(2) PS Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. A pair of snails is at the heart of this Noah's Ark story of perseverance and friendship. When Esther, a yellow-shelled snail, wakes early one morning and notices a sharpness in the air, she understands that "something was happening. Something big." Spying a ship on the horizon, Esther begins her slow trek toward it. All around her, "the ground vibrated with footsteps," "the sky hummed with wings," and "the rivers gurgled with swimmers." She's momentarily tangled in a spider's web, but presses on--until a thought makes her pause: "Did her friend Solomon know about the storm?" Esther finds him in the fern glade, and together they make it to the ark, where they're welcomed by an entire community of animal pairs. Amini's hand-drawn and digitally layered acrylic-gouache collages convey the rushed forward-movement of the creatures and the progressively darkening skies. The interior of the ark and the animals' faces are full of warmth and golden tones that contrast with the cool tones of the tumultuous storm raging outside. With loyalty, perseverance, and friendly animals, the story of Esther and Solomon is a refreshing new angle on a familiar tale.

Reviewer: Emmie Stuart | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Huntington. A nonet, as the first poem explains, is a "Grand / poem / with nine lines / one-syllable / first line builds toward / nine-syllable ninth line / (or the reverse). A staircase / for poets and readers alike! / (Any subject, rhyming optional.)" Latham's nonets focus on a wide range of subjects, each related to the number nine--Apollo 9, the Little Rock Nine, being "dressed to the nines"--while loose-lined illustrations in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil show a diverse cast of kids engaging with each topic. Detail-oriented readers should find fun in counting syllables, and the language is well-chosen for read-alouds (in a poem about nighttime baseball: "Nine players like dancers / on a stage lit by starshine"), though there's a forced line here and there. A closing note gives more information about the poem topics, the word nonet, and, of course, the number nine.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Johanna Wright. Latham uses a poem of her own as the source for her "'nestlings'--the name I've given the small poems nesting inside the big poem." This book features 161 of those small poems, organized into seven themed sections, including "Time," "Only Human," and "Places Seen and Unseen." Showcasing brevity's effectiveness, the poems' moods range from whimsical to contemplative. Playful digital drawings with gray-tone ink washes introduce each section and appear sporadically throughout the pages. Tips on "How to find nestlings" and an index of poem titles conclude this lesson in playing with language.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. In 2012, civil war comes to Aleppo, then the largest city in Syria. ­Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel is an ambulance driver who remains behind while many of his neighbors flee. Soon his area is filled with abandoned cats, whose "lonely, confused faces remind Alaa of the loved ones he has lost." He begins feeding them (and, as cat lovers know, stray cats return to their food source). News of Alaa's actions circulates on social media, and he becomes known as the "Cat Man of Aleppo"; an outpouring of donations allows him to create a cat sanctuary. This gentle book emphasizes that in the midst of chaos, caring for the forgotten and discarded, no matter how small, affirms the preciousness of all life. In an author's note, Shamsi-Basha explains that during wartime, animals, too, "suffer, and caring for them illuminates what it means to be human." Shimizu's ink, watercolor, and digital illustrations capture scenes of human despair and physical wreckage along with images of cats perching (and napping) in burnt-out cars and on heaps of rubble. Other images showing the "hope and love [that] fill people's hearts," along with the playground Alaa builds and the wells he helps dig in the city, reflect optimism and solace. An introductory note by Alaa, printed in English and Arabic, along with appended author and illustrator notes and art references, provide additional context.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by John Holyfield. In early-twentieth-century Birmingham, Alabama, fictional African American boy Frank can't visit Miss Fancy, a real-life circus elephant who retired to nearby Avondale Park: "NO COLORED ALLOWED." But then Miss Fancy--a known escape artist--takes herself on a chaotic, funny walk through Frank's neighborhood. Paintings are lush and supple, with Frank's emotions made poignant and clear. A window into the Jim Crow South and a compelling tale.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sean Qualls & Selina Alko. Classmates Irene (white) and Charles (black) are paired for a poetry-writing project in this clever collection. Each spread contains poems from both their perspectives. As they get to know each other, the poems traverse trickier areas (e.g., slavery, police violence). Acrylic, colored-pencil, and collage illustrations range from ordinary classroom scenes to double-page spreads that visually connect the characters' experiences.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mique Moriuch. Twenty-one poems about various fruits, vegetables, and other farmers' market items offer unconventional literary images, such as how potatoes are "crooked as a 'come here' finger," and how okra are "mouse-sized swords." The childlike perspectives of the poems are further upheld by simple, playful images rendered in acrylic and collage. Educators with school gardens may appreciate the book's cross-curriculum opportunities. Recipes are appended.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Wadham. Fifteen poems explore Antarctica's frozen summer-scape. With occasional humor and evocative imagery--krill are "a trillion tiny astronauts," a petrel is a "flying trash can"--the verse brings to life some of the coldest continent's creatures and geographical features. Boxes of informational text expand on each poem. Illustrations in icy blues and whites reflect the habitat. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Wadham. An assortment of engaging poems, written in many different styles, center on animals that visit an African grassland watering hole from early morning to night. Each poem is accompanied by a paragraph with interesting information about the animal (e.g., wildebeests migrate over eight hundred miles each year). Wadham focuses on different views of the environs in her lively illustrations. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin. Feeling trapped in his home--a zoo--Whit, eleven, craves contact with the outside world so much that he makes a field study of Bird Girl, a peer named Stella. The narrative moves slowly, but the well-drawn characters handle themes of family, abuse, and freedom without being schmaltzy or grim. Judiciously placed pencil illustrations evoke tender moments.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff

(3) 4-6 Ten-year-old Ludelphia Bennett lives in an obscure pocket of Alabama called Gee's Bend. After her mother becomes gravely ill, Ludelphia decides to leave home for the first time, encountering unexpected dangers in search of medicine. Based on firsthand accounts of a 1932 raid on Gee's Bend, Latham's gripping story benefits from her eye for detail and Ludelphia's compelling narration.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby