(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elly MacKay. Her family sees a deer while hanging out laundry in a translucent dawn, but the pigtailed protagonist of this spare picture book misses it because "I was getting dressed all by myself." It's not the first time she's felt out of step with her family--too short to pick apples, too young to stay up late to see shooting stars--so she heads out alone later that still-misty morning with a sugar cube in hope of finding the deer. At first her search is fruitless, revealing only a bird and the neighbor's dog, but once she settles quietly in the wet grass, her patience is rewarded--not by the deer, but by its fawn. The magic of this solitary moment is framed and enlarged by the sfumato technique of MacKay's glowing illustrations ("using ink, paper, and light"), which give the illusion of light emerging from a source just out of sight or, conversely, pouring gloriously off the page. Cut paper adds definition; salt stippling creates the impression of apple blossoms; the whole becomes a world set apart from the ordinary. The protagonist, too, is out of the ordinary: returning home, she keeps her encounter with the fawn secret, her rich inner life bringing its own rewards.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(4) 4-6 Selected by Aphrodite to race on her behalf, orphan Pippa bonds with her winged horse, Zephyr. A visit to the Fates convinces Pippa they can't win, however, and Ares threatens to slaughter Zephyr if they lose. Can working with the other riders change Pippa's destiny? The lightly handled plot is low on a real sense of menace, but the Olympian setting holds together nicely.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Geneviève Godbout. Anne of Green Gables says good night to the things and people she loves, giving brief explanations for each. Though the chief appeal may be for adults familiar with L. M. Montgomery's famous story, the hushed text combines with ethereal pastel and colored-pencil illustrations in muted colors to create a bedtime book well suited to lulling young listeners to sleep.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) PS Illustrated by Sara Gillingham. At the Doll Hospital (a dollhouse), Dr. Pegs has a growing list of priorities, including setting a porcelain doll's cracked arm and providing new stomach stuffing for plush doll Scoop. Luckily, help arrives from the "Nesting Nurses," five nesting dolls who pitch in to mend the dolls in need. This charmingly old-fashioned story has appropriately retro illustrations featuring patterned stripes, dots, and shapes in an almost neon palette.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) PS Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. Mama Duck's three children, Flap, Feather, and Spike (two ducklings and a dinosaur, respectively), are old enough to sleep in their own nest. But a loud noise keeps waking them up. First they hide, then they run; finally, they decide to face their fear--and discover that the noise is Spike snoring. A slight follow-up to Duck, Duck, Dinosaur, with bold but busy digital illustrations.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. Ducklings Flip and Flap and their dinosaur brother Spike (from the Duck, Duck, Dinosaur picture books) learn about the world around them with help from Mama. These characters are suited to an easy-reader text (e.g., Flap always says things twice, providing word repetition). With two to three short sentences per page, emergent readers will easily handle these sweet unconventional-family stories. Review covers these I Can Read titles: Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Bubble Blast and Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Perfect Pumpkin.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) 4-6 Heartwood Hotel series. Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin. In Fernwood Forest, a fall rainstorm brings homeless mouse Mona to the Heartwood Hotel's tree. She becomes a maid, befriends the animal staff and guests, and gains a home (True). While most guests hibernate for winter, Mona helps solve the hotel's mysterious food shortage (Greatest). George's enchanting new series features diminutive critters with big hearts, sweetly depicted in Graegin's plentiful, detailed spot and full-page pencil illustrations. Review covers these Heartwood Hotel titles: The Greatest Gift and A True Home.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) 4-6 Heartwood Hotel series. Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin. In Fernwood Forest, a fall rainstorm brings homeless mouse Mona to the Heartwood Hotel's tree. She becomes a maid, befriends the animal staff and guests, and gains a home (True). While most guests hibernate for winter, Mona helps solve the hotel's mysterious food shortage (Greatest). George's enchanting new series features diminutive critters with big hearts, sweetly depicted in Graegin's plentiful, detailed spot and full-page pencil illustrations. Review covers these Heartwood Hotel titles: The Greatest Gift and A True Home.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(2) PS Illustrated by Paola Zakimi. A little girl heads outside on a windy day with her yellow raincoat, umbrella, and lamb-like little dog. After waiting out a rain shower in a treehouse, she floats her open umbrella in a puddle, and then sets up a pretend tea party in a sandbox. This quiet picture book, with its spare, whimsical text and illustrations in muted colors, celebrates the joys of old-fashioned playtime.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. Ducklings Flip and Flap and their dinosaur brother Spike (from the Duck, Duck, Dinosaur picture books) learn about the world around them with help from Mama. These characters are suited to an easy-reader text (e.g., Flap always says things twice, providing word repetition). With two to three short sentences per page, emergent readers will easily handle these sweet unconventional-family stories. Review covers these I Can Read titles: Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Bubble Blast and Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Perfect Pumpkin.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) PS Illustrated by Oriol Vidal. Mama Duck has three eggs; when they hatch, out come two ducklings and a dinosaur. "'Oh, what a sweet family,' said Mama." Like typical siblings, the hatchlings argue about who's the biggest, sweetest, and funniest. Under Mama's wings, though, "they were all the best." Vidal's bold, bright digital illustrations don't entirely save the story from becoming saccharine.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) PS Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin. A group of forest-animal friends sets out to return a gift that dropped from Santa's sleigh: a present for the "New Baby" (not that baby) at a nearby farm. Tired and hungry, the friends trudge along, thoughts of Santa (also journeying through the cold, dark night) urging them forward. Digitally colored pencil and ink-wash illustrations capture the characters' emotions.

Reviewer: Simran P. Gupta | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) 4-6 Magical Animal Adoption Agency series. Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Clover faces an unlucky summer without any pets or her best friend. When she discovers the hidden Magical Animal Adoption Agency, she decides to volunteer there. By the end of summer, she foils an evil witch to save the day. George's series-starter is a quick adventure story with a positive message of believing in yourself. Light pencil sketches break up the text.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) 4-6 Magical Animal Adoption Agency series. Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Now that Clover is a seasoned Magical Animal Adoption Agency volunteer, Mr. Jams leaves her in charge while he seeks a mysterious egg specialist. All alone, Clover must deal with the hatched egg, and the myriad creatures seeking magical pets. George's second installment offers an accessible narrative tempered by a clever, thoughtful protagonist. Light pencil sketches capture the story's whimsy.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters