(2) K-3 Illustrated by Natalia Shaloshvili. Dotty and Other Dotty are a perfect match. The pair of yellow-spotted, pink, woolly mittens flaunt their partnership in front of lonesome single mitten Stripes. Drab and gray in both affect and appearance, Stripes has been relegated to her human's pocket ever since Other Stripes went missing. Rather than empathize with the lonesome mitten, Dotty and Other Dotty lord their assumed superiority over Stripes. "What's the use of a single mitten?" they sneer, sending Stripes into a mitt-sized existential crisis. But when Other Dotty is left behind in the snow and Stripes's long-lost partner is found, the mittens are forced to confront their behavior and their biases. Bailey's story of inclusion and acceptance balances any didacticism with a playful tone. "This is just weird," declares Dotty when paired with Stripes, and the illustration shows that visual clash. Rendered in acrylics and watercolor pencils, Shaloshvili's illustrations are soft and sweet, with colors befitting a gray winter's day and a child's cold, rosy cheeks. Justice is restored when our mitten-wearing (and losing) kid decides to mix and match her collection -- giving all her fuzzy friends an equal chance.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. Illustrated by Bill Slavin. Previously published in the Good Times Travel Agency series. Twins Josh and Emma and little sister Libby time-travel to ancient Greece, where they finally arrive at the Olympics--Josh's goal--after various encounters with Greek culture. Graphic-novel style cartoons illustrate their adventures, and speech balloons enclose anachronistic dialogue. Sidebars provide relevant factual information. The premise is obviously a stretch but should engage readers effectively. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. Illustrated by Bill Slavin. Previously published in the Good Times Travel Agency series. Via magical guidebooks, twins Josh and Emma and little sister Libby travel back through time to the Viking Age and the Han Dynasty. They get a tour of various aspects of life (and encounter mild dangers) in these civilizations before safely making it home. Presented in graphic-novel format, the stories and images are appealing, although the factual information running across the bottom of each page distracts from the time-travel narratives. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Time Travel Guides titles: On the Run in Ancient China and Stowing Away with the Vikings.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Júlia Sardà. This volume relates the seminal evening when author Shelley supposedly conceived the first modern science fiction novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, weaving in formative events that possibly helped inspire her masterpiece. Bailey's text is framed by her subject's penchant for dreaming, and serves as a solid introduction to Shelley. Sardà's decorative watercolor and digital illustrations in a macabre style feature sharp-edged, ghostly-looking characters. Bib.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. Illustrated by Bill Slavin. Previously published in the Good Times Travel Agency series. Via magical guidebooks, twins Josh and Emma and little sister Libby travel back through time to the Viking Age and the Han Dynasty. They get a tour of various aspects of life (and encounter mild dangers) in these civilizations before safely making it home. Presented in graphic-novel format, the stories and images are appealing, although the factual information running across the bottom of each page distracts from the time-travel narratives. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Time Travel Guides titles: On the Run in Ancient China and Stowing Away with the Vikings.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Colin Jack. Leo is afraid of the monster under his bed...until he meets him; Fred isn't scary at all (unless it's called for, as when a mean older boy begins destroying Leo's room and Fred saves the day). Four humorous chapters include playful full-color illustrations on every spread, and ample white space and moderate word repetition further the supportive early-chapter-book experience.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kass Reich. Dog Carson travels with his white-haired human, Annie, from Canada's west coast to visit Annie's sister in Newfoundland. With camping equipment strapped precariously to their "rattlebang" bug-car, the pair enjoys coast-to-coast provincial wonders. The lighthearted road-trip story's gouache illustrations highlight the dot-eyed companions' affection and the beauty of stops such as Lake Winnipeg and Quebec City. Map included on the endpapers.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Victoria Jamieson. Bug Eddie leaves his home behind an elementary-school chalkboard to rescue his aunt from the school's library. The book-loving young bug soon launches a plan to save the library from closure, a cause as important to him as getting injured Aunt Min home safely. Copious references to the world of children's literature enhance the engaging story line. Personality-rich illustrations perfectly match the lighthearted tone.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(4) 4-6 Lewis Dearborn is a loser until his great-grandfather's deathbed mandate--"Libertalia. You!"--transforms his sad existence into a pirate fantasy. His family moves into Great-Granddad's historic mansion, where he has unexpected roommates: seven dead pirates seeking a pirate haven called Libertalia. With lots of aye!s and sword-swishing, the pirates encourage Lewis to be bold and fierce. A charmingly funny, if too-neatly resolved, romp.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bill Slavin. In his sixth adventure, dog Stanley rounds up his pals to discover what school is all about and why the kids go there every day. And in the pooch-created chaos, Stanley realizes they go to school "to eat and run." Predictable plot turns won't separate this one from the pack, but Stanley's fans will enjoy his antics, enlivened in textured acrylics.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Geneviève Godbout. In this Santa origin story, a child booms "HO, HO, HO!" in the cradle, delivers presents as a toddler, trains hamsters to pull a miniature sleigh. His parents speculate about his future: e.g., might wearing red mean he'll be a firefighter? Readers will enjoy watching Santa grow up to be exactly who he is. Warm, textured illustrations enrich this humorous, love-suffused tale.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Huyck. This book starts off strong: if kids ruled the world, "birthday cake would be good for you," "there'd be no such thing as bedtime," etc. The big finish, for which smooth digital illustrations show a multigenerational cast acting childish: "No one would ever forget how to PLAY!" It's rather a letdown, though: do kids really dread forgetting how to play?

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Colin Jack. A boy proposes uses for a dinosaur (nutcracker, snowplow, etc.) "if you happen to have [one] lying around your living room." This book has an If You Give a Mouse a Cookie pattern, starting with the hypothetical title and concluding with the here-we-go-again ending, although the narrative is less story and more list. Witty and soberly outlandish in word and image.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Colin Jack. A cookbook-wielding fox prepares to cook himself something with the toads that he caught in a pond, but their mother shows up and convinces him to try her recipe (included) for Toad-in-a-Hole, which turns out not to contain a single toad. This story has the cleverness of a folktale but the look of a sloppy version of old-fashioned Disney animation.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bill Slavin. Dog Stanley's fifth book finds him trying to befriend the new family cat. He's genuinely confounded when his chases, licks, and barks terrify the kitty, which earns him the wrath of his "people." It's all as gratifyingly funny as it sounds, with help from Slavin, who gives readers a dog's-eye view (humans are depicted from the chin down) of the slapstick misunderstandings.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bill Slavin. Stanley's people take him to the local dog show. He and his pup pals wonder what the fuss--the bathing, blow-drying, and perfuming--is about; all they want to do is romp and eat the delicious-smelling prizes. How mischievous Stanley gets his wish, as shown in energetic, textured acrylic illustrations, is amusing.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bill Slavin. When begging at a family picnic doesn't work, hungry Stanley and his doggy friends set off in search of food. Lured by the enticing smell of ham, they scamper aboard a small boat and are quickly swept out to sea. Will their search end in dinner or disaster? Textured acrylics on gessoed paper capture in comic detail the canines' brush with catastrophe.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Josée Masse. Pig number one is trying to sleep, but pigs two through ten have other ideas, from reading in bed to playing the drums; counting back down restores the peace. The text includes some challenging vocabulary ("Bengal Lancer"?) and nods to Shakespeare that will likely go over kids' heads. But the swinging rhyme and energetic acrylics are sure to delight them.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bill Slavin. Each year Farmer Stolski's animals compete against the nasty Bush League Bandits in ice hockey, and each year they lose. This time around, despite the Bandits' cheating, the Farm Team triumphs--thanks to young chicken Mariette's quick pass and piglet Little Pete's winning goal. The story is somewhat drawn-out, but the dynamic textured illustrations capture the on-ice action.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) 4-6 Good Times Travel Agency series. Illustrated by Bill Slavin. The Binkerton siblings time-travel to southern France during the Ice Age. They join a group of hunter-gatherers and discover that they must complete three tasks--including finding cave art and befriending a mammoth--before they can return to the present. The factual commentary about the Ice Age presented across the bottom of each page somewhat overwhelms the slight narrative, which uses a graphic-novel format.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta