(2) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Weyant. Boobies are birds that live along the coasts of the Eastern Pacific. In this book, the red-footed boobies live on one rock in the sea; the blue-footed boobies live on a rock across the way. The groups vie for dominance and taunt each other (shouting "BEST!" and blowing raspberries), frustrating the hermit crab that lives on the rock between them. A Shakespearean drama unfolds when a blue-footed booby and a red-footed booby meet and fall in love. Ink and watercolor cartoon illustrations with heavy lines contrast with gently shaded colors, creating a sense of character and whimsy while also depicting realistic flourishes such as accurate booby courtship behaviors. Plentiful white space focuses the eye and presents opportunities for oversize text in expressive type to bring the words and art together. The text is a mix of straightforward and comical, with asides to make adults smile, as when readers learn that the hermit crab can perform the lovers' wedding ceremony "thanks to a certificate he got on the internet." As is the case in many families nursing an ancient grudge, the emergence of a baby makes everyone reconsider their antagonistic positions. "And finally, all the boobies actually agreed!" Back matter provides facts about boobies. Humorous lessons on life and animal behavior make this a memorable offering.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by James Burks. Bugs and bad weather and bears...oh, my! At first, camping seems like a "fun and easy" vacation. For a family of inexperienced campers, however, disaster lurks around every pine tree. Luckily, the frustrated family (portrayed in the illustrations with a variety of skin tones) stumbles upon Campingland, a bright, plastic-y, climate-controlled paradise, complete with an abundance of modern conveniences and politely accommodating animatronic forest friends. "Not like our first camping trip," whose details are revealed in a series of zany flashbacks that parallel the Campingland activities. Dyckman's straightforward and energetic prose makes for an engaging story. The use of speech bubbles with a large, playful font for the dialogue encourages interactive participation for emerging as well as more proficient readers. Burks's digital illustrations are full of humorous details. The candy-colored vistas of Campingland are in sharp contrast to the gray-weather outdoor scenes of the real campsite. But that first trip, it turns out, was the one full of "real family memories," and now the family is "a lot more prepared" to give outdoor camping another try and to "just roll with it...no matter what." (Uh-oh.)

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) PS Hedgehog has been baking cookies for her friends and neighbors, but "Bear should have a grand gift, a special gift, something wonderful...just like Bear." Nothing seems good enough until her home's decorations give her the best idea: a giant gingerbread house. When a gusty wind turns Hedgehog's creation into a pile of crumbs, Bear comes to her rescue and reveals her own present attempt, reminding the two just how well suited they are as friends. Red ribbons and berries plus snow-covered pines, wreaths, and other greenery give the gouache and colored-pencil illustrations a cheerful wintry feel. The front endpapers feature "Hedgehog's Gingerbread Cookies" and "Grandma's Honey Icing" recipes.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(3) PS Illustrated by Christopher Weyant. In the latest outing for these bear besties, the pair is confronted with a major challenge: "Can I play with you?" asks a third party. One bear welcomes this interloper; the other feels excluded and isn't above a little sabotage. The hilarious histrionics are set against white backdrops that foreground the cartoonish bears' Elephant and Piggie–worthy shtick.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Liana Hee. Princess Brianna Bright loves ballet and fencing, but she isn't very good at either--until thieves steal jewels from the castle, and Brianna combines ballet moves with fencing to save the day. Calvert cleverly points out similarities between ballet and fencing in this tale of girl power. Hee's digital illustrations are slick and twee but capture the strength and grace of Brianna's movements. Glos.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Weyant. Pencil and her friends give Eraser no respect: they taunt her for not being "creative." Tired of playing "Pencil's pooper-scooper," Eraser splits the scene and unexpectedly encounters some discarded papers that remind her of her importance: she gives second chances. Set inside a school bereft of humans, the story delivers ticklish wordplay against ink and watercolor art starring comically anthropomorphized desk mainstays.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 A little boy doesn't want to go to bed because he imagines all the amazing things that happen when he's asleep. The truth is even wackier than he imagined: the boy spies his parents partying and cracking jokes with his toy duck and other animals in boisterously illustrated scenes with speech bubbles. Mack leaves readers wondering what's real in this silly, energetic (and not for bedtime) book.

Reviewer: Jessica Costello

(3) PS After human baby Leo is swept out to sea, he's raised by sea lions that he grows to love. Upon being discovered on shore by another child, Leo is reunited with his birth parents; unfortunately, he misses his sea family. The problem is resolved to everyone's satisfaction--including the reader's. Vogel packs an impressive amount of tenderness into flagrantly cartoonish digital art.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Jack's orange toy dinosaur Dexter (Don't Forget Dexter!) is wracked with anxiety as Show-and-Tell Day looms at Jack's school: Is he cool enough? Dexter frantically experiments with various costumes and performances, responding directly to the reader's implied criticisms. Ultimately, Dexter makes a splash by being himself. The conversational text and ink, colored-pencil, and cut-paper art capture a common worry with humor and reassurance.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) PS Illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic. Platypus tries to play with the kangaroos, dingoes, possums, and fruit bats, but he never quite fits in, and his clumsiness earns him the name "Splatypus." Eventually, he discovers swimming with other aquatic animals and realizes where he belongs. The rhyming text is full of onomatopoeic tongue twisters ("HOBBLE, BOBBLE, WIGGLE, WOBBLE"). Comical illustrations prominently feature Platypus's blue feet and bill against dusty outback scenes.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Little Puppy and bigger Bear become friends and spend the rest of the summer playing together...until Bear doesn't show up one day. But it's just because school has started, and Bear reassures Puppy that they can still play after school. Inconsistent anthropomorphism in the watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations muddies the plot in this tame story of different-age friendship.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tracy Bishop. Little girl Pipsie eagerly uses her detective skills to determine which creature stung her talking-turtle sidekick Alfred during their earlier park visit. A mosquito? A spider? A bee? It's a contrived mystery with touches of humor, but as the two retrace their morning walk, the lighthearted text and large, pastel-colored illustrations offer relevant wildlife details. Additional facts about insects are appended.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Edwardian Taylor. In this metafictional fairy-tale retelling, the narrator pushes reluctant hero Jack to follow the prescribed story line, but young Jack--via speech balloons--keeps highlighting the plot's ridiculousness. Their playful banter ends with Jack refusing to follow the narrator's ending and instead opening up a beans restaurant with the giant. Taylor's cartoony digital illustrations enhance the humor and feature lots of recognizable fairy-tale characters.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Valerio Fabbretti. A little girl named Dr. Wonderful ponders why the moon seems to shrink in the sky. Accompanied by her dog Newton, she takes off in her "Space-tastic Mind Mobile" to explore the moon and find answers for herself. Bright digital illustrations help illustrate the concept of lunar phases explained in a wordy, drawn-out text. A list of lunar facts is appended.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) PS Illustrated by Christopher Weyant. Two bears psych themselves up to ride a roller coaster by listing things that are scarier: snakes, spiders, hot lava...yikes, a roller coaster with a snake! Happily, the snake makes a good ride companion; together they decide that sometimes it's fun to be scared. Simple dialogue-and-sound-effects text, easy-to-parse cartoon illustrations, and clean design make this funny story accessible for preschoolers almost ready for easy readers.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) PS Illustrated by Andrew Joyner. Unlikely pals Duck and Hippo splash in the springtime rain--then umbrella-holding Duck gets carried off (Rainstorm); they invite their friends on a summertime picnic--then Hippo gets lost (Found). Cartoon art, rendered in brush-and-ink with wash and pencil and digitally colored, depict the silly (and slim) escapades that celebrate friendship and the benefits of sticking together. Review covers these titles: Duck and Hippo in the Rainstorm and Duck and Hippo Lost and Found.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) PS Illustrated by Andrew Joyner. Unlikely pals Duck and Hippo splash in the springtime rain--then umbrella-holding Duck gets carried off (Rainstorm); they invite their friends on a summertime picnic--then Hippo gets lost (Found). Cartoon art, rendered in brush-and-ink with wash and pencil and digitally colored, depict the silly (and slim) escapades that celebrate friendship and the benefits of sticking together. Review covers these titles: Duck and Hippo in the Rainstorm and Duck and Hippo Lost and Found.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Edward Hemingway. Cat Mr. Fuzzbuster is obviously owner Lily's favorite. His fellow pets disagree, so the smug kitty writes a note asking Lily to decide. Her response is not what Mr. Fuzzbuster expected (though listeners might have), inspiring him to shift his perspective. The well-paced text--which includes silly pet names and a final twist--is complemented by humorous mixed-media illustrations conveying Mr. Fuzzbuster's emotional roller coaster.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) PS Illustrated by Ovi Nedelcu. City-dwelling Little Car moves "Out West" to pursue his dream of becoming a cowboy, but there's a roadblock in his path: cars can't ride horses. Is there a workaround? This genial plug for not giving up on dreams traffics in groaner wordplay ("Little Car did a brake dance") and cartoonish art that makes the West look not unlike Hanna-Barbera country.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Rhode Montijo. Benny the bull shark is a bully without any friends. When Benny demands friendship from Janice Jellyfish, the wise invertebrate takes him to Friend School. Watercolor, pen-and-ink, and digital cartoons show well-meaning Benny's humorous misunderstanding of rules such as "#2: a friend always tells the truth" ("My, Janice, you are an ugly jellyfish"). The slight friendship primer ends on a sweet note at graduation.

Reviewer: Kari Allen