(1) PS Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. As the sun sets over a rooftop community garden, it's time for the garden's vegetables to get some rest. "Turnips tucked in tightly. / Potatoes closing eyes. / Tuckered-out tomatoes / humming lullabies." In OHora's sweet and funny acrylic art, all the veggies have endearing facial expressions (even the tiniest peas and baby carrots). The (intentional) sleepiness of the book's action is balanced by the presence of a lively earthworm in a baseball cap who swoops through the color-saturated double-page spreads, athletically looping through tunnels and popping up occasionally to check out the dozing garden denizens. The childlike approach, appealing art, and relatable worm character are enough to connect story and audience, but at book's end the text makes the connection even more overtly: "Every veggie's snoozing, / beneath the moon so bright, / for nothing's more exhausting / than growing day and night." The accompanying illustration shows sleeping radishes just below the earth's surface and the earthworm further underground in its own snug home, all tucked up in its looooooong narrow bed, its single sneaker left by the entrance.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(4) PS Illustrated by Zoe Persico. Told in rhyme, this is a colorful tribute to summer and its many pleasures: red ice pops, yellow sunflowers, and even gray clouds that bring a sudden shower, leaving behind "a refreshing, cool breeze, / and silvery droplets that sparkle on trees." The cartoonlike digital illustrations are fairly slick but nevertheless capture the light and colors of a summer storm in an idyllic country setting.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Heather Ross. Young witch Grimelda (Grimelda: The Very Messy Witch) must find a way to transform her "NOT spooktacular" cat Wizzlewarts into something extraordinary enough to win the Spooktacular Pet Show (she struck out trying to "get a better pet"). Bouncy rhymes and lively digital illustrations accompany the young witch's antics as her "messed-up" spell-casting serendipitously leads to the perfect solution.

Reviewer: Emily Day

(3) PS Illustrated by Yuyi Chen. Doris the dinosaur is a voracious reader: "Yes, I always need some more. / Hooray for books! They make me ROAR!" Her little brothers just want to play and grow frustrated that Doris is always reading...until sis shares a story and gets them hooked on books, too. Upbeat rhyming text and fresh pencil illustrations with bright digital coloring combine for a roaring-good read-aloud.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Leslie Lammle. Young Ned likes to knit, which doesn't make him popular among his gruff pirate shipmates. But when a ferocious ocean beast attacks the Rusty Heap, the predictable happens: Ned's hobby saves the day, and everyone learns a lesson about acceptance. The tone is kept light by bouncy rhymes with scrappy pirate speak and the illustrations' soft, seafoamy colors and smiley, rounded swashbucklers.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Bryan Collier. This engaging volume, vibrantly illustrated by Collier in watercolor and collage, encourages children to identify the various shapes of a city. A young African American girl is the guide, and her obvious joy in her city is contagious. Murray's rhyming couplets scan well, making the rhythm easy to follow. Teachers seeking books for their math unit on shapes need look no further.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Heather Ross. Young witch Grimelda delights in her cluttered home until it prevents her from preparing a new recipe: "Where'd I put that pickle root?" She embarks on a not-so-witchy project--cleaning her house--and the hunt for the pickle root is both endearing and amusing. Playful, singsong rhymes will hold readers' attention, while bright, cartoonlike digital illustrations emphasize Grimelda's haphazard life.

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