(2) PS Herbert is sure he is a fox, despite his rabbit ears and puffball tail. At home, Herbert's young sibling giggles as he constructs makeshift pointy ears, paints himself a dazzling red, and fashions a bushy tail out of mother rabbit's dress. Her angry response comes as no surprise. Herbert has not only made a mess but has also ruined her favorite dress. "Promise me you will be a good rabbit," she scolds again and again. Sturton's use of bright pastels lightens what could have been a heavy-handed message. The young rabbit doesn't give up on his dream; after retrieving his handmade tail from the trash and tying on his pointy ears, Herbert invites himself to play with the foxes in the park for the first time. When Mom once again disapproves, Herbert has finally had enough. "I AM A FOX!" he announces across a white page--empty save for his declaration and power stance. At last, Mom understands: "Yes. You are my fox." The story ends with a warm embrace and the reminder of the power of a parent's unconditional love.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton

(2) PS Illustrated by Fred Blunt. On placid Farmer George's farm, all is as it should be, with pigs oinking and sheep baaing. Enter two mischievous cows, who jump out at Farmer George from behind a tree: "BOO!" Farmer George, so startled he jumps out of his boots, tells them, "NO. NO. NO!...cows do not go BOO...Please try to get it right." This pattern continues, with the cows repeatedly disrupting the peace and order of the farm. Then Farmer George has an idea--he'll send the miscreants to his cornfield, where their "BOO!"s will scare away the pesky crows. Of course, the tricky twosome reverts to their regular mooing, and it's left to the now-wild-eyed farmer to do the scaring off. Comical and energetic cartoon illustrations imbue all the characters with personality and make the most of the story's slapstick humor and interrupting cows.

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

(4) K-3 During World War I, an American solider adopts a stray dog that wanders into camp. The soldier and the dog, whom he names Stubby, become inseparable and the dog quickly becomes the regiment's mascot. Though the warm tale is based on a true story, Stubby's learning to salute and his smiling, human-like visage (as portrayed in the line-and-wash illustrations) stretch reality a bit. A historical note adds context.

Reviewer: Meredith Madyda

(3) K-3 After Beast finds an egg at his door bearing the note "Please look after me," he tries to oblige but accidentally muddies it, drops it, etc. Only when the egg rolls to the hospital does Beast finally receive care instructions. The story promises grins, and the flummoxed Beast, depicted as a monster in silhouette throughout, is endlessly sympathetic ("Oh, Egg!").

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Patrick Benson. Eliza finds a stone on the beach and decides it's an egg. One morning she wakes up to see, in place of the "egg," a stone bird. Seasons pass, and a small stone appears next to her bird; later, that stone is replaced by a stone chick. McCartney captures in uncomplicated prose the unwavering faith and abundant imagination of children. Benson's richly detailed illustrations radiate warmth.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(3) K-3 Little Princess series. The Little Princess considers her dad a royal killjoy: he doesn't bake as well as the cook, swim like the admiral, etc. She realizes the king's value only after suffering through cooking, swimming, and other lessons with the maid. Ross continues a successful streak with this latest comic drama for his Little Princess, whose relatability shines through in the chipper, featherweight art.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS When rain wipes out spider Stanley's elaborate web and his collection of "precious things" woven into it, he's left with just a heart-shaped leaf...which is enough to inspire a new masterpiece. This story quietly champions stick-to-itiveness and finding beauty in the quotidian: in Shi's fastidious art, the web's found objects (a button, a pop-tab, etc.) are no less lovely than its natural elements.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. "This is not just a book. / You can use it as a hat... / ...or a tent for your cat." So begins a rhyming litany of uses for a book, some more intellectual: "Books can make you really clever... / ...and they stay with you forever." A well-executed trifle with Ross's signature breezy art in watercolor and ink.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bruce Ingman. When mice eat a chunk of Swiss cheese, the two leftover holes become homeless. They try to take up residence in the king's sock, the queen's undies, and so on, but must flee before they're sewn up, etc. Finally, they prove their usefulness in a pair of royal flutes. It's a fresh premise, but the art occasionally looks incomplete.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS On the first night he's to sleep in a big-kid bed, Flynn announces, "Mom, Dad, there's a walrus in my bed." They suspect a stalling tactic...until they agree to let the rotund, bright orange walrus sleep in their bed. The story plays like vindication for kids, and young readers can be forgiven for wondering if the whiskered snuggler wouldn't make a fine pet.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Young camel Jamal cannot keep up with his parents in a Bedouin caravan. Lost and afraid, Jamal encounters a string of desert animals, including the falcon that finally leads the camel safely to his family. The story is slight, but Foreman's graceful watercolor and pencil illustrations strikingly contrast the empty, lonely desert with the bustling traditional marketplace, the sea, and Dubai's gleaming modern skyscrapers.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nathan Reed. Samson the Mighty Flea is the weightlifting star of Fleabag's Circus. He leaves to pursue a solo act to become "the biggest star in the world" but returns after realizing he misses his friends. The text has occasional rhyming passages, but its patterns are too haphazard to build drama effectively. The illustrations, full of bold colors and curlicues, are well suited to the circus motif.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) K-3 Patchwork elephant Elmer and his cousin Wilbur visit their elderly aunt Zelda. That Zelda is losing her hearing opens the door for some cheap humor ("'I knew you'd be there.' 'Saw a bear, dear?' said Aunt Zelda. 'How interesting'"). Still, McKee's long-running picture-book series attracts readers with its cheery art in the signature rainbow palette.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 When patchwork elephant Elmer hears "a catchy tune" from his friend Rose, it gets stuck in his head. He strolls through the jungle humming the tune...and soon all the animals are stuck singing the melody and look to Elmer for a solution. The one-note premise wears thin, but, as with most Elmer books, the vibrant, rainbow-colored art provides the familiar appeal.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) K-3 This time around, the Little Princess starts school, where making friends is a royal challenge ("We don't want to play with YOU"). But when her group of social outcasts outnumbers the excluders... This is yet another winner from Ross, whose light hand produces endlessly appealing illustrations embedded with gags, as when the Little Princess hangs up her "hat" (crown) at school.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 The "kid" in question is a goat, who is always late to school. The tale he tells his teacher includes wild adventures with a submarine, an elephant, crocodiles, and "dinopirates." He is sent to the Naughty Corner for lying until aliens arrive and corroborate his story. Using fanciful wordplay and joke-infused illustrations, this satisfying kid-fantasy is amusing and silly.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Little Princess series. One summer day, the Little Princess learns about snow and wants some, "NOW!" Despite her minders' efforts to please her--they build her a stone snowman, a "snowcastle" with sand, etc.--she consigns herself to her bed "forever!... Or at least until it snows." Somehow, Ross hasn't yet run out of fresh scenarios for his beguilingly bratty princess. His droll art retains its signature propriety-threatening conviviality.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Georgie Birkett. In mostly successful if oddly punctuated rhyming text, a big sister compares her "big girl" life to her baby brother's: "The baby's got his mushy / food, he gets it in his hair. / But I've got crunchy cereal / and I sit on a chair." The text is didactic but encouraging; cheerful, spacious illustrations show an interracial family gamely balancing its members' needs.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) PS Illustrated by Adrian Reynolds. To test into the Tickle Squad, a mouse must tickle a series of large, often dangerous animals as two other mice in lab coats observe and comment on his performance; bland cartoony illustrations depict the giddy results of each tickle session. The endpapers, displaying handwritten formulas on graph paper, help set up the faux-scientific premise for this one-joke story in rhyme.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Billy Goat finds the farmer's lost cell phone and--with his best friend, Cyril--takes selfies, makes prank calls, and cyberbullies a troll. The goats only learn half a lesson: they eventually befriend the tiny troll they bullied but suffer no consequence for keeping lost property as their own. Forced rhymes create an unnatural cadence, but Ross's entertaining illustrations are lively and expressive.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels