(2) K-3 Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. To today's young readers, a video game played on a television screen probably seems like something that's existed forever, but this picture-book biography introduces readers to the individual to whom all gamers owe a debt of gratitude. After fleeing Nazi Germany as a teenager, Rudolf Baer changed his first name to Ralph and used his talent for electronics to work as a radio operator during World War II. After the war, Baer studied early television technology and became a military engineer. He first conceived of his TV video game idea in 1966 and spent the next five years experimenting, testing, and prototyping his invention. Hannigan's (A Lady Has the Floor) text conveys Baer's determination and relentlessness as he works through multiple iterations of his video game box. OHora's recognizable acrylic paint illustrations (Goodnight Veggies, rev. 3/20; Dogs at Work, rev. 9/21), using a limited palette of yellow and blue contrasting with subdued greens, reds, and pinks, help set the story in its historical context. Back matter includes photos, four pages of questions and answers about Baer and his work, a timeline, and a list of resources.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Zachariah Ohora. In this entertaining picture book, the skills used in actual jobs done by all kinds of very good dogs--from therapy dog to truffle-sniffing dog to (somewhat alarmingly!) dog mayor--are shown in parallel to the traits that make canines great companions. A dog who always finds you during hide-and-seek may also be a great search-and-rescue dog, and a dog who takes care of you would make a great "mother dog" (a welcome addition to the list of jobs, appended). The framing device, in which the dogs stand up on two feet and leave their homes for the office, makes the text--told from the perspective of children as if they were the left-behind pets--feel a bit muddled, particularly when it transitions between the pretend world of dogs heading to human work and the realistic dog jobs that are highlighted in the illustrations. But that framing also gives OHora (Horrible Bear!, rev. 3/16; Goodnight, Veggies, rev. 3/20) a chance to shine in whimsical spreads of canines with briefcases lining up for a bus and a title page of cheerful pups sitting at their cubicles; meanwhile, wistful youngsters watch from windows. The illustrator's characteristic flat, colorful drawings, with a few objects highlighted with texture and detail, are just right for this celebration of all dogkind. Deliciously punny "barkmatter" and "furrier reading" introduce curious kids to the real dog jobs that fly by in the fast-moving story.

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

(2) PS Illustrated by Zachariah Ohora. Sonny, an anthropomorphized and very fuzzy red fox, "finds a thing" on the playground and quickly becomes attached to the pink plush bunny, which he dubs Bun-Bun. "Mine!" Then Honey (a furry pink animal) and Boo (a rabbit) approach the sandbox with solemn faces: Boo has lost Suki, her beloved pink plush bunny. Sonny claims he's never seen Suki, and slyly tucks the toy he found out of sight. Sonny tries various tactics to distract Boo from her missing stuffie, but her sadness stretches on, and Sonny is faced with a quandary. Within a limited color palette of OHora's bold digital illustrations, the creatures' emotions are augmented through thick-lined black brows, dotted eyes, and small but expressive snouts. The simple and repetitive text easily involves young listeners in familiar and relatable scenarios: losing something precious and practicing empathy. On the last spread Sonny says, "Come back soon!" as he waves with his friends, breaking the fourth wall and transforming the tale into a role-played fable of sorts. Inviting and light-handed in its morality, the story offers safe territory for exercising that empathy muscle alongside Sonny and his friends.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(1) PS Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. As the sun sets over a rooftop community garden, it's time for the garden's vegetables to get some rest. "Turnips tucked in tightly. / Potatoes closing eyes. / Tuckered-out tomatoes / humming lullabies." In OHora's sweet and funny acrylic art, all the veggies have endearing facial expressions (even the tiniest peas and baby carrots). The (intentional) sleepiness of the book's action is balanced by the presence of a lively earthworm in a baseball cap who swoops through the color-saturated double-page spreads, athletically looping through tunnels and popping up occasionally to check out the dozing garden denizens. The childlike approach, appealing art, and relatable worm character are enough to connect story and audience, but at book's end the text makes the connection even more overtly: "Every veggie's snoozing, / beneath the moon so bright, / for nothing's more exhausting / than growing day and night." The accompanying illustration shows sleeping radishes just below the earth's surface and the earthworm further underground in its own snug home, all tucked up in its looooooong narrow bed, its single sneaker left by the entrance.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. Chipmunk Maurice sells lemonade by bicycle. Porcupine Lotta rides around on her bike collecting sticks. Two bike wrecks lead to raccoon Sid's bike shop and a new friendship. The omniscient narration is practically poetry (on Maurice's bike: "The sprockets remembered mud and lemons, twigs and mint"), and OHora's acrylics capture the reliable adorableness of hardworking small forest creatures.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. In this successful board-book adaptation, one member of a dinosaur classroom has a self-control issue: "Apatosaurus colors. Pteranodon inspects. Velociraptor glitters. Tyrannosaurus...WRECKS!" Naively drawn dinosaurs with bold outlines and flat, digitally added colors pop from the pages. A spare text (primarily simple subjects and verbs) builds tension until the students band together to reform the disruptive dino. A satisfyingly high-energy read-aloud.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2014

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. Massive elephant Poe is sitting in the middle of Prickly Valley's only road, and he "won't go." The perturbed townspeople encourage Poe to leave, but all attempts fail until a young girl asks him why. It turns out that Poe has been waiting for--and unknowingly sitting on--his friend Moe, a monkey. This humorous, offbeat story's outlandish scenarios are nicely supported by quirky, playful acrylic and pencil illustrations.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. Reading from Everything About Lemmings, First Mate Foxy of the S.S. Cliff says: "lemmings don't jump off cliffs." Three onboard lemmings overhear one word: "Jump? I'll jump!" After saving his impulsive shipmates, Foxy demands, "Read the book, lemmings!" What Foxy doesn't know is the little guys can't read. Dyckman's text is entertainingly patterned (if somewhat confusing), and OHora's limited-color acrylic illustrations play up the slapstick.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. Mr. Stricter lets his class keep one of the tadpoles they've hatched. It soon becomes evident (to the students, at least) that Bruno is not a frog but a hippo. After many hippo-size problems, the class must convince a smitten Mr. Stricter to give up Bruno. In his signature style of thick black lines and bold shapes, Ohora's acrylics perfectly capture the text's ample humor.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. In tongue-in-cheek direct-address text, Vega provides an entertaining manual for putting unruly monsters to sleep. She starts with the don'ts; the do list includes slimy bedtime bug juice, an ice-cold bath, and a scary story. It works, and soon the monster is snoring. OHora's thick-lined illustrations--"just old-school [acrylic] paint on paper"--show a brown-skinned girl bossing around a large, rainbow-sherbet-hued, non-scary monster.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(2) PS Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. A snoozing bear breaks a little girl's kite ("CRUNCH!"). The girl wakes the creature by shouting "HORRIBLE BEAR!" then storms off. The put-out bear stomps down to the girl's house, ready to wake her up--and he's unprepared for the apology he receives. This lively conflict-resolution-in-picture-book's-clothing is as entertaining as it is instructive. OHora's acrylic illustrations with thick black lines enhance the humor.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(1) PS Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. Dot isn't pleased when a baby wolf foundling is left on the Bunny family's doorstep--"HE'S GOING TO EAT US ALL UP!" Her smitten parents ignore her. At the market, however, Wolfie is a boon to his big sister when a bear lunges toward them yelling, "DINNER!" The text's humor keeps scariness in check; cartoonish acrylic paintings with comical touches match the tone.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2015

(2) PS Illustrated by Zachariah OHora. All is harmony in the dinosaur classroom, except for one member with a self-control issue: "Apatosaurus colors. Pteranodon inspects. Velociraptor glitters. Tyrannosaurus...WRECKS!" Naively drawn dinosaurs with bold outlines and flat, digitally added colors pop from white pages. A text consisting primarily of simple subjects and verbs builds tension until the students band together to reform the disruptive dino. A satisfyingly high-energy, primal read-aloud.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2014

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Zachariah Ohora. A budding-scientist narrator begins a meticulous project researching which animal will make the best pet for her. As she observes creatures in various environs, including the farm, zoo, woodlands, and at home, any potential pick gets a poem--each impeccably rhymed and side-splittingly wry--eliminating it from the running. OHora's bold black-outlined acrylics smartly work with and expand on Wheeler's jokes.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen