(3) K-3 Illustrated by Isabel Muñoz. After noting Ynes Mexia’s (1870–1938) childhood traumas and marital and business woes, this picture-book biography shows how she rose from the ashes to earn a college degree in her fifties and become the tip of the spear in the hazardous, male-dominated profession of botanical exploration. A conceit that compares the intrepid Mexia to the elusive wax palm tree she famously found succeeds as much for its lyricism as for conveying Mexia’s resilience and singular gifts. The time period is unspecified, making it difficult to fully appreciate the historical barriers Mexia faced in accumulating her vast collection of rare plant specimens; also, no mention is made of the racism Mexia experienced as a Mexican American person. Muñoz’s digital illustrations in a palette of earth tones give the inspiring, emotionally resonant narrative an evergreen feel.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) PS Illustrated by Luisa Uribe. Roll call can be difficult for a child with an unusual name. A young girl describes how her name "got stuck" in her teacher's mouth and kids "pretended to choke" or "seemed afraid" while hearing it or attempting to pronounce it. As they walk home, Mom reminds her that her "name is a song" and many other names are as well: "Olumide is a melody...Mamadou is a beat." She also imparts a lesson about descendants of enslaved Africans in the U.S.: "Their real names were stolen long ago so they dream up new ones." When the girl returns to school, she sings the names of her teacher and classmates, then her own name: Kora-Jalimuso. Throughout the story all names are followed by phonetic spelling. Names are represented visually as colorful swirls and air currents, stars, or fiery sparks through which the girl's mother lovingly leads her. A glossary of names, meanings, and pronunciations is included, by which we learn that the girl is named for a "harp of a female griot," a person who "passes on oral history through song." A bighearted, reassuring book that imparts a simple yet important message: we all deserve to have our names pronounced correctly.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Daniel Rieley. This verse picture-book biography of Raye Montague (1935–2018) seems tailor-made for kids not quite ready for Hidden Figures. Montague was an African American female engineer who was doubly discriminated against along the way to designing the first ship by computer in 1971. The art is tastefully cartoony, and the rhymes have a vigor that makes up for the occasional word-contortion. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Browning. Artist Browning illustrates Moore's classic Christmas poem with expansive, sentimental paintings. His large, full-bleed illustrations of rosy-cheeked Santa and reindeer flying in front of a full moon are iconic rather than original. Though it lacks a distinctive personality or point of view, the art may appeal to an adult audience sharing this well-loved verse with their little ones.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth