(3) K-3 Illustrated by Carey Sookocheff. The scientifically minded narrator (gender unspecified) is bullied until finally confiding in Mom. Mom's advice: help the bully "change her way of looking." A shared "wow" with the bully over astronomy changes their relationship, just enough. A creative, spare text ("What Bully B. Doesn't Call Me Anymore: Weirdo") with equally creative illustrations (the narrator is blue and the bully, green, until the bullying stops).

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Valérie Boivin. Hughes offers a fictionalized account of journalist and urban activist Jane Jacobs (1916–2006), who built a career saving communities in New York City, Toronto, and elsewhere from development plans. Hughes's story is informative and interesting, though the text is unfortunately set in very small font. Boivin's digitally rendered illustration style is a mix of the primitive, cartoonish, and avant garde.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) PS Illustrated by Ashley Barron. A West African mother (country not named) with gentle arms, a Peruvian sister with a shawl, a Korean dad in a wheelchair using a front carrier, and more all demonstrate and celebrate the bonds between loving relatives and little babies. The families, including a multiracial family from "the place you call home," are depicted in wonderfully textured collages full of socially inclusive details.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan. Elderly Mrs. McGillicuddy keeps watch over the neighborhood, always on the lookout for trouble, be it real (a child about to run into the street) or imagined (a cat whose shadow looks like a tiger). Green- and blue-hued watercolors with mixed-media depict a feisty, caring neighbor whose watchful eye keeps trouble away. Imagination is an enduring theme in the entertaining if slight story.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(2) 4-6 Patrick and his brother are adjusting to their mother's death. Their father has a new "friend," who has a seven-year-old daughter, and things are getting rocky. Young readers will feel that they, too, are experiencing Patrick's emotional ride: the pure joy of playing with his best friend; stargazing walks with his father; and the awkward dance that is a blended family.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2014

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Alicia Quist. Grieved to leave home for her dad's new job on Sable Island, Ellie is nonetheless thrilled with the island's wild horses, particularly Orchid, a friendly wild stallion. But can Ellie save Orchid from being captured and sold in the annual roundup? Line-drawing vignettes starting each chapter add to the historic flavor of this sweet girl-and-horse tale for newly independent readers.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Michael Wandelmaier. This volume highlights scientific mysteries, dating from ancient times to the twentieth century, that have been reinvestigated using modern techniques including DNA analysis. A final section for each mystery analyzes whether the new information is conclusive. Color photos and maps add visual engagement, but the stylized illustrations give the people a disconcertingly similar look, be they ancient Chinese or twenty-first-century Argentineans. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) YA Ivy is approached by her neighbor (and former friend) Virginia with a story of celestial visitation. Soon Ivy begins to unravel a disturbing web of secrets involving Virginia's family and a religious cult with dangerous plans. Hughes combines character complexity and poetic prose with plenty of dramatic tension to create a cinematic sequence of events in this intriguing page-turner.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Willow Dawson. Seven short comics present stories about women disguised as men throughout history. Figures sometimes considered apocryphal or legendary (Alfhild and Hua Mulan) are included alongside actual women with no differentiation, and many historically controversial assertions are stated as fact. Still, it's an enjoyable and unique presentation of little-known women's history. Reading list.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin