(1) K-3 Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. “When a sunbeam slips through a window in a certain slant of light, you can see a scattered sparkle: dust!” Light, airy illustrations dotted with golden specks float across the pages, lending a near-magical atmosphere to a story that starts with a mother-to-be in a child’s nursery and then travels through space and time, providing clear and fascinating scientific explanations of Saharan dust along the way. Saharan dust appears in a region adjacent to the now-dried-up Lake Chad in northern Africa and comprises fossilized animals once living in the area. With straightforward depictions in both text and illustrations, the huge plume of dust is shown visible from space (as the text notes, it weighs about the same as “one hundred and twenty million female hippos”). Particles float westward, feeding the ocean with nutrients and plankton with nourishment that is passed on to the marine animals that feed on them. When traveling over the Amazon rain-forest, the dust brings phosphorus, replenishing what’s been washed away with yearly rains. As Brockenbrough concludes, “This dust…of what lived once sustains what lives today.” An author’s note enlarges on the text and includes resources for further inquiry.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(2) 4-6 Sixth grader Amelia MacGuffin is a worrier. As the eldest of five siblings, she worries about everything from changing the part in her hair to the MacGuffin family's tight finances. So when the mythically lucky wooden staff that is the centerpiece of the annual Dragonfly Day Festival goes missing from Urchin Beach's town square, Amelia decides to channel her worry into finding the thief. Her investigation is hampered by the unexpected arrival of a lost dog in her backyard, a flood that threatens both the festival and the delicate ecosystem that supports the native dragonflies, and the sheer number of possible suspects. With the help of a local mystery author, a trusted librarian, and her own common sense, Amelia surprises herself by solving the crime. But bringing the (beloved and well-known) criminal to justice will prove to be a much harder task. This charming small-town mystery romp will appeal to a wide range of junior detectives, especially those who are also invested in issues of climate change and environmental preservation. Amelia's close-knit beach community of family, friends, and neighbors forms a relatable cast of secondary characters who provide both support and comic relief. Fans of Yan Glaser's resourceful Vanderbeeker clan and Pennypacker's problem-solving protagonists will be delighted that the ending suggests this is just the first of Amelia's adventures.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) 1-3 Frank and the Puppy series. Illustrated by Jon Lau. "This was not fair. But it was the way of the world. Just when you think you've got it good, someone brings home a puppy." Narrator Frank, the highly contented and stuck-in-his-ways cat who narrates this brief early chapter book, lives the "good life" with his two loving male humans. Then their family of three expands: a cute, Corgi-like puppy appears and, to Frank's great annoyance, makes herself right at home--even going so far as to ruin naptime. After landing in "jail" (his crate) due to an angry claw-swipe, the indignant feline attempts to use his words. He types out and mails a note to the humans, but before they even read it, they release him with the admonition: "You must be nice to the puppy." In response, Frank composes another note--of farewell--and sneaks out the door in search of a place where he'll be appreciated. The book features seven short chapters with easy-to-read sentences that convey highly relatable, often over-the-top feelings. The accessible text is well supported by Lau's personality-filled illustrations, a mix of full pages and spot art. With the narrative being completely from Frank's wounded perspective, the illustrations display the actions and reactions of every character: the protagonist's emotional highs and lows, the puppy's extreme enthusiasm, the humans' unconditional love (not to mention their chic home décor).

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) YA In this fantasy novel with threads drawn from fairy tales (the non-Disney-fied ones, with all the gore, and then some), Albrecht is the king's son, but his twin, Ursula, is the firstborn, setting the siblings in competition for the throne. Following their parents' deaths, Hans and Greta, the woodcutter's children, are taken against their will to serve in the palace, Greta to butcher animals in the kitchen, Hans as the apprentice--and torture subject--of Albrecht, who wants to build mechanical men not subject to the weaknesses of flesh and blood. Capella, who is Albrecht and Ursula's cousin, loves Hans, whom she knows in his werewolf form. Sabine, a werebear, loves Ursula but hates the monarchy. When the king dies, Albrecht is able to stage a coup, drive out Ursula, and seize Greta as his unwilling bride. The frailty of bodies; the unnaturalness of medical experimentation; the vulnerability of women in a patriarchal world; and the disturbingly grotesque nature of torture, pain, and ­mutilation--these images recur throughout the story, which mixes magic and woodland folkloric elements with horror and steampunk. Readers may journey through Brockenbrough's (The Game of Love and Death, rev. 5/15) compelling tale with a growing sense of dread, but they'll likely be unable to put it down.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Julia Kuo. Firm resolve in the face of discrimination is the theme of this informative picture-book biography by Brockenbrough (Unpresidented, rev. 3/19) and Lin (most recently the Storytelling Math series of board books, rev. 11/20). Wong Kim Ark was a young Chinese American cook whose 1898 U.S. Supreme Court case set the legal precedent that birthright citizenship applies to everyone, regardless of their race or ethnic background. The authors cover this overlooked part of American history and early anti-Chinese discrimination by telling the story of Wong's childhood and teenage years in San Francisco's Chinatown and the four-month imprisonment he experienced after he was denied reentry into California when returning from a family trip to China. Kuo's (I Dream of Popo, rev. 5/21) art emphasizes the othering and segregation of Chinese Americans. For example, the book's front and back endpapers depict a map of 1885 Chinatown showing the clear delineations between where white and Chinese people lived. Throughout the book, white people are shown wearing brown or black outfits while Chinese people wear red, dark blue, and gray clothing. Only the final double-page spread breaks from the theme of separation, showing a modern scene of children from diverse backgrounds (and wearing a variety of colors) playing together near the Golden Gate Bridge. Back matter includes more details about Wong's court case, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the continued discrimination he and his family faced, along with a timeline.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | 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) YA Brockenbrough's critical biography opens with a sampling of events leading up to the 2016 presidential election. Her cohesive narrative then takes readers through Trump's family history and career, including the first year and a half of his presidency, which provides context for his present-day behavior. It's not a flattering portrait, but it is factually accurate, scrupulously documented, and well-reasoned, with photographs and primary-source documents throughout. Timeline. Bib, ind.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dave Pressler. How should Bigfoot shop for shoes? That's just one of his big back-to-school worries, not all of which are because of his size ("What if I can't stand still for class pictures? AGAIN!"). A major part of this humorous book's appeal is Pressler's larger-than-life illustrations. A relatable story to reassure young readers that school isn't that scary (and neither is Bigfoot).

Reviewer: Ed Spicer

(4) YA The dramatic tale of a "penniless nobody" who became a key player in the birth of a new nation is conveyed in a lively narrative occasionally marred by awkward phrasing and unusual design elements. Brockenbrough is less dispassionate biographer than cheerleader for Hamilton's legacy. Readers mature enough for this volume might skip to Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton. Timeline. Bib, ind.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider

(4) 4-6 Riding the popularity of the Discovery Channel's Shark Week, this book will find an audience for its coverage of sharks of all kinds: their habitats, food, body structure, reproduction, and need for conservation. However, photographs are not labeled; there's a lot of repetition; and despite the author explaining that "we fear these animals more than we should," she emphasizes the sensational. Websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(2) YA Love and Death have played Games through the centuries--and Death has always won. In Depression-era Seattle, Love chooses as his player wealthy, white Henry Bishop; Death selects scrappy Flora Saudade, an African American aviatrix/jazz singer. Henry and Flora earn a happy ending in a tender denouement. The fully realized setting and characters make this more than just a modern fairy tale.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2015

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Israel Sanchez. No longer able to collect dino teeth, the Dinosaur Tooth Fairy desperately wants a little girl's tooth. The Human Tooth Fairy gets to the pillow first, so Dino TF proposes a swap--prehistoric for human incisor--and makes a friend in the deal. The text is dynamic, and lively gouache illustrations keep the story engaging even as the plot peters out.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) YA Heidi Devine has a guardian angel; the only problem is, he's a trouble-making teenage boy who never read the how-to handbook. But when he pulls her soul out of her body rather than letting her die in an accident, he has a chance to redeem himself--and save her. The light, humorous tone and sympathetic characters sustain readers through the madcap events.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano