(2) PS Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. In this rhythmic picture book, Oliver McSnow finds himself stuck in a cycle of contrariness. He answers "NO!" to tedious requests such as cleaning up and brushing his teeth but also "NO!" to treats including ice cream, pizza, and popsicles. "His NO! became so strong...there was no way to stop it." Bright cartoon digital and pencil illustrations capitalize on the self-imposed drama of the situation, ramping up humor on every page. The impacts of small Oliver's strength of will play out in the funny details of his environment and the exaggerated expressions of those around him. All this negativity eventually starts to wear on Oliver too; though he grows more tired, grouchy, and smelly as the story bounces on, he seems unable to turn the situation around. Mercifully, cousin Jess comes over to play, and Jess likes to say "YES!" as much as Oliver likes to say "NO!" Jess brings Oliver along for a whole day of "YES!" and Oliver gains much-needed perspective on what he has been missing. The engaging and silly details of the text and art help offset the forcefulness of the lesson being presented. Endpapers that start the story with a barrage of red "NO!"s wrap things up hopefully by sneaking one striking green "YES!" into the template.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Smith introduces African American cycling legend Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor (1878-1932) to a new generation. Beginning with prose and then switching gears to (sometimes-clunky) verse, the story focalizes Taylor's remarkable performance in the grueling Six-Day Bicycle Race at Madison Square Garden when he was eighteen years old. Through chronological flashbacks, readers meet an even younger Taylor performing bicycle stunts in front the bike store where he worked and winning amateur races in jaw-dropping fashion. Smith does not soft-pedal the challenges Taylor faced while breaking the color barrier in sports. Espinosa's cinematic digital illustrations in a palette of largely neutral colors use dynamic visual perspectives to propel the story with drama and charged emotion. Back matter includes a timeline, bibliography, and supplementary profile of Taylor.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. "You are you, and I am I. We are people... This makes us different from most of the things on Earth." Head crowned with a mass of brown curly hair, this book's narrator speaks directly to readers, guiding them through several silly yet thought-provoking comparisons. Do humans have anything in common with tin cans? No. "We are not shaped like tin cans. We cannot hold tomato sauce like tin cans." Humans have some minor similarities to swimming pools (water) and excavators (digging, but not as efficiently), but a person is "way more like a mushroom" and has even more in common with a hyena. Barrows's (the Ivy + Bean chapter books) straightforward text seems at first to be an exercise in comparing living and nonliving things, but it's ultimately a lesson in empathy toward our fellow humans. "I am more like you than I am like most of the things on Earth." Espinosa's (The World Belonged to Us, rev. 7/22) bold, blocky, and vibrant illustrations enhance the text's humor and heart with the punch of a pop-art palette. A compelling thought-experiment with a powerful, effective, and timely message.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. This lyrical paean to unstructured play does not wax nostalgic or hark back to a simpler time. Rather, Woodson sets out to capture (and brilliantly succeeds in it) a feeling and a moment. She starts off, "In Brooklyn / in the summer / not so long ago," and tells readers that "the minute / school ended, us kids were as free as air. / Free as sun. Free as summer." While their grownups are busy inside the apartment buildings above, the neighborhood kids spend the long, hot days playing on the city streets. Open hydrants are converted into super squirters, games are invented and mastered, conflicts are collectively resolved, and scraped knees tended. It's a time of endless possibility. "Our block was the whole wide world / and the world belonged to us," at least until their mothers call them home for dinner. Espinosa's kinetic pen-and-ink and watercolor art captures a cadre of kids in perpetual motion--biking, jumping rope, building forts, shooting bottle caps, playing stickball--and conveys unbridled joy and mutual respect and admiration. This book reminds readers that the benefits of free play, independence, and being excited about what each day may hold can extend beyond a Brooklyn block one summer to a lifetime of creative possibility. Simultaneously published in Spanish as El mundo era nuestro, translated by Yanitzia Canetti.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(3) Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Denise tracks Moreno's rise from young Puerto Rican newcomer to New York City to Hollywood starlet and, eventually, 1962 Oscar winner (the first Puerto Rican honoree) for her iconic role in West Side Story. The engaging narrative emphasizes that Moreno's success was the result of talent, hard work, and some luck; along the way she fought against the industry's entrenched racism and sexism. Retro-style illustrations capture Moreno's exuberance, and a timeline follows her inspiring professional career through 2020. An author's note and list of selected sources are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Spanish-language edition translated by Teresa Mlawer. In an unnamed U.S. city, Lola is given homework to draw "the country you are originally from," which Lola doesn't remember. The elderly apartment-building superintendent finally tells her "a monster"--a stand in for political destabilization--"fell upon our poor Island"; Lola's concluding drawing shows her homeland (likely the Dominican Republic) in its complexity. A welcome community and immigration story with vibrant illustrations of city and island life. Also available in Spanish.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. A sign appears on a derelict fountain: "COMING IN TWO WEEKS! CALLING ALL GOLDFISH LOOKING FOR A SUMMER HOME." Three goldfish-owning neighborhood children and their grandfather watch as a park worker cleans up the fountain, turning it back into something beautiful and functional--and ready for goldfish. Espinosa's bright illustrations bring a sense of joy to every page of this amiable story inspired by true events.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. The people of Windy Flats count on Jackrabbit McCabe and his extra-long legs to deliver messages fast. Will the advent of the electric telegraph make Jackrabbit's gift obsolete? Only a man-versus-machine race will yield the answer. Espinosa's illustrations find the humor in this old-timey yarn, which is both informative and sensitive to the idea that progress can have human costs.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Young monsters, Otis and Rae, out for their first camping trip, work through fears with good humor, spunk, and PB&B (for banana) sandwiches. The Espinosas bring graphic innovation to the familiar best-friend story. With elements of comic strips, a retro color scheme, and a winning sense of humor, they tell a story that will draw in readers.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008