(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Richard Jones. In free-verse poems in sections named for the four elements, former U.S. Poet ­Laureate Kooser and fellow poet Wanek use realities in their speakers' surroundings as springboards to creative observations, from imagined personalities (a fire "is never full, never satisfied") and histories (a boat has "been waiting / all summer, and maybe for thousands of years") to simple appreciation ("People who live in cities / never get to ­accidentally step / in a cow pie"). The language is both evocative and playful: a speaker on a hot day is "boiled and salted / like a peanut...the meat / in a heat sandwich, the dog in a hot." Jones's full-bleed illustrations, rendered in paint and edited digitally, are striking even in their muted colors. In an afterword, Kooser and Wanek encourage readers to pay attention to their ­imaginations--making this a perfect mentor text for students writing their own poems.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Barry Root. During two lonely weeks on his grandparents' farm, Charlie discovers the satisfying sound a rock makes when it strikes a bridge's metal railing. He's convinced an answering "BONG" is more than "just an echo," especially when it happens day after day. This quiet story captures the pace and possibility of unstructured and unsupervised time. The warm illustrations seem infused with summer light.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jon Klassen. An abandoned house succumbs to the encroaching forest, which lifts it from its foundation and carries it into the canopy. The tension in this bittersweet elegy to the passage of time is matched by the soft, plain narrative and the somber, dappled watercolors. This book offers some simple and profound musings to contemplative young readers curious about the future and their role in it.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Barry Root. A plastic bag escapes a landfill to serve one purpose after another on a cyclical, wind-powered journey. It carries aluminum cans, blocks incoming wind under a door, and joins homeless people's belongings. The wordy story itself refrains from moralizing, leaving the recycling-is-important message for the author's note. The bag's yellow hue stands out in the painterly watercolor and gouache illustrations.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax