(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sophie Diao. This lively picture book takes readers on an exploration of the Park to Playa Trail through Los Angeles. Each vignette opens with “My park to playa is...” and describes a different spot on the path where community members enjoy nature and the city together, observing wildlife, celebrating a birthday, and stargazing. Layered digital illustrations feature diverse groups of people and beautiful landscapes throughout the day. An author’s note and “Critters and curiosities” list encourage exploration of nature in readers’ own cities.

Reviewer:

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sophie Diao. In this affirming story, an immigrant parent speaks to a Chinese American child. The parent assures young Mei that while "people [may] tell you that you're different and you can't be one of them," those differences are her own secret power: she carries a "golden flame inside." Mei is the visual center of many of the bright, glowing digital illustrations. She emerges from a lotus flower, rides the back of a traditional Chinese dragon, and, surrounded by family, takes a video call from grandparents far away. At book's end, both author and illustrator share their own experiences as Chinese Americans feeling "in between worlds."

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sophie Diao. Tsui's picture-book debut introduces young readers to Sarah Gerhardt, a pioneering figure in modern women's surfing. The text opens in 1999 with Gerhardt facing her first massive ­Mavericks wave (so named for the waves' location, a surf break in ­Northern ­California) and then jumps back in time to her childhood in Hawaii when women were not encouraged to surf, and surfing equipment for girls was not even available. The text is mostly very immediate and focused on Gerhardt's feelings and experiences, but it does take several digressions to give information on wave formation and size. Diao's expansive, breathtaking art is the showstopper here, with several spreads and one spectacular gatefold giving readers an idea of the size of the waves Gerhardt is surfing. The ocean in the illustrations shifts from glass green and inviting to stormy and intimidating, making the waves almost their own personified character. The timeline of women in surfing history is the only back matter; readers may find themselves left with unanswered questions and looking for more information about Gerhardt's feats.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021