(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. This picture-book biography is a fascinating introduction to Ghanaian artist El Anatsui and his innovative artistic process. Early pages present Anatsui's childhood love of artmaking in the British colony of the Gold Coast. When he was a teenager, in 1957, his country achieved independence as the nation of Ghana, and Goldberg stirringly writes, "With this new freedom, he felt a shift." Anatsui's own words follow: "We could decide to do things on our own terms." Words and pictures guide readers to see how liberation on this national scale translated into Anatsui's artistic quest to freely express himself by experimenting with diverse media and developing new techniques. Zunon's (I Am Farmer, rev. 1/19; Grandpa Cacao, rev. 5/19) use of paint and cut-paper collage is particularly well suited to depicting Anatsui's life and artistry; it echoes his own evolving process of using found materials and assembling them in his artwork. Throughout, the illustrations' style is largely realistic, and shifts in visual perspective invite the reader to home in on pivotal moments. For example, when Anatsui finds a discarded bag of bottle tops at the side of the road, Zunon spotlights him holding one. The next spread eschews background detail to show Anatsui's hands manipulating the bottle tops as he develops a technique for creating the massive, fabric-like sculptures that brought him international acclaim. Back matter provides additional context and sources while inviting readers to get their own hands involved in creating art.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) PS Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. It's bath time for the child we first met in Bedtime for Sweet Creatures (rev. 1/20), and once again the youngster's mother is the narrator. As in many households, here bath time is an occasion for imaginative play. Together mother and child pretend that the tub is a "soft-scented sea" through which the child swims, evading "monsters" (the child's rubber ducky), diving beneath the waves for treasure, piloting tugboats through crashing waves. (Meanwhile, the mother notes, "I sneak shampoo into your silky, wet curls"--it's not all fun and games.) When bath time is over, the mother lets the water out of the tub, and "together we watch the ocean swirl away." Bold, lush illustrations contrast the cool blues and greens of the imaginative sea scenes with the glowing brown skin of the protagonists. When at last Dad arrives to carry the towel-wrapped child off to bed, the illustration depicts the mundane post-bath bathroom, with a puddle of water and bath toys on the floor, bringing the book's listeners back to reality and providing a transition to, perhaps, their own bedtimes. Another joyful depiction of family life from this successful author-artist team.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) PS Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. Grimes puts an animal-centric spin on a youngster's innovations for bedtime stalling. This lushly illustrated story, on double-page spreads full of bold, saturated color, opens with an African American child's firm attestation: "No! No! No!" It's bedtime, and this young person wants no part of it. The narrator, the child's mother, speaks in an immediate second-person voice. "In the forest of your room, you cling to Bear. I turn back the sheets, and you GROWL. 'In you both go,' I say." In response to each of Mommy's directives, the child's defiance conjures a colorful creature, adorned with geometric patterns. In most cases, the imagined animal is larger than the protagonist, emphasizing just how strong bedtime resistance can be. The child freezes in place like Fawn, hangs onto Mommy's neck like Koala, crouches and pounces like Tiger, and hops like Antelope, all of which contribute to the difficulties of winding down for sleep. Zunon mixes realistic portrayals of the human characters with more stylized depictions of the animals to highlight the role the child's imagination is playing. The gender-unspecified protagonist, wearing a footed red onesie with a back flap, helps all young listeners see themselves in these scenarios. A clever bedtime tale for stubborn, active, twenty-first-century kids.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. Growing up in northwestern Cameroon, Tantoh Nforba loved the rich soil and earned the nickname "Farmer." As an adult, he has become an effective advocate for clean water and safe agricultural practices. This heartening story conveys the importance of sound agricultural practices across farms, schoolyards, communities, and nations. In Zunon's colorful mixed-media illustrations, the vibrancy of people, water, and soil showcase the movement Farmer Tantoh has built. Glos.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. Thirteen-year-old Martha Bartlett lives with her Quaker family in an abolitionist community in 1850s Connecticut. When her adopted younger brother, Jake--a light-skinned, possibly autistic orphan of a runaway slave--is kidnapped by slave catchers following the Fugitive Slave Act, Martha embarks on an Underground Railroad–aided rescue mission. Historical tidbits enhance this readable but uneven story of sibling love. Author's note appended.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. Despite a difficult childhood and the entertainment industry's racism, the actress, singer, and performer Lena Horne rose to Hollywood stardom and became a vocal civil rights advocate. Weatherford straightforwardly but persistently emphasizes the injustices Horne faced, celebrating her triumphs in the face of them. Zunon's evocative illustrations, in cut-paper collage and oil paint, take readers back in time to Horne's era. Reading list, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Alia Jones

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. Ninety-six-year-old Nell doesn't doesn't do hugs and kisses, and she growls her disapproval at her great-granddaughter, this book's narrator. But when Nell shares painful memories of "the time her best friend said they couldn't be friends anymore because of her brown skin," the narrator comes to a better understanding of her great-grandmother. Zunon's illustrations create a stage for the queenly central character.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. A little girl finds her mother's stash of childhood poems reflecting the mother's travels as an Air Force brat. The daughter's free-verse poems about finding and reading her mother's work appear on left-hand pages, facing her mother's tanka poems (a Japanese poetic form) on the right. Pink-toned acrylic and oil illustrations are enhanced by cut-paper and fabric collage. Notes on the poetic forms are appended.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2015

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. In 1980s the Gambia, ever-growing piles of discarded plastic bags were attracting disease-bearing insects and killing domestic animals. Paul has written a clear and sensitive account of Isatou Ceesay and her fellow activists' ingenious solution to the problem. Zunon's collages, with vivid colors, elegant patterns, and varied textures--especially those from plastic bags--provide a beautiful entry into the story. Reading list, timeline. Glos.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2015

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. This junior version of the best-seller for adults describes how fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba saves his drought-blighted Malawi village: after teaching himself English and reading science books at a library donated by "the Americans," he creates a windmill from odd parts. It's an amazing, emboldening story honored by the handsome oil paint and cut-paper illustrations, which call to mind quilts.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. Present-tense rhymes ostensibly voiced by African American artist Bearden describe his childhood move from North Carolina to Harlem, where his past informed what would become his celebrated collage art. The rhymes, which an author's note says reflects Bearden's love of blues and jazz, don't sound kidlike; the oil and collage art, which also salutes Bearden, tells his story better. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. MacLachlan imagines a Tanzanian woman singing to her baby as they go about their day together, babe secured in a "long colorful kanga" on Mother's back. The volume is not only lyrical and soothing, it's also instructive about daily activities on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. The luminous color-saturated oil paintings are calm and lovely.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin