(2) YA In an appealing and innovative collection, Wilson (One Last Shot, rev. 3/23) brings together a dozen authors (David Bowles, Margarita Engle, Eric Gansworth, Mariama J. Lockington, among others), each creating a different short story in verse around the overarching theme of love. The tales explore this theme from various perspectives: love that is new, controlling, forbidden, rejected, familial, spiritual, same sex, among friends, and for our pets. The poets each bring their unique storytelling style -- some accessibly conversational, some more layered and narratively complex -- with stories ranging from fantasy to contemporary and historical fiction. Poetic language builds each story: in the heartbreaking but hopeful "Kaleidoscope," for instance, Alexandra Alessandri writes, "I can learn to find beauty in the ashes, / to choose joy in the hard places, / to make art from broken pieces." Each entry stands strongly on its own, while the collection creates a compelling picture of the many dimensions of love.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gordy Wright. In fifteen verses, Elliott celebrates creatures who inhabit the Sahara Desert -- and, in one introductory poem, the desert itself. As always in this winning series (see At the Poles, rev. 9/23, and eight other titles), the poems are an enticing mix of the evocative and the witty, with haunting language characterizing some poems and light wordplay others. Many use an engaging direct address: for instance, for the desert horned viper, "Why do / they call / this place / the Land / of Fear? / Perhaps / because / they know / that you / are here." Wright employs a desert-appropriate palette, with warm browns and light oranges and greens dominating the mixed-media illustrations. The animals are often shown looking out at the reader, enhancing the book's arresting effect. Appended with extremely useful and illuminating "Notes about the Sahara Desert and the Animals"; the information that dung beetles navigate by the Milky Way is particularly "cool."

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) K-3 The poems in this picture book–length collection introduce animals and other elements of farms. Florian’s facility with rhyme and meter lends itself to read-alouds (“The mother goose is called a goose. / The father is a gander. / And baby geese are goslings, but / one started to meander”), and poems with surprise endings pack particular punch. Illustrations made with watercolor, colored pencil, rubber stamps, and collage may encourage are invitingly reminiscent of children’s drawings.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Evan Turk. This cento (a poem composed of passages from other writers) pays reverent tribute to the natural world, weaving together the words of poets such as Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver, Philip Larkin, Harriett Annie Wilkins, and many more. As Hall's closing author's note explains, she began crafting these lines early in the COVID-19 pandemic, wandering the woods and recalling "the words of poets whose works I had studied in my school days." The book opens with echoes of Edward Thomas and Robert Frost: "Into the forest, dark and deep / With miles to go before I sleep." Sarojini Naidu's "Here, O my heart" melds with David Wagoner's "The forest breathes. Listen," becoming: "Here, O my heart, just listen!" Hall's mastery of rhythm and flow is mesmerizing, transforming the borrowed words into a cohesive and enchanting experience that stands on its own before readers encounter the back matter's guide to "The Poets and the Lines They Wrote." Turk's color-saturated, light-infused illustrations bring the book-length poem to life, portraying a child with a walking stick navigating woods teeming with bears, beavers, wolves, fawns, and other creatures. Lost momentarily in the "pathless woods," the child finds solace as the leaves "speak bliss to me." A striking palette of teals, coppers, purples, and midnight blues immerses readers in this enchanting exploration of nature and verse.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Marla Frazee. As an introduction by the late Hoberman­ explains, for this collection she selected favorite poems of hers “about animals and insects” from past books no longer in print and also wrote eight new poems. Frazee’s delightfully energetic pencil and watercolor illustrations bring together the verses into a cohesive new whole -- she sets them at an animal hotel, complete with a spa, yoga classes, and a chocolate fountain. Characters recur (the squirrel bellhops are kept busy), and some subjects are creatively reinterpreted (the extinct brachiosaurus can’t be a guest, but it can provide the shape for the ­playground slide). The poems themselves are full of whimsical wildlife observations (“I often wonder whether / The rhinoceros’s leather / Is as bumpy on the inside / As it is upon the skinside”) and satisfyingly show off Hoberman’s facility with wordplay and with rhyme, meter, and inventive line breaks (“birds / need / bird / seed / bird / seed / feeds / birds / birds / sing / bird / songs / songs / with / bird /words”). A hotel worth checking into—and a collaboration worth checking out.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jessica Love. Novesky provides a snapshot of Plath (1932–1963) inspired by her poems and letters about her brief experience with beekeeping. The text moves through the seasons, beginning and ending with spring, in spare, graceful free-verse poems with hints of rhyme and steady internal rhythm and occasionally incorporating (in italics) Plath's own words and phrases: "It is the golden season. / Everything glowing as if lit from within. / The poet can glow and burn, / as if lit from within, too." Practical details about beekeeping are integrated, such as proper garb, how to check a hive and frame, getting stung, pollination, and the production of honey. Love's watercolor illustrations depict Plath (and her braided "crown" of hair) caring for bees and writing poetry as well as the landscape, flowers, and vegetation and many bees up close and in swirls and swarms. The tension between Plath's melancholic moods and lyrical poetry and the hopeful, careful process of beekeeping is captured beautifully here. In the endnote, Novesky provides a brief biographical sketch of Plath and explains her motivation for this story: she wanted readers (who may here be encountering Plath for the first time) to know that the poet was "so much more than her legendary death."

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) YA Illustrated by Debbie Fong. This anthology -- featuring targeted authors such as Maia Kobabe, Elana K. Arnold, Bill Konigsberg, and Ellen Hopkins -- serves as a guide for young people concerned about book banning and censorship in their communities. The personal essays (some quite dark), poetry, graphic stories, illustrations, and short fiction powerfully advocate against bans and support the value of the voices being removed from shelves. Book lists and additional resources, including practical advice for fighting bans at your school or library, are included throughout.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. In eight pairs of poems, Sidman creates dialogues between two subjects, some in nature (cloud and droplets), some human-made elements (button and coat). For example, in the first poem, an oak addresses an acorn: “I feel you there / a tickle at my twig tips.” The tree forecasts: “The next stop is earth. / Then years upon years / until you see this sky / this high / again.” Acorn responds with an acorn-shaped concrete poem: “I know I must drop and sleep and / sprout and grow. So slow!” The first-person voice in each poem is strong, offering an invitation, an homage, or a vivid self-portrait. The connections and contrasts between the two entities in each poem pair are appealing and ­compelling; ­readers may even glean metaphorical meanings about the connections between all things. The poems are full of musical alliteration, vivid sensory imagery, and clever perspectives; some rhyme, but many are in free verse. Sweet’s colorful, textured mixed-media collage art enhances these inventive pieces. Each individual poem appears on a double-page spread with layers of images tied to the work’s meaning, and her palette moves from vibrant pink to intense turquoise to buttery yellow, with swirls of circles, cut-out blocks, and apparently hand-drawn letters all blending dramatically together. A note on “­Writing Letter Poems” offers helpful steps for young readers.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. This imaginative collection presents thirteen stories from an all-star team of authors, including Nikki Grimes, Pam Muñoz Ryan, and Linda Sue Park. A heartfelt introduction by the coeditors sets up the theme and through line: these are short stories of middle-school kids growing in self-knowledge and empathy as they realize that they each have some sort of gift. ("Because everyone has a power, and that power matters, no matter how small or inconvenient it may seem.") The compilation is cleverly organized into two parts: "The Power of Discovering Who We Are" and "The Power of Being Who We Are." Abilities portrayed include time-jumping, shape-shifting, telepathy, the courage to speak truth to power, the ability to sense when avocados are ripe, and more. In Kyle Lukoff's story, a child learns to take steps to trust and affirm his own wishes about his gender identity; in Mitali Perkins's, a chameleon gives a girl magical cultural code switching abilities. Whether big or small, silly or serious (or both), every power is brought to life through a nuanced, diverse cast of characters and entertaining, thought-provoking plots. While the narratives lean whimsical, this entire project offers readers a careful, serious, and profound invitation to reflect on issues of identity, responsibility, social justice, and the myriad ways that people's gifts -- in both perception and application -- can affect others' lives, relationships, and the wider world. Illustrations not seen.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 Focused on a community center in the fictional town of Maple Grove, New Jersey, this powerful collection of short stories celebrates the broad diversity of middle schoolers from the South Asian community, commonly referred to as desi. Over the course of the eleven interrelated stories, protagonists celebrate major life events, holidays, and the more mundane at the community center. The dilapidated building serves as the focal point for a heavily Asian American community but is also a target of xenophobic opportunists, who use coded (and sometimes overt) language to try to shut it down. "Together at the Center" by Khan, "Out in the Open" by Rajani LaRocca, and "The Map of Home" by Sayantani DasGupta showcase the importance of open dialogue, community, and speaking out against anti-Asian/South Asian and Islamophobic incidents. Mitali Perkins's "Smile Number Seven" and "Answered Prayers" by N. H. Senzai address in-group judgment, both real and perceived, ethnic and religious; resulting self-defense mechanisms are handled with nuance and care in relation to single-parent households, disability, and domestic violence. Back matter includes a note from Khan and contributing authors' bios.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Mercè López. This collection features twenty poems about real-life mistakes each of the poets made in childhood. The contributors include Linda Sue Park, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Lacresha Berry, Jaime Adoff, Margarita Engle, Vikram Madan, and Naomi Shihab Nye, along with thirteen others; the poems are organized into four categories: "Oopsie-Daisy!" "Stuff Happens," "Blessings in Disguise," and "What Have I Done?" The wide range of moments captured include scoring a soccer goal for the wrong team, publicly mispronouncing a word, succumbing to peer pressure, skipping school, spreading gossip, hurting someone's feelings -- many relatable experiences. Each poem is accompanied by a prose paragraph by the poet describing the consequences of their mistake and what they learned. The poems themselves are narrative snapshots, sometimes rhyming, often in free verse, and rich in emotion and introspection. Illustrator López creates entire, emotive scenes with expressive faces, poses, and repeating motifs in the mixed-media art

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Composed of twelve stories written by a dozen different authors, this We Need Diverse Books anthology is organized by apartment number in a New York City building. Each tale is narrated by a young person from one of the building's immigrant families. Ro Chen, in Andrea Wang's entry, attends Chinese school on the weekends and wants to join the lion dancing class, which seems limited to boys only. Yaniel Fernandez, in Adrianna Cuevas's story, learns that his abuela, who works in a school cafeteria, was once a civil engineer in Cuba who designed bridges. Alex Kim, in Oh's tale, secretly leaves Korean food for a cranky neighbor. Through its series of brief slice-of-life vignettes, the collection paints a vivid picture of urban life for the children of immigrant parents. Immigrant experiences are a thread that connects each story, but it is neither a single experience nor the sole focus -- it's something shifting, multifaceted, and multidimensional that coalesces in the closing scene: a building potluck party. While the offerings are interconnected, many individual pieces will stay with readers for a long time. An engaging, thought-provoking collection that can be read from front to back for a more novelistic approach or experienced (and savored) by dipping in and out.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(2) YA Common early adolescent issues and those particular to Black girls are covered with depth and heart in this short story collection by fifteen authors. The protagonists are all in middle school, and many of them are struggling to fit in with their peers. Several entries deal with the fissure that often develops among friends as children transition from elementary to middle school. In "The Sleepover" by Kekla Magoon, for example, Cordie is mortified when a group of girls discovers that she's brought a stuffie to her first slumber party. "This humiliation would follow her for the rest of her life, she was sure." Fans of fantasy and magical realism will also find tales to enjoy, such as "First Bite" by Dhonielle Clayton and "The House Downstairs" by Amerie. Reneé Watson's prose poem, "Black Girl, Be," sums up the theme of this anthology: "Your birthright is brilliance and creativity... / Be Black girl. Be."

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(3) 4-6 This evocative collection of ten-word stories, paired with unique illustrations from twenty-one artists, sparks imagination in readers of all ages. The stories, though extremely brief, are varied and thought provoking, offering a mix of humor, emotion, and fantasy. Each illustration complements its story beautifully, showcasing a range of styles and interpretations. While primarily designed to inspire children to write their own tales, the book also serves as a visual feast for creative minds. Back matter provides a primer on story craft.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jackie Traverse. Daniel's (Sometimes I Feel like a Fox; Sometimes I Feel like a River) latest offering invites readers to commune with trees. Short first-person verses assign attributes to twelve different trees ("Sometimes I feel like a maple, / full and most generous... / Sometimes I feel like a birch, / smooth and fresh, anew"), following the cycle of the year from early spring to late winter. Traverse's lush acrylic and gouache illustrations never depict a tree in its entirety, with the tops always breaking the edge of the page. This choice suggests that art cannot fully capture the trees' majesty and en-courages readers to imagine what lies beyond the confines of the page, reinforcing Daniel's core concept that there is more to trees than meets the eye. Back matter offers thumbnail images of each tree, restating their names and highlighting the attributes Daniel's verses assigned to them--generosity for the maple, optimism for the birch, and so on. A closing author's note begins, "Like my Algonquin ancestors, I believe that trees are ­sentient beings with spirits who can feel things," prompting readers to reflect on what they, in turn, feel as they consider this Indidenous perspective and how it inspired this book.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Kids are often hyper-aware of such natural phenomena as thunder, lightning, and snow, so a collection of twenty engaging, informative poems about weather is likely to be a hit. Here topics include the familiar (e.g., sun, hurricanes, hail, and wind) as well as less commonly featured subjects, including atmosphere, weather instruments, and the work of a meteorologist. Using a variety of poetic forms, Florian (Zoobilations!, rev. 3/22, and many others) provides nuggets of facts embedded in playful rhymes, often with surprise endings or a humorous slant. The poems are notable for their strong rhythms, pleasing repetition, and clever wordplay. From "Fog," for example: "It drifted down, / close to the ground, / then napped beside a hill. / And gave the day / ten shades of gray, / each un-fog-ettable." Rendered in "gouache paint, colored pencils, and rubber stamps on primed paper bags," every fanciful full-bleed illustration is paired with a poem on the facing page, giving each double-page spread an open and inviting feel. A helpful glossary provides more information about the topics, and a list of weather websites for kids and suggested further reading complete the excellent back matter.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Luis San Vicente. Santa has "gathered the strangest and worst" letters he's received. More than twenty letters in verse beg, threaten, complain, bargain, and ask for homework help. "(P.S. It's due tomorrow)." Phoebe wants a unicorn: "Don't tell me you can't. Don't say they're not real. / If reindeer can fly, I think you can deal." There's a letter from "The Parents" stating, "We break our backs to make this work / And YOU get all the credit." "The Committee for Elvish Rights" has demands, "Chris from Accounting" has questions, and a T. rex asks, "can u pleez bring the dinoz bak?" The energetic digital collage illustrations play up the poems' outrageous absurdity.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Peter Sís . This poem commemorating NASA's Europa Mission (the author’s note provides context) bridges inner space and outer space, using the mystique of moons, suns, and stars to launch a biophilic mediation on the awe, hope, heartbreak, relationality, and joy of earthly existence. Sis’s signature symbolist illustrations blend pointillism with blue watercolor washes and references to stardust theory, astrology, van Gogh’s The Starry Night, the mythical tree of life, and sacred geometry. A lyrical invitation to marvel at our wondrous planet.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(1) 4-6 This humorous collection features twenty-five story-poems presented in an innovative comic format. Kooky cartoon characters star in the wildly colorful digital illustrations full of vivid purple, orange, and lime green. The zany cast includes (alongside a diverse group of children and grownups) ghost guppies, Squishosaurs, a salesmoose, and of course the titular dragon and Nozzlewock -- "the nose with super-vacuum strength." They tell their intersecting stories in continuous rollicking rhymes full of wordplay, hyperbole, and deadpan humor. Madan delights in infusing his poems with advanced, even complicated vocabulary that will both challenge and intrigue young readers. For example, in "Apocalypse," a mummy tries to terrify three kids: "Beware my wrath! My timeless grudge! / Prepare to face my primal curse! / My hex, unfurled, will end your world / once I recite my vengeful verse!" The kids aren't scared -- it turns out they're zombies -- and all four form a rock band, "The Rolling Moans." Madan employs tongue twisters for humorous effect in "Chores"; a profusion of words beginning with imp- in "A Hatful of Imps"; and a poem in panels that can be rearranged in twenty trillion different ways (which he explains) in "T.T.T.S.U.I.T.M." (a.k.a. "This Thing That Showed Up in the Mail"). He plays with the panels on the page, with shifting perspective, and with embedding countless, thrilling tiny details to discover in the illustrations.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Jennifer K. Mann. Manley offers a child's point of view of a day-long hike up a mountain (identified in the back matter as the South Sister in Oregon's Cascade Mountain Range). Each stage of the hike is described in a rich, telegraphic three-line haiku poem, beginning with a blazing sunrise. Readers follow along as the child swats away mosquitoes, passes a rushing stream, trudges through the snow, munches trail mix, reaches the summit, and heads back down and to the campsite for bedtime: "trying to sleep -- / what mountain will I climb / next?" The economy of words in the haiku form fits the way a child might think and particularly seems to suit the exercise of describing a demanding hike while actually in the midst of one. Mann's mixed-media illustrations work perfectly in tandem with the haiku narration, alternating perspectives -- featuring the landscape and the views, or the child's close observations, or the family on the move. Her cartoonlike characters pop against the natural setting, especially the child protagonist in an orange hoodie and green pants. Back matter includes information about the history and geology of the region, hiking tips, a visual index, a list of resources, and a note about haiku form, which debunks the idea that English-language haiku must follow a 5-7-5 syllable pattern.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024