(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sebastià Serra. When Inky, the "greatest escape octopus of all time," retires to the aquarium, his tank-mate Blotchy doesn't believe his wild stories, so Inky stages one final astonishing escape: out of the aquarium. Unbelievable but true(ish), this entertaining story about the Houdini of cephalopods, who escaped the National Aquarium of New Zealand in 2016, is accompanied by eye-pleasing pencil and ink illustrations in neon-bright digital colors.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sebastià Serra. This exploration of the evolution of weather, atmosphere, and climate sciences interweaves accounts of historical beliefs with current understandings. In the telling, Kudlinski emphasizes the important scientific practices of learning from mistakes and drawing on many different sources of evidence to develop knowledge. Cartoonlike digital and pencil illustrations feature children and adults experiencing weather in modern and historical contexts. Timeline, websites.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sebastià Serra. "On the fourth day of Christmas, a gift was sent to me: / 4 cacklin' hens / 3 black cats, 2 cutlasses, an' a parrot in a palm tree." In their second high-seas adventure (A Pirate's Night Before Christmas), the buccaneers plan twelve days of surprises for their cabin boy. The pirate lingo and raucously detailed color-rich illustrations add seafaring flair to this holiday standard.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sebastià Serra. Set in long-ago China, this story tells of Ming Zhang and his poor but deserving family. On New Year's Eve, Ming buys a magical wok, which promptly sets out to transfer riches from the greedy Li family to the Zhangs, who share it with others. The detailed, vigorous illustrations reflect the mischievous wok's energy. A recipe and Chinese New Year festival facts are appended.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sebastià Serra. Young Francisco, on his saint day, is entrusted to retrieve mangos from the tree past his "crabby Tía Clara's house." Bees buzz around the tree, and Francisco must figure out how to outsmart them. Proverbs in Spanish appear throughout the text as family members help him accomplish his goal. Eye-pleasing digitally colored pencil and ink illustrations feature lots of mango-shaped, rounded edges.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sebastià Serra. For her birthday, Pilar's uncle brings her a stray puppy. Pilar loves to dance, but Paco the pup instead pines after the moon. The text, which incorporates some Spanish, is wordy, but the denouement is sweet. Digital illustrations have a classic Golden Books look, complete with color on characters' cheeks represented by perfectly round circles.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sebastià Serra. Yates calls on his inner buccaneer to spin a swashbuckling version of the classic Christmas poem. The robust verse sails along with gusto, injecting the familiar rhyme scheme with pirate-speak (glossary included). Serra's digitally colored, retro-looking illustrations bring holiday cheer to the high seas; his jewel-tone palette highlights both the briny deep and a festive band of brigands.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sebastià Serra. The crew of The Jade Lotus entices a calico cat (thought to bring good luck) onto the ship. But the cat dislikes seafaring life and (unintentionally) sets in motion a chain of events that sink the boat. The wordy text is less engaging than the humorously detailed drawings of ancient Japan done in a throwback style reminiscent of Little Golden Books.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo