(2) PS Illustrated by Raúl Colón. Reich offers up a rhythmic, rhyming celebration of family, particularly the family's youngest member: "Call the guests to gather round, / grab a chair and take a seat. / Baby's fussing, must be hungry. / Hurry up, it's time to eat!" While this multiethnic, multiracial extended family cooks a special meal of enchiladas, ravioli, and black-eyed peas, they pass the baby from person to person--hugging, playing, and bouncing. The illustrations have their own rhythm, flipping from left to right on consecutive spreads with periodic full-bleed crowd scenes that encourage lingering. The kaleidoscopic use of color and layering of media lend depth, emphasizing the family's love and joy. Details such as Doggie scarfing up crumbs, a picture knocked askew, and Grandma looking irritated capture a mildly controlled chaos that will be familiar to many readers. It's lovely, too, to see the family gathering for no particular reason other than to be together. When the coffee spills and Baby dumps the sugar bowl on her doll's head, dinner has reached its inevitable conclusion. "Everybody grab a napkin. / Baby's made a great big mess!" The adults are done in, struggling to keep their eyes open, but Baby's ready for another helping.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. A "little house" is at the center of this story about generosity among members of an extended immigrant family and the stability they provide for one another. When Esperanza, her brother, and their parents emigrate from Cuba, they need a place to live that "doesn't cost too much money." They find la casita. "Even though they were far from home, the family was together. They were safe. They were happy in la casita." In an ­economical and sensory-rich text, Jennings describes the family's new life in the U.S. Esperanza's parents each work two jobs, and she and her brother have responsibilities around the house. "After work and after school," la casita holds "the scrumptious smells of beans and sofrito and plantains--the memories of home bubbling in Mami's pots." Relatives arrive from Cuba, and later a family from Mexico: "La casita offered a home for those who didn't have a place to go." Colón's (Imagine!, rev. 9/18) signature crosshatched drawings bring out the house's character. His watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations in a palette of muted greens, blues, and oranges show the many roles la casita plays as it evolves, expanding to become a haven for hope. In her author's note, Jennings shares her own immigrant family's experiences. Simultaneously published in Spanish as La casita de esperanza.

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. Lady Liberty's torch reassures immigrants from around the world and across time in this inclusive, celebratory picture book. Engle's spare, rhythmic text paints the immigrant experience in broad strokes, identifying emotional themes--courage, pride, and identity--that many travelers share. Colón's illustrations are more specific; his richly saturated, evocatively textured images capture expressive faces of families fleeing war and disaster, then practicing their skills and exercising new freedoms across the United States. A spread depicting a classroom acknowledges the United States' complicated socio-political history--specifically the seizure of Native American and Mexican land and chattel slavery; the page turn is abrupt, but the message essential. This lyrical and thought-provoking read-aloud is both welcoming and honest.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. Mathematics prodigy Katherine Johnson's (1918–2020) opportunities were limited by mid-century America's attitudes toward women of color. But the space program's growth during the Cold War opened doors for her, first as a human "computer" then as a researcher. Cline-Ransome focuses on Johnson's childhood and early career; illustrator Colón renders Johnson in vibrant colors, making her a literal standout among the men and women of NASA.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Raul Colón. In this cheerful, inspiring volume, poems celebrate writing, reading, poetry, storytelling, and creativity. In watercolor and Prismacolor pencils, Colón's illustrations depict diverse groups of people and animals enjoying words, books, and imagination. Bits of Spanish throughout the verses add to the multicultural appeal. Author's notes at the beginning and end further encourage young readers to experience "wordjoy" in their own writings.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. A fictionalized portrait of Miguel de Cervantes in fifteen poems highlights the hardships of his childhood and his persistent optimism to suggest echoes of his most famous character, Don Quixote. Colón's pen-and-ink and watercolor images' muted palette reinforces the grim realities of sixteenth-century Spain. Yet, the book's subdued overall style feels at odds with this writer's witty energy. Contextual notes appended. Also available in Spanish.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. This picture book biography outlines folk legend Seeger's singing career, his participation in protests, his environmental work, and his "trouble" with the House Un-American Activities Committee, all with a focus on helping readers understand his essential spirit. Warm illustrations show Pete looking open and engaged, and lovingly depict the American landscape. An inspiring and heartfelt tribute to a "true American hero." Reading list, timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. This book spotlights groundbreaking scientist Marie Tharp, the oceanographic cartographer whose mapping of the Atlantic seafloor yielded key evidence confirming the theory of continental drift. Tharp holds the narrative reins here, and her voice, as imagined by Burleigh, generally rings true. Colón's illustrations, a textured wash of sea- and earth tones, are thoughtful and attractive and accurately reflect the time period. Websites. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. Ruth Law's 1916 biplane flight from Chicago to NYC broke not only records but also boundaries for women. The taut text detailing that flight, interspersed with quotes from Law, lends immediacy and amps up the story's tension. In his striking, rich-toned colored-pencil and crayon artwork, Colón makes wonderful use of perspective, allowing readers to soar alongside Law. "More about Ruth Law" appended. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. Beginning with Queen Elizabeth, Joan of Arc, and Rosie the Riveter, Winter positions Clinton among powerful women in history--then backs up his assertion with information about Clinton's life, from childhood to Secretary of State (the appended author's note hints at her presidential run). The tone is admiring and hopeful. Colón's illustrations, in his recognizable mixed-media style, are warm and varied.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. This poetic celebration of America's game, honoring everything from the diamond and ballparks to players' and spectators' emotions, has a freewheeling, sometimes disorganized feel. Colón's scratchlike colored-pencil art highlights the expansive grass, chalk lines, and base paths and the drama of a fastball and a double play. A foldout near the end with nods to specific players feels tacked on.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. Employing his signature crosshatchlike textures and colors of the earth and sky, Colón creates an expansive South American Pampas setting where Abuelo, a gaucho, shares adventures and advice with his grandson; Abuelo's guidance stays with him after the boy moves to the city. Spanish words and phrases are integrated naturally within the narrative, and the strong grandson-grandfather bond transcends time and place.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. Born in 1927 Mississippi, opera singer Leontyne Price sang in the church choir, went to college, then Juilliard, then Broadway; later she "became the first black singer to star at La Scala." Lyrical prose touches on the prejudice Price faced but emphasizes her voice and her accomplishments. Watercolor, colored-pencil, and lithograph-crayon art depicts musical notes as splashes of vibrant colors bursting across the pages.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2015

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. Burleigh brilliantly imagines details in the life and work of Henrietta Leavitt, a turn-of-the-twentieth-century astronomer whose studies as a "computer" of star patterns at the Harvard College Observatory led to significant discoveries. Paired with Colón's striking illustrations of the serious and scholarly Leavitt, this is a rich portrayal of a woman's determination to follow her unlikely dream of scientific exploration. Websites. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Devon Johnson

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Raul Colón. This book looks at challenges Helen Keller and teacher Annie Sullivan faced and surmounted. Annie's point of view is considered as much as Helen's, and Annie's strength of character is highlighted. Peppered with excerpts from Annie's letters, the book concludes with the first letter Helen writes on her own. Colón's line and watercolor pictures are rather sedate; endpapers provide photographs. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. Short poems detail the life of the famous Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso. The text describes her early years, her courage in dancing after becoming partially blind, creation of the Ballet de Cuba, flight when Batista took power, and her return under Castro; detailed notes are appended. Colón's textured illustrations are full of movement and life. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Raúl Colón. In this story based on her childhood, Edie Colón describes leaving Cuba and coming to America to live in the Bronx. The text is an evocative depiction of the immigrant experience from a child's perspective. Raúl Colón's distinctive stippled watercolor and pencil illustrations perfectly convey the wonder of seeing New York for the first time and the joy of family reunited.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Translated by David Unger. Illustrated by Raúl Colón. Martínez retells seven Latin American folktales in this bilingual collection. Pedro Urdemales and Martina the Cockroach make appearances along with some lesser-known characters. Full-page illustrations rendered with watercolor and colored-pencil on scratched paper create an eye-catching frontispiece for each story. A good choice for read-aloud time, the book includes English and Spanish text on facing pages.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Raul Colón. Shelton's poetic prose captures elements of the civil rights movement through her childhood memories--thinking that "Jim Crow was a big black crow," being turned away from a whites-only restaurant, spending time with "Uncle Martin" Luther King. Colón's textured, layered illustrations showing civil rights leaders, segregationists, and scenes of a close-knit family extend a story well told. Bib.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Raul Colón. Abraham Joshua Heschel, a rabbi born in Eastern Europe, becomes a stalwart friend to Martin Luther King Jr. as the Baptist preacher urges America toward new standards of equality and freedom. In this story, readers first meet King as a young boy, then Heschel; their shared story later unfolds. The swirling, textured colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn