(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brian Britigan. In gentle, three-line stanzas of free verse, Newman tells the story of Matthew Shepard's 1998 murder, a homophobic hate crime. The poems present this difficult topic in a straightforward manner for a young audience, with an emphasis on humanizing Shepard. Each spread has just one or two stanzas, allowing space for the digital illustrations in a muted but rich palette. Openly gay basketball player Jason Collins provides a foreword; back matter includes author and artist's notes and a resource list.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax