(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Forlati. In this thought-provoking book (published in partnership with UNESCO), Santos presents an engaging version of the guessing game "What Am I?" Readers can infer from the book's title that the answer is the thing that makes us human, and the first-person text drops hints as to its identity ("I can show you love. But also hurt you") on every double-page spread, letting readers know that it is both old and new; that it is everywhere; that we can see, hear, and feel it; and that it defines a culture. What is this ubiquitous thing? It is language. This book's call for active engagement aptly celebrates the many ways of looking at a concept. Forlati's digital illustrations represent both literal and figurative interpretations of the text and beg to be re-examined by the reader. For example, the speaker -- language -- states: "When you were a baby, you hardly knew me. Over time you have gotten to know me better and better. But when you are old, you may start to forget me." The accompanying illustration depicts five stages of a child's growth -- during which time the child is knitting a sweater that grows larger, revealing a distinct pattern, one that fades as the sweater unravels and the child ages. Back matter discussing the growth, and loss, of languages and a note from UNESCO explaining the goals of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032) complete this fine book.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(3) 4-6 Sixteen gay and gender-nonconforming authors contribute fictional stories to this anthology. The entries range from the realistic (two school-age fanfic writers realize that they're transgender like their online avatars) to the speculative (teen witch turns herself into a dog to get close to her crush); from narrative poetry to a graphic-novel-format story, in which a delightful trio of kids takes a self-effacing new nonbinary student to the thrift store to find their own homespun "cozy ghost" style. The creators capture the middle school age perfectly: the protagonists are still children, but the seeds of what they will become are beginning to sprout.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Manu Montoya. "There's no cow on the ice" (ie there's no rush) perusing this global survey of twenty-nine idioms, a companion book to Edwards's What a Wonderful Word. American readers will enjoy the introduction to some new turns of phrase (including the giggle-inducing Icelandic "peeing in your shoes will only keep you warm for a short while" and the evocative Japanese "not seeing is a flower") and may be equally intrigued to learn about possible origins for phrases like "to cost an arm and a leg" and "to butter someone up." Whether readers are eager to learn about other cultures (including the phonetic pronunciation of each phrase in its original language) or to take a closer look at phrases they may have always taken for granted, there's plenty of food for thought here. Welcoming illustrations add to the fun.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) K-3 After explaining the different forms of the Japanese writing system, this square book features double-page spreads with between ten and twelve words arranged by subject, including animals, food and drink (mostly Japanese), colors, and numbers. Each word has a small retro-style illustration, the English translation, the kanji (originally adapted from Chinese characters), the kana (syllabic writing symbols), and the English transliteration. An attractive offering.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Pablo Pino. On Onomatopoeia Day, Ms. Garcia's students search for examples of, well, onomatopoeia. Outside they notice baa, moo, and other animal sounds; in a workshop they hear mechanical noises like clink and buzz, and so on. The rhyming story's rhythm is jarringly uneven, but the colorful, jam-packed illustrations show onomatopoeia hunters fully engaged, with butterfly nets and magnifying glasses in hand. Reading list.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) K-3 Following a presidential decree that "every animal has the RIGHT to play sports. 'That's RIGHT!'," a dozen-odd spreads describe various animals in athletic engagement: "The STEER tried to STEER his skateboard"; "The cougar makes an awful RACKET when she swings her RACKET"; etc. Although this basic introduction to homonyms lacks lyricism, it doesn't lack humor, thanks to Barretta's slapstick but not slapdash watercolors.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Luisa Uribe. Jugaad, Hindi for "the ability to get by without lots of resources"; poronkusema, an imprecise Finnish unit of distance that literally means "the distance a reindeer can walk before needing to use the bathroom." These and twenty-seven other unusual, untranslatable foreign words are introduced in this delightful book. Each two-page entry includes cultural background (in tiny print) and lively retro illustrations. Pronunciation guidance appended.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Sofia Martinez series. Illustrated by Kim Smith. The early chapter book series about enthusiastic seven-year-old Sofia Martinez and her family is now available in Spanish (Spanish phrases were peppered throughout the previous English editions). Sofia's heart and cleverness is endearing but not really enough to raise the stakes in the lightweight stories. Bright color spot art captures Sofia's energy. Writing prompts and discussion questions are appended. Spanish texts not evaluated. Review covers these Sofia Martinez titles: A oscuras, Cantante súper estrella, and La receta secreta.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) K-3 Sofia Martinez series. Illustrated by Kim Smith. The early chapter book series about enthusiastic seven-year-old Sofia Martinez and her family is now available in Spanish (Spanish phrases were peppered throughout the previous English editions). Sofia's heart and cleverness is endearing but not really enough to raise the stakes in the lightweight stories. Bright color spot art captures Sofia's energy. Writing prompts and discussion questions are appended. Spanish texts not evaluated. Review covers these Sofia Martinez titles: A oscuras, Cantante súper estrella, and La receta secreta.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) K-3 Sofia Martinez series. Illustrated by Kim Smith. The early chapter book series about enthusiastic seven-year-old Sofia Martinez and her family is now available in Spanish (Spanish phrases were peppered throughout the previous English editions). Sofia's heart and cleverness is endearing but not really enough to raise the stakes in the lightweight stories. Bright color spot art captures Sofia's energy. Writing prompts and discussion questions are appended. Spanish texts not evaluated. Review covers these Sofia Martinez titles: A oscuras, Cantante súper estrella, and La receta secreta.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 Pedro series. Illustrated by Tammie Lyon. The early chapter book series starring first grader Pedro (classmate of Manushkin's Katie Woo character) is now available in Spanish. Expressive full-color illustrations and wide leading will aid beginning readers, who should readily connect to Pedro's spunk and personality. Writing prompts and discussion questions are appended. Spanish texts not evaluated. Review covers these Pedro titles: El club de los misterios de Pedro and El Golazo de Pedro.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 Pedro series. Illustrated by Tammie Lyon. The early chapter book series starring first grader Pedro (classmate of Manushkin's Katie Woo character) is now available in Spanish. Expressive full-color illustrations and wide leading will aid beginning readers, who should readily connect to Pedro's spunk and personality. Writing prompts and discussion questions are appended. Spanish texts not evaluated. Review covers these Pedro titles: El club de los misterios de Pedro and El Golazo de Pedro.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 Translated by Juan Pablo Lombana. Illustrated by Tara Calahan King. This sly picture book about a father helping his son get rid of a perceived "enemy" by baking an Enemy Pie is now available in Spanish. The suspense around the mysterious pie builds as the boy fulfills his end of the bargain by spending what becomes a very enjoyable day with the now-former enemy. Warm colored-pencil illustrations feature goofy globe-headed characters.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 Translated by Nuria Molinero. Color by Jose Garibaldi. In this thoughtful and eminently readable Spanish translation of the third installment (Tale of Two Kitties) in Pilkey's Dog Man graphic-novel series, translator Molinero has clearly taken care to provide an understandable Spanish-language text for beginning readers of Spanish, regardless of their national origin. The thoughtfulness extends to Pilkey's child-emulating cartoon-style illustrations, where all the signs, storefronts, and advertising are here in Spanish.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Translated by Teresa Mlawer. Illustrated by Loren Long. Matt de la Peña's surprise Newbery win for Last Stop on Market Street has given his picture-book-writing career new life. The Spanish translation of his poetic picture-book paean to love (Love) is by Teresa Mlawer, whose skillful renderings of English texts into Spanish also deserve accolades. Her translation here is superlative, maintaining the poetic beauty and flow of de la Peña's original text.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(4) K-3 Blends series. Each dull but serviceable easy-reader text repeats a particular blend at least once per spread (e.g., in CR, "I use crayons to make crafts"), providing opportunities for new readers to practice reading the featured letter combination. Bright, relevant photos enliven the spreads. A list of words featuring each blend is appended. Effective if not very enthralling companions to classroom reading lessons. Review covers these Blends titles: Crazy Crayons: The Sound of CR, What Do I Bring?: The Sound of BR, Shoes: the Sound of SH, I Am Glad: The Sound of GL, My Flower Garden: The Sound of FL, and What and Where: The Sound of WH.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Blends series. Each dull but serviceable easy-reader text repeats a particular blend at least once per spread (e.g., in CR, "I use crayons to make crafts"), providing opportunities for new readers to practice reading the featured letter combination. Bright, relevant photos enliven the spreads. A list of words featuring each blend is appended. Effective if not very enthralling companions to classroom reading lessons. Review covers these Blends titles: Crazy Crayons: The Sound of CR, What Do I Bring?: The Sound of BR, Shoes: the Sound of SH, I Am Glad: The Sound of GL, My Flower Garden: The Sound of FL, and What and Where: The Sound of WH.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Blends series. Each dull but serviceable easy-reader text repeats a particular blend at least once per spread (e.g., in CR, "I use crayons to make crafts"), providing opportunities for new readers to practice reading the featured letter combination. Bright, relevant photos enliven the spreads. A list of words featuring each blend is appended. Effective if not very enthralling companions to classroom reading lessons. Review covers these Blends titles: Crazy Crayons: The Sound of CR, What Do I Bring?: The Sound of BR, Shoes: the Sound of SH, I Am Glad: The Sound of GL, My Flower Garden: The Sound of FL, and What and Where: The Sound of WH.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) 4-6 Fact Finders: Why Do We Say That? series. Beginning with a general overview of its topic, each text delves into the history and currently active changes of American English. They also go into some finer points, such as the use of emojis as idioms and the evolution of "thee/thou" to "you." "Try it out!" sections encourage active engagement with functions of language. Stock photographs and some charts adorn the pages. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Fact Finders: Why Do We Say That? titles: What Is an Idiom When It's at Home? and Me, Myself, and I.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) K-3 After Annemarie defines compound word for her teacher, the girl imagines interpreting compounds part by part: an eggplant, for instance, would be a plant that grows eggs. Spacious graphic-novel panels invite readers to spend time with each of Brunetti's humorous illustrations. The two words that make each compound are highlighted in different colors, reinforcing the lesson and making it accessible to new readers.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox