(2) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. This well-told biography relates how Jackie Robinson stood up for what was right even before he was a baseball star, including a central incident when he refused to move to the back of an army post bus in 1944. It concludes as Robinson breaks baseball's "color line" in 1947. Dramatic, expressionistic gouache illustrations offer a visual narrative that extends the text of this American story. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(3) PS Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. In this successful board-book adaptation, one member of a dinosaur classroom has a self-control issue: "Apatosaurus colors. Pteranodon inspects. Velociraptor glitters. Tyrannosaurus...WRECKS!" Naively drawn dinosaurs with bold outlines and flat, digitally added colors pop from the pages. A spare text (primarily simple subjects and verbs) builds tension until the students band together to reform the disruptive dino. A satisfyingly high-energy read-aloud.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2014

(4) PS Illustrated by Bonnie Adamson. This gentle picture book depicts an everyday ritual of a mother and her son. The expressive young boy calls "Rutabaga" as a request for attention and comfort; his mother never fails to reply "Boo!" The text is comprised (almost entirely) of this simple exchange; it's slight but affectionate and pairs well with Adamson's tender, slice-of-life illustrations, softly rendered in pencil and watercolor.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) PS Illustrated by Scott Campbell. Robot siblings Buzz, Crash, and Beep need to "enter sleep mode" and recharge after a long day. Slumber doesn't come easily for the amiable Brobots, what with Beep's fear of monsters, case of the "flick-ups," and other distractions. The all-dialogue text ("Affirmative"; "This does not compute") reinforces the robotic personas while the chunky yet soft pastel, watercolor, and pencil illustrations convey common bedtime angst.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) 1-3 Read & Bloom series. Illustrated by Eric Wight. Caveboy (The Adventures of Caveboy) is excited that today is the first day of baseskull practice. He gives his friend Mags a club-swinging lesson before they meet the coach and their team. The simple text of this low-stakes early chapter book serves as a primer for maneuvering social interactions. Digital illustrations support the text well, give readers' eyes consistent breaks, and add racial diversity.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) 1-3 Read & Bloom series. Illustrated by Eric Wight. In these two new early chapter books, a prehistoric boy deals with everyday emotions and social challenges. In Adventures, a frustrated Caveboy breaks his club playing "baseskull" but makes a new friend. In Bored, Caveboy hunts mammoths with his younger sister. The stakes are never high, but well-placed digital illustrations capture emotions and add some humor to the easy texts. Review covers these titles: The Adventures of Caveboy and Caveboy Is Bored!.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) PS Illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic. Platypus tries to play with the kangaroos, dingoes, possums, and fruit bats, but he never quite fits in, and his clumsiness earns him the name "Splatypus." Eventually, he discovers swimming with other aquatic animals and realizes where he belongs. The rhyming text is full of onomatopoeic tongue twisters ("HOBBLE, BOBBLE, WIGGLE, WOBBLE"). Comical illustrations prominently feature Platypus's blue feet and bill against dusty outback scenes.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) 1-3 Read & Bloom series. Illustrated by Eric Wight. In these two new early chapter books, a prehistoric boy deals with everyday emotions and social challenges. In Adventures, a frustrated Caveboy breaks his club playing "baseskull" but makes a new friend. In Bored, Caveboy hunts mammoths with his younger sister. The stakes are never high, but well-placed digital illustrations capture emotions and add some humor to the easy texts. Review covers these titles: The Adventures of Caveboy and Caveboy Is Bored!.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) PS Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones. No matter what two ducks do, their clumsy friend Moose messes things up. After one catastrophe too many, they banish Moose but later have to convince him to come home again for his surprise birthday party. Using only the words duck and moose, the story is told through punctuation and brightly colored, expressive cartoon vignettes with plentiful white space and lots of tension.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(2) PS Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. All is harmony in the dinosaur classroom, except for one member with a self-control issue: "Apatosaurus colors. Pteranodon inspects. Velociraptor glitters. Tyrannosaurus...WRECKS!" Naively drawn dinosaurs with bold outlines and flat, digitally added colors pop from white pages. A text consisting primarily of simple subjects and verbs builds tension until the students band together to reform the disruptive dino. A satisfyingly high-energy, primal read-aloud.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2014

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Manning. Despite Sleeping Beauty's loud, obnoxious snoring, desperate-for-rest Mouse believes one day a prince will awaken the princess with a kiss. Prince Max arrives to Beauty's off-putting "SNOOOOGA-SNOOOOOM"; the duo attempts varied spell-breaking tricks, but it's eventually Mouse who saves the day. Warm, silly watercolors picture the zany rhymed escapade that ends happily (with a double wedding).

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) PS Illustrated by Geraldo Valério. Half-Pint Pete the Pirate has half of a treasure map; Half-Baked Belle has the other. After they join forces, he intends to steal her share of treasure but steals her heart instead. With its simple plotting, dialogue-filled rhymes, and anything-but-menacing coed crew, this book is perfect for kids who are curious about pirates but too young for the hard stuff.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jill McElmurry. Pirate-infatuated Princess Bea abandons her throne when she spots a pirate ship. Having failed to pass the crew's tests, she finds herself walking the plank when her royal sense of smell saves her: "A princess knows her treasure!" Like the right-on-the-beat rhymes, the illustrations capture the high-seas hijinks, including what is perhaps children's literature's first vomiting princess.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ryan Wood. Joy's new baby brother is wrecking her Christmas: "7 flattened snowmen, / 6 shredded cards, / 5 shattered ornaments...and a stinky baby messing with the tree." However, baby Sam's exclamation of "Joy!" shifts her perspective: "7 rebuilt snowmen, / 6 cards' confetti...and a LOVELY baby stinking up the tree." Digitally enhanced illustrations humorously capture the growing pains of having a new family member.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Howard Fine. Despite the cloaked and fanged pig known to prowl the farm at night, Duck's rumbling tummy sends him out for a midnight snack. Fear builds as the rhyming text tells of Duck's escape from Hampire, concluding with a humorous vegetarian twist. Rich-hued illustrations set in deep-night blues add suspense to the silly barnyard tale.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) PS Illustrated by Ward Jenkins. A raucous group of chick siblings can't settle down at bedtime, going bonkers each time Mama leaves the room. Their clever mom returns and joins in the fun, dancing wildly with her chicks until they're begging for their beds. Spirited digitally painted pencil illustrations capture the bed-bouncing, pillow-fighting joy of a sleepover--and the satisfaction of dancing oneself into a happy slumber.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brian T. Jones. Zoo duck Quackenstein longs for a family. He cares for an abandoned egg, and out pops what looks to him like a scary monster (actually a platypus). Quackenstein's grumpiness is a novelty in a book with a warm-and-fuzzy theme. Bardhan-Quallen's rhymes march in lockstep--think Dr. Seuss starring Oscar the Grouch--while Jones expertly juggles the book's tender, humorous, and spooky elements.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Mad Science series. Illustrated by Edward Miller. Experiments exploring onion cells, yeast, bacteria, and mold found in homes are interspersed with scientific information about the underlying biological and chemical principles. The experiments are more advanced than your typical do-at-home recipes, requiring a microscope and chemicals not typically found in the house (but easily obtained). The cartoonlike illustrations include anthropomorphized microorganisms as well as realistic depictions of the required materials. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray. Color-saturated watercolor and pencil illustrations and a spare poetic text describe a tawny eagle's sunset hunt in the Serengeti. The grace and power of the bird are well conveyed as it soars above the plains and the abundant, varied wildlife. With the appended notes, this title is useful for classes studying the region's habitat, as well as the tawny eagle itself. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jason Wolff. Confusing frog with hog, a fairy tells swine Eldon about a magic spell that will turn him into a prince after he kisses his "true love"; turns out, she's right under his snout. Readers will be tickled by the many fairy-tale cameo appearances (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty) and the suffusion of piggy puns. The comical illustrations feature fittingly skewed perspectives.

Reviewer: Nell Beram