on attention-grabbing details, such as the single pair of underwear that is the only thing in Annie's pocket as she begins her ride, and keeps the story focused with a repeated chorus of "Pedal. Balance. Steer!" That refrain is often worked into the illustrations, the words winding beside Annie's bicycle in Jay's characteristic flat oil paintings with a crackled varnish that adds to the sense of history. Direct quotes are often included in speech bubbles in a cursive text (which can be difficult to decode). Back matter includes an author's note with more information on Kopchovsky, the history of biking and of women riding bikes, a timeline, and an extensive bibliography.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(3) Illustrated by Sawyer Cloud. Little Mae loves science, but she also loves dance. “So she decided…to study them both!” Even as she becomes a doctor and then an astronaut, she never stops dancing; on the space shuttle Endeavour, she “danced through space and floated among the stars.” Paired with bright, welcoming illustrations that showcase Jemison’s joy, this lyrical biography of the first Black woman in space emphasizes Jemison’s determination and courage as she pursues both her passions.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(2) 4-6 This introspective graphic memoir explores bicultural identity and the path toward self-acceptance. Like many students at her international school in Bangkok, Thailand, eleven-year-old Kathy is "luk khrueng," or "half child." Her father is American, and her mother is Thai, but Kathy identifies more as American and, though she appreciates Thai culture, she feels that she's not Thai enough. She looks forward to summers with her father's family in Maine, but this year she's acutely aware of how her family stands out there. She's also excited to spend three weeks away from her family at summer camp, but once there she struggles to fit in as campers ask rude questions about her heritage. ("Where is that?" "Do you mean Taiwan?") Kathy learns to embrace the unique qualities that connect her to both sides of her family and to her own mixed identity. Sprinkled throughout are elements of Thai culture and Thai language, depicted in Thai text with English translation, adding depth and cultural context. The pastel-toned panels, black-and-white flashback scenes, and cleanly drawn and expressively detailed characters complement the youthful, gentle tone of Kathy's internal dialogue. In an afterword, MacLeod shares her process making the book, comics she wrote as a child, and family photos.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tonya Engel. On the first day of spring, Yaya and her mother get up before the sun to go to the sea. Mommy tells Yaya to "pick out the shiniest dimes. We are going to take them to Mama Ocean and make a wish." Three of Mommy's friends accompany them, and after a long ride on the subway, they are finally at the beach. The mother and her friends have white clothes and towels, and each has special gifts for Mama Ocean. The women walk into the ocean and share their gifts with her before quickly dressing and heading back to the city without looking back. The picture book conveys the joy of welcoming spring and of rituals that African Americans have adopted and adapted from their ancestors. Engel's brightly colored paintings evoke the love, joy, and excitement that surround the moment. Marable's straightforward storytelling captures the voice and perspective of a young child. An author's note shares that the book is based on a real trip the author and her friends made to perform a ritual for Mama Ocean.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(3) K-3 Food Heroes series. Illustrated by Christy Hale. A market’s diverse offerings motivate Eva Sommaripa to explore gardening, growing unusual herbs and experimenting with new methods of composting. Her unique approach soon brings quality herbs and other plants to Boston-area restaurants, enhancing local cuisine and demonstrating how her work inspires communal pride and fulfillment. Collage and print illustrations alternate between double-page spreads of idyllic farmyards and vignettes of helpful garden inhabitants. Back matter includes an afterword by Sommaripa, information on women farmers in the United States, “Eva’s Recipe for Growing Pea Shoots,” glossary, and resource list.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Yas Imamura. When her family must flee their beloved home in Kurdistan, young Mevan's status as a refugee makes her feel smaller and smaller until she makes herself invisible. The family travels from Azerbaijan to Russia to the Netherlands, where a kind man sees her, despite her ability to hide herself, and gives her the perfect gift -- a red bicycle -- making her feel "a hundred feet tall." This true story, gently told in the third person and coauthored by Babakar herself, is brought to life through evocative mixed-media illustrations, which capture the deep loneliness of leaving a home full of friends and family. The illustrations shift from the lush greenery of Kurdistan to the stark concrete of Soviet Bloc apartments to a colorful and joyous double-page spread when Mevan first rides her bicycle. An epilogue and author's note describe more of Babakar's experience as a young refugee and tell her story of returning to the Netherlands as an adult and reuniting with the kind apartment manager who gave her the bike. A reflective story about the isolation of life as a child refugee and about the enduring effects of an act of kindness.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by April Harrison. Few people have had more of an impact on African American children's literature than griot, educator, and librarian Augusta Baker (1911–1998). Her path to becoming a master storyteller began in Baltimore with listening to her grandmother's folktales. A class on folklore in college further inspired her, and she became a children's librarian in Harlem. It became apparent that while most of the children in the library were Black, most books available to them had no Black characters, and the ones that did "were RUDE, MEAN, and JUST PLAIN WRONG." Baker created a book collection that showcased realistic and positive depictions of African Americans and shared her knowledge with other educators and librarians. Her work carried her to becoming the first Black coordinator of children's services for all of New York Public Library, hosting radio shows, teaching classes, and traveling the country as the "Mistress of Storytelling." McDaniel gives an account of Baker's life that is as celebratory as the heroes in her folktales, attesting that Baker internalized the message that "where there's a will, there's a way." Harrison's exuberant mixed-media-collage illustrations capture the vibrancy of both the storyteller and her stories, creating worlds and words that leap off pages. Back matter includes a timeline, citations, and an author's note, where McDaniel celebrates her own childhood librarian.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) YA In this novel set vaguely during the mid-twentieth century, new-money sisters Renata, almost twenty, and Isla, seventeen, have a reputation for making waves. To solidify a future for them, Abuela pulls strings to get them into the Alarie House, a mysterious finishing school that churns out untouchably sophisticated young ladies. Isla is certain her grandmother and sister also hope that the school will validate Isla's femininity: she is intersex (though the term is not used in the world of the book). Isla barely lasts a night in the strange house and returns home, but when Renata later comes back uncannily changed after graduation and flees into the night, Isla quickly returns to Alarie House, determined to find out what happened to her sister. What she discovers is more terrifying -- and nuanced -- than she could have imagined. In between somnambulant nightmares and surprising kisses with an aspiring lapidarist (a gem-cutter), Isla reflects on feminine ideals and her own identity. McLemore's heavy use of metaphor -- is everything jewel-like, or is everything a jewel? It's hard to tell -- creates an unusual tale that drips with twisted glamour. An author's note explains how McLemore relates to Isla's character through their own experience of gender identity and Latinidad and argues for larger discussions surrounding differences of sex development. Unsettling and packed with sparkly detail, this book is perfect for gothic-literature and period-piece fans who are eager for a much-needed update in representation.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sarah Green. Sydney Taylor (1904–1978), born Sarah Brenner, was the author of the All-of-a-Kind Family novels, known as the first Jewish children's books to be popular with a mainstream audience. Here, Michelson (a recipient of Taylor's eponymous award for As Good as Anybody and The Language of Angels) tells a portion of her story in a lighthearted picture-book biography. Much of the book focuses on the Lower East Side childhood on which Taylor's novels were based; it also touches on her socialist activism, her work as a dancer, and her marriage to Ralph Taylor. An emphasis throughout on her interest in books and writing culminates in the "happily ever after ending" of her first book's publication. The third-person present-tense narration focuses tightly on Taylor's internal life and, along with occasional dialogue, lends an immediate feel; an appended note acknowledges that much of that dialogue is invented, "but the thoughts, if not the exact words, are all taken from Syd's writings or [her daughter] Jo's recollections." Green's cool-hued digital gouache illustrations alternate straightforward scenes and spreads filled with vignettes highlighting aspects of Taylor's life. This introduction, mostly cheerful in focus and tone, provides useful context for her novels (Cummins and Dunietz's adult biography From Sarah to Sydney, rev. 7/21, paints a more complete picture). Back matter gives brief additional information about Taylor and her husband and daughter as well as a bibliography.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024