(1) K-3 This picture book that doubles as a beginning reader by Geisel-winner Yang (Stop! Bot!) follows a child sledding down a mountain and colliding with animals who become accidental passengers on the sled. The uncluttered graphic compositions are nearly all double-page spreads in icy shades of blue with pops of red and green and plenty of white space. Wintry illustrations keep focus on the words and actions as the sled runs into a bunny ("Oh, bunny! No!") and then a snowman ("Oh, snowman! No!"). The classic (think Mr. Gumpy's Outing) humorous-and-improbable setup grows wilder as the book unfolds--in this case, as a moose, a penguin, and a baker (complete with a stack of cakes!) join the menagerie on the increasingly crowded sled. The spare text relies heavily on the repetition of two-letter words and uses only three to eight words per spread, making this an achievable experience for the earliest readers and a fast-paced and funny read-aloud for everyone else. In the end, a mere snowflake tips the packed sled off the edge of a cliff, through a ski jump, and headfirst into a snowbank. The child asks, "Shall we go again?" The passengers shout "NO," but young readers will shout "YES!"

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(1) K-3 "If you are a boy named Isamu," begins this invented vignette of the childhood of artist Isamu Noguchi, "at the market with your mother, it can be a crowded and noisy place." The text continues in second person, inviting readers to imagine themselves in the place of this quiet boy in early-twentieth-century Japan. The story follows him as he wanders away from the market, through a forest, and onto a beach. As he walks, he wonders about the shapes and textures of rocks, leaves, and bamboo. He imagines faces for the rocks, thinks about how wind carries the grass he tosses away, and wonders about paper lanterns, "how light can feel so welcoming." All these objects will become artistic material for the adult Noguchi as he creates landscape art and paper sculptures. Yang's text meets child readers on their own level, framing the natural world as a source of curiosity and delight. His digital illustrations feel warm and organic. Edges are softened and shapes are emphasized, as the pictorial lens zooms in and out to focus on a leaf or portray the grand scale of a seaside cliff. The book works as both an introduction to a fascinating artist and a tribute to the quiet joys of the natural world. An appended note provides more information about Noguchi's career and the author's inspiration for this picture book: "This story is how I imagine Isamu Noguchi explored nature, because as some children know, alone time can be the most special time of all."

Reviewer: K Rachael Stein | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(3) PS After a child's remote-control robot flies away in front of an apartment building, the building's residents try to help retrieve it ("My broom may reach that bot!"). The book's tall trim size reflects the building's narrow verticality. Yang's blocky, mid-century modern art aesthetically complements this dynamic, easy-to-read story that's half wonderfully wacky caper and half salute to community.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(1) PS A boy just misses his city bus; the ones that come along next are increasingly odd ("THAT is NOT my bus"). Finally, a spaceship-like carrier is the perfect bus for the boy. With muted background colors, Yang draws readers' eyes to the action involving stylized characters and outlandish vehicles. Simple speech-balloon dialogue makes this just the right ride for both pre-readers and emerging readers.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(3) K-3 In his geometric world, Puzzlehead, whose dome resembles an upward-facing capital E, is frustrated: his likewise odd-shape-headed friends are having better luck finding physical spaces that will accommodate them. The ending (together, the friends' heads form a complete shape) is predictable, but readers won't challenge the preposterous premise because they'll be too wrapped up in Puzzlehead's universal plight: fitting in.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS What opens as a minimal-vocabulary depiction of boy and dog ("This is Joey. This is the ball. This is Jet. 'Fetch!'") quickly segues into a lively tour of prepositions as Jet chases his quarry "among the birds, through the trees," and so on. Reader interest is held fast both by the perils of the pup's cheerful trajectory and by unusually handsome graphics.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2005