(2) K-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. This slowly unfolding picture-book biography begins by setting the scene: the environment of hate during the Holocaust and why it was necessary for many Jews to hide their true identities. The book introduces a toy duck that was used to conceal false papers; then its bearer, teenaged French Resistance member Jacqueline Gauthier; and finally Gauthier's real name, Judith Geller, and the fact that she was Jewish herself. Boxer's short lines of text summarize Geller's work, dramatizing one close encounter with a Nazi soldier and her persistence after that narrow escape. Bates's atmospheric watercolor and gouache paintings emphasizing black and muted red tones propel the scenes with varied, inventive compositions. Though the book conveys a sense of the danger for Jews and thus the urgency of Geller's work, the story was pieced together from relatively little information, as notes from the author and illustrator explain, and might work best as part of a larger lesson on the Holocaust. Back matter also includes a bibliography.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Bates. In a gentle story that follows a character from childhood to old age, readers are prompted to ponder what the ocean teaches us. "Once there was a boy who lived by the sea," the book opens, as the child and his grandfather sit at the shore. The protagonist loves and identifies with the ocean; as he grows, he is, by turns, "dark and dangerous" and "tranquil and tender," just like the churning waves. The contemplative boy faces adolescent highs and lows, always returning to the water. The ways in which the ocean speaks to the boy (as well as some of his teenage troubles) are somewhat vague; but ocean lovers everywhere will relate to the pull of the water. The narrative comes full circle in the end, with the protagonist now an elderly man. "Once there was a boy who lived by the sea" is his grandson. Bates's striking illustrations are rendered in shades of teal and cerulean with warm touches of coral, and her panoramic views of the sky above the shoreline capture light magnificently.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. A young Henriette Wyeth and her father, N. C. Wyeth, set off across the fields of their rural Pennsylvania home to paint together. They leave behind the busyness of life with Henriette's four younger siblings for the experience of "sensing deeply." On their walk, her father models "looking. Seeing. Smelling the air, and the earth, and the turpentine, and also that flower." This biographical narrative slice of Henriette Wyeth's life is a portrait of the childhood of an important American artist, a connection between her and the Brandywine school of artists (including her father), and a glimpse at the perceptions of an artistic child. The prose is full of sensory description that captures Wyeth's observations of her world. In wide double-page spreads, Bates re-creates the lush hillsides of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, crisscrossed with split rail fences and dotted with wildflowers. Layers of blue and gray clouds bleed off the pages. Back matter provides more information about Wyeth and the ways she inspired both author and illustrator. The book will likely encourage young readers to look closely at the world around them for their own inspiration.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. This portrait of the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee focuses on Joe Biden's childhood and young adult years. The narrative ties together anecdotes showcasing Biden's leadership, compassion, faith, and strong commitment to family, with a focus on his humble upbringing and struggles with stuttering and bullying. Written by his wife--with veteran nonfiction author Krull--this picture book biography is laudatory but not overly so. Warm illustrations contribute to the text's comforting mood. Family tragedies are included in a timeline (current to March 2020). A list of homey "Bidenisms" and a bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Newman tells the story ("based on two true stories") of nine-year-old Jewish immigrant Gittel's voyage to Ellis Island; details in the Old World–style illustrations, along with the appended author's note, place her home as Eastern Europe around the turn of the twentieth century. When her mother doesn't pass a health inspection, Gittel must make the journey alone. Accessible text, warm-toned art, and lavish page decorations enhance the tale of courage and kindness. Websites. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) PS Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Although it begins small, a "big, friendly" red umbrella fantastically expands to protect and comfort everyone--big and small, human and not--during a city rainstorm. "There is always room." This low-key, simply told story about kindness and acceptance is an effective allegory for our times. Kids will enjoy identifying the sets of legs under the umbrella in the watercolor, pencil, and gouache illustrations.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 1-3 Sam the Man series. Illustrated by Amy June Bates. In his third entertaining chapter book, Sam the Man's "plan" involves attempting to convince his car-shopping parents to buy an awesome monster truck instead of a boring used minivan. Second grader Sam continues to be an endearing protagonist, supported by his amusing (and amused) family and older close-friends-and-neighbors Mr. Stockfish and Mrs. Kerner. Sketchlike black-and-white illustrations enliven the text and extend Sam's plan.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) PS Illustrated by Amy June Bates. The relationship between a single mother and her child is celebrated as viewers follow a boy growing up under his mother's tender gaze and loving touch, culminating with the child--now an adult--showing her the same loving care in her old age. Soft and lovely, Bates's watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations capture the sentimentality conveyed by the text.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(2) 1-3 Sam the Man series. Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Likable second grader Sam Graham returns (Sam the Man & the Chicken Plan), this time as a reluctant rutabaga expert. Dowell paints a realistic picture of second-grade life. The Graham family is a realistic crew, full of good humor and gentle jibes; the intergenerational (and interracial) friendship between Sam and neighbor Mr. Stockfish also grows richer. Bates's sketchlike black-and-white illustrations add depth and emotion.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Eagan's rosy picture-book biography focuses on Ruth Handler's persistence in the face of naysayers and her desire to create dolls that would "encourage girls to be anything they want to be." However, the girl-power message feels forced, and the book lacks resources and back matter for reference. Bates's appealing pastel-colored illustrations exude nostalgia, featuring plenty of iconic Barbie styles and outfits from 1959 to today.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. After seven-year-old Sam Graham makes a little money chicken-sitting, he decides to get a chicken of his own: Helga, who lays blue eggs. Black-and-white illustrations, some humorous, some gentle, accompany each chapter. The short sentences and amusing situations make this a perfect read-aloud or first read-alone for young readers, whether they have a chicken or not.

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

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Two siblings, Faith and Peter, encourage their grieving elderly uncle to once again tell his enthralling stories during the first apple-picking season following the death of his wife. Coupled with expressive oil-based pencil drawings, simple verse reveals the rotating first-person perspectives of the characters in this intergenerational look at one family's mourning and conversational support.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Bates. A boy encounters a stray pup on the beach. Grieving the loss of his own dog, the boy rebuffs the puppy ("No sir. No way. Good-bye"), but happy memories prompt a change of heart. Spare, direct-address text and warm watercolor and pencil illustrations trace his complex emotional journey. Boy and pup's expressive faces and body language indicate that they'll make a great pair.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) PS Illustrated by Amy June Bates. In this dreamlike description of a family's annual summer vacation at a beach house, short, simple rhyming phrases capture the family's feelings and events of the day: "Breathe salt air. / Squint at the sun. / Hot-foot hopping. / Squeal and run." Bates's airy watercolor and pencil illustrations contribute to the carefree, whimsical feeling, leaving readers dreaming about their next beach day.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. This "updated for 2016" picture-book biography shows Clinton repeatedly surmounting obstacles to reach her goals. Each spread includes straightforward text alongside trite inspirational messages ("Take the lead role in your own life"). Browns and reds dominate the loose-outlined watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations; a few show Clinton looking spacy when she's meant to appear deep in thought. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. This reality-based story concerns composer Moshe Cotel and his adopted kitten, Ketzel, whose run across the piano keyboard results in a special mention from the Paris New Music Review for the twenty-one-second composition, "Piece for Piano: Four Paws." In watercolor, gouache, and pencil, the illustrations convey an appealing human-animal bond. An author's note explains the true events that inspired the book.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. When her adoptive American mother is deported from China, Kara, who was abandoned as an infant and who has a malformed hand, is sent to an orphanage. She's adopted by another American family and brought to the U.S. Illustrated with black-and-white spot art, the affecting first-person account in lyrical verse unveils the Chinese one-child policy and strict international adoption rules.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) PS Illustrated by Amy Bates. In fifteen short, warm free-verse poems, a young girl and her mother enjoy a leisurely day at the seaside: splashing in the ocean, playing in the sand, watching the sunset. Soft pencil and watercolor illustrations emphasize the water, sand, and light of a summer day. In sidebars, pencil drawings illustrate one word from each poem in American Sign Language.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker

(3) PS Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Mary, Joseph, and the stable animals try to soothe a crying baby Jesus on the night of his birth. But it is a small kitten, which nuzzles the babe's neck and emits a "calm, contented purr," that finally stops Jesus's tears. Textured watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations in soft hues add a peaceful quality to a sweet Nativity bedtime story.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(4) PS Illustrated by Amy Bates. "Rock-a-bye, little one, / Bedtime is soon." A mother lovingly puts her little daughter to bed, reading stories, playing the guitar, and bidding good night to familiar objects in the cozy room--curtains, dollies, framed pictures on the wall, etc. Sweet pencil and watercolor illustrations depict a folksy, farmlike setting for the commonplace bedtime story told in simple, lulling rhymes.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty