(2) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. In short, punchy sentences, many of them one or two words long, Ferry introduces readers to a persistent rainstorm: "Dreary. Weary. Dim. Grim. Drip. Drop. Nonstop." Lichtenheld, alternating between full-bleed spreads and energetic vignettes that hasten the pace, depicts a town utterly tired of all the rain. Children look out windows in despair, wanting to run and play outdoors, but the rain, falling in driving lines, will not relent. The monochromatic purplish-gray palette captures the pervading sense of gloom: "Nights and days. Always grays." A girl heads outdoors with her pup ("Gotta go--rain or snow") and stops into a curio shop. She finds a battered yellow umbrella, the book's one pop of color. The umbrella disintegrates in the rain as she runs home, but she later discovers that the pieces have bloomed, creating a field of dazzling yellow umbrellas. She and her pup dig them up and distribute them throughout town, the pages now emanating a sunny-bright glow: "Goodbye, dreary. Goodbye, gray." Color and joy return, chasing the clouds away. A pleasing pick-me-up story, rain or shine.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) PS Illustrated by A. N. Kang. Christmas trees get all the ­attention -- why shouldn’t cacti get their own tinsel? Ferry inspires empathy for protagonist Tiny Cactus through a mutually adoring relationship between the plant and her young owner. Amid Tiny Cactus’s holiday wishes for her own trimmings, the text’s simple, vivid descriptors evoke the infectious bustle of holiday traditions: “Shimmering things. Sparkling things. Twinkling, tinseling, transforming things.” Kang further personifies the cactus with blushing cheeks and a determined, eager smile. Shown on creamy, off-white pages, the reds and greens of Christmas decor within this family’s pink-hued household increase the coziness.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) 1-3 Fox & Rabbit series. Illustrated by Gergely Dudás. Fox and Rabbit are back in their third series entry with five new stories, most of which center on throwing a ­birthday party for Sparrow that involves making "the biggest, roundest, yummiest pizza in the world." Animal friends from the previous books return to help and partake in the festivities, including Tortoise, who always arrives too late for any ­activity. This volume introduces a surprising new ­creature as well--Dragon--whom Fox and Rabbit nervously visit when they need help cooking that giant pizza. This large, purple fire-breather turns out to be harmless and lonely. Dragon has never even been to a birthday party, a situation immediately remedied. Each chapter is full of amusing situations and appealing characters taking care of one another and getting themselves into trouble despite their best intentions. Bright colors and soft, bubbly shapes make every creature, even the dragon, seem cuddly and soothing. The idyllic community offers a pleasant cartoon landscape to visit, where there is always a welcoming friend, something special to do, and something good to eat.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) PS Illustrated by Chow Hon Lam. Bunny Teetu, a sensitive soul, craves solitude, but it's hard to come by in the small burrow he shares with his parents and siblings, aunt, uncle, and cousins. Bunnies are everywhere--even in his alphabet book ("B is for..."). One night, Teetu decides to "break out of the burrow" and embarks on a hero's journey: "B is for brave. B is for bold. B is not only for...bunnies." With an artist's eye, he finds the moonlit forest thrilling: "Soon nothing looked familiar. Everything looked different. It was wonderful." Teetu spends the following day peacefully observing his surroundings and the curious, quiet forest creatures he encounters. "He began writing and sketching and creating. He would make...his own book!" After another night, Teetu becomes "tired. And hungry. And lost." He's quickly found by his family, who celebrates his return--and his book. Lam's elegant and inviting digitally rendered illustrations, which recall linocut prints, feature a contemplative palette of steel gray, slate blue, and black with red accents. The artist effectively uses white space to enhance mood and as a stage for his balletic trees, some of which bend fancifully into wild animal shapes. Unlike the protagonist in Margaret Wise Brown's Runaway Bunny, Ferry and Lam's dapper hero, unencumbered by any parental agenda, is free to roam. And to return back home.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. Retired sea captain Swashby (captain of the ship El Recluso) loved the sea, but he does not like people. When a bubbly girl and her grandmother move in next door to his house on the beach, Swashby rebuffs their friendly overtures, convinced that neighbors are "nosy, a nuisance, annoying," even though he can't resist grouchily offering advice on proper sand-castle construction and such. Swashby writes the pair messages in the sand, which the sea "fiddled with, just a little bit" to change their meanings from menacing to inviting; for instance, the tide erases most of the letters in his message "Please go away" so that it reads "Play." But when the sea meddles with the girl's sand castle, she plunges into the water, and Swashby doesn't hesitate to dive in after her. After that, he joins the girl and her grandmother for tea, ice cream, lobster, and s'mores, finally accepting that neighbors "could be fun, and friends, and...family." Illustrations home in on facial expressions, Swashby's intricately detailed facial hair, and the girl's nonstop activity, while the text features delightful alliteration and seafaring puns. Readers yearning for the beach will appreciate this feel-good story about a curmudgeon who is coaxed out of his shell and into an unlikely friendship.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(2) 1-3 Fox & Rabbit series. Illustrated by Gergely Dudás. In their second volume, Fox and Rabbit return for five new loosely connected adventures as summer turns to fall. Flush with their lemonade-stand earnings from the previous book, they start by treating themselves and their friends to ice cream. This leads to a bubble-gum blowing contest (and an unfortunately necessary trip to the hairdresser for Fox), a playground adventure, a corn-maze escape, and an idyllic afternoon carving pumpkins. The brightly colored comic-panel art develops and helps clarify details and plot points in the story, and its soft, round lines give the characters and settings an endearing, huggable quality. Fox and Rabbit carry the tales, but other animal friends repeatedly show up--ever-hungry Sparrow, new friend Owl with the wonderful imagination, and Turtle, who tends to miss everything due to chronic tardiness--adding gentle tension and humor. The stories lightly touch on worries such as being embarrassed or feeling left out, but all the characters are innately sympathetic and kind to one another, making for a comforting graphic novel for younger readers.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. There's no shortage of picture books about birthdays, but Ferry's ten "rules" for making the all-important birthday wish include silly loopholes, caveats, and digressions that should tickle both rule-followers and authority-questioners. It's a buoyantly told tale, and Lichtenheld's digitally enhanced pencil, watercolor, colored-pencil, and pastel illustrations featuring an all-animal cast capture the festive mood of a party where friends are in abundance and wishes always come true.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lisa Mundorff. A lonely whale waits for a friend and ponders the nature of friendship: how might it look, feel, taste, and sound? Is the passing cloud his friend? When a group of penguins rescue him from danger, he finally experiences real friendship. Illustrations with silkscreen-like textures and vibrant colors, especially blues and greens, draw readers into a kid-appropriate philosophical story that may well inspire discussion.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Matt Myers. After his mother sends him a "Perfect Pirate Captain" checklist, Captain Crave seeks to meet one of the requirements: a pet. What follows is a search on a beach, at a farm, at a zoo, and finally in a pet store. While, predictably, Captain Crave ends up with a parrot, getting there is half the fun. Dynamic oil and acrylic illustrations complement the punny text.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ben Mantle. Bobby's obsession with sharks prompts a daring birthday plan. "Step 1: Convince parents. Step 2: Get shark." When they present a puppy instead, Bobby is rather displeased--that is, until the puppy's mischievous personality surprises him. Kids will have fun finding the sharks cleverly hidden in the illustrations of this funny, engaging twist on the traditional new-puppy tale.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(2) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Stick and Stone meet at the playground--Stone is teased by Pinecone, and Stick, well, sticks up for its new friend. A leisurely paced friendship unfolds until a hurricane blows Stick away, and it's Stone's turn to save the day. Humor, rather than obvious lesson-teaching, moves the story along. Warm pastel illustrations extend the uncomplicated rhyming text; facial expressions are cartoony but effective.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2015