(2) PS Illustrated by Elly MacKay. As the book opens, the child who narrates this atmospheric tale heads straight for Mama and Daddy's bedroom and wakes them up. Both parents then admonish the child not to wake the baby. "You wake up too early," Daddy adds more than once. After Daddy makes coffee, he and the child head outdoors into the chilly pre-dawn to sit on the porch. They marvel at the starry sky in which "the wind is waking" and the father asks, 'Can you find Venus? She's the morning star, like you.'" Fondly, he cradles the child in his lap, as the mountains appear in the growing light. They hear the birds and, from upstairs, the baby waking up. They see a shooting star and then, the book's closing gift, the golden light of the rising sun: "I wake up just in time," the child notes. Ericson's short sentences and soft onomatopoetic flourishes (shhhh, sip, rustle, whooo whooo) bring a soothing rhythm to this story. MacKay's illustrations ("drawn, cut, set up in layers, and photographed with light") capture evocative shadows and the ways in which the rising sun warms and reveals a morning--as well as the tender, deeply affectionate bond between parent and child.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lisa Ericson. When best (bird) friends Dill and Bizzy's day begins differently than normal, Bizzy declares "it must be Opposite Day!" As the day gets sillier, Dill worries that Opposite Day will never end. Bright, cartoonish ink and digital illustrations embellish the humor in their mixed-up day. Slightly predictable ending aside, this second Dill & Bizzy book reinforces a concept with which kids will be familiar.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lisa Ericson. Strange bird Bizzy comes to town looking for an odd duck to be her friend, but unfortunately, Dill is merely a normal duck who pursues normal activities such as...juggling peanuts and riding unicycles? This cheerful tale of a friendship defying expectations zips along, reaching new heights of zaniness with each page; the cartoonish illustrations pop with color, enthusiasm, and eccentric detail.

Reviewer: Siena Leslie