(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Kim. Two little dokkaebi ("something of a cross between a spirit and a goblin" per the informative appended note), Doki and Kebi, venture from their home in Korea to "a land where...there are haunted houses, and people go visit them because they WANT to be scared." Scaring humans is one of Kebi's greatest treats, but Doki would rather read books. Their new home is the perfect compromise--but Halloween brings an unexpected, narratively satisfying twist. Cartoony digital illustrations give the dokkaebi--shown as colorful, blobby, rosy-cheeked tricksters--personality and provide funny, scene-setting details.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Kim. An unspecified natural disaster destroys the home of two brothers, who are then unable to locate their parents. With the "howl" of the storm lingering in their minds, the pair starts ­walking, just ­putting "one foot in front of the other." The older brother carries a blanket, and the younger (who narrates the story) holds an orange that, once peeled and opened, serves as a metaphor for his nascent attempts to deal with the trauma. The boys sleep in each other's arms on a beach near other people left homeless ("like driftwood"). Kim's palette then brightens, shifting from the dark shadows of the storm and its aftermath to the yellow sun rising on the shore, as hope arrives in the form of a boat. They board, and the younger boy looks back at the smoke where their home once was, knowing they "could not go back." ­Mayper, as explained in the back matter, set out to chronicle an "experience of catastrophe" to represent the plight of all refugees. Those wanting a refugee story built around specifics--and one with closure--should look elsewhere. But this can serve as a conversation starter for young children, particularly those looking further at the two resources Mayper suggests for learning more about displaced persons.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Kim. When everyone asks a light brown–skinned girl the titular question, she's confused: "I'm from here." Then Abuelo takes her on a dreamy tour, from South America's Pampas to a warm island to "this land where our ancestors...were in chains." Most importantly, though, she's from Abuelo's "love and the love of all those before us." Warm watercolor and digital art illustrates the overt but useful story.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) PS Illustrated by Jaime Kim. This joyful book celebrates a child and caregiver's loving relationship through a day spent at the seashore. With creative use of language, especially homonyms, the poetic text flows from scene to scene: "I am sand. I stick. / I'm a stick. I float. / I'm a float on a fisherman's line." Sunny watercolor and digital illustrations set the mood and clarify the text's meaning.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Kim. An engagingly poetic, somewhat nostalgic text and cheerful, cartoonish drawings help capture the joys of summer (seemingly in the suburbs)--from the end of school to the jingle of the ice-cream truck to camping outdoors. The "when...then" structure of the story is not always steady.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Kim. A girl sings "La" alone. She appreciates the sound but wants accompaniment. She tries singing to a tree ("La La La"), to a plant ("La La?"), and finally to the moon, which ultimately answers her song ("LA! LA! LA!"). This practically wordless book--featuring leaf- and light-speckled outdoor scenes rendered in watercolor, ink, and digital techniques--has much to say about collaboration and persistence.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Kim. Whimsy and science blend smoothly in this combination bedtime story and astronomy book. As a girl gazes at the sky from bed, the moon lyrically describes its activities: "Spin like a twilight ballerina" is turning on its axis, and so on. Luminous acrylic and digital illustrations enhance the text, with the fanciful phrasing on the left and moon facts on the right-hand sides of the spreads. Reading list. Glos.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler