(3) K-3 Illustrated by Luc Melanson. Upset schoolboy Brandon claims he is now a zombie with enemy-destroying tears, and his two friends vow to have his back. Gradually, readers learn that a female classmate had just called Brandon a fairy for wearing a crown and flower. This subtle tale about gender nonconformity and bullying features gentle illustrations foregrounding an enviably loyal friendship.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Luc Melanson. A young girl tells readers about her next-door neighbor, Rosario, and his flourishing garden. She's sad when he buries his fig tree, then overjoyed when it's resurrected in the spring and blooms again. Though the narrative voice is flat, the story has charm. The digital illustrations in subdued earth tones of yellow, brown, and green include elongated figures with oversize heads and expressive eyes.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Luc Melanson. "Where are you, Martin? On the moon?" his teacher asks the daydreaming boy on his first day of school. Martin's thoughts--poetic, anxious, free-associating--provide the book's narration, which may enchant adults but perhaps not the target readership: Martin's nostalgia doesn't sound like that of a young child's. The sensitive art, which features a vulnerable-looking kid, is more relatable.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Luc Melanson. Reflecting back on "when I was a little kid," a narrator (presumably the author as a boy) describes how his two older brothers teased, injured, defended, and entertained him. Brotherly love permeates the humorous illustrations featuring three grubby-looking kids with bad haircuts. The episodic anecdotes, while amusing, could have been better shaped in service of the whole.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Translated by Helen Mixter. Illustrated by Luc Melanson. The narrator of this heartwarming book thinks his "great big mama" is just the right size. When she decides to go on a diet, he does too, "to show her how stupid it is." Digital illustrations show an exaggeratedly large, rounded mother in a red-orange dress. The pictures radiate the love, comfort, and security the boy feels in Mamma's presence.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Luc Melanson & Luc Melanson. When an unbelievably oblivious teacher selects the shyest second grader in her class to write a Christmas story and read it at an all-school assembly, three classmates leap on stage to his rescue and tell how, earlier, he helped them learn the true meaning of Christmas. Fortunately, the story's snappy pace and cartoony pastel illustrations keep it from being too saccharine.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann