(3) 4-6 What makes this book about puberty stand out is its inclusiveness. For example, Carnagey refers to changes that typically occur in those whose bodies "produce higher levels of estrogen and progesterone" and those who have "higher testosterone levels." The book defines gender and sex in clear language. Masturbation is also handled with sensitivity, and readers are encouraged to discuss these topics with a “trusted adult.” Additionally, the book covers how to deal with gossip and bullying. Frequent spot art, by Brianna Gilmartin, is included throughout. Back matter contains additional resources, a glossary, and a source list.

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(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen. Inviting readers into this spirited book, a bouncing red-rubber ball generates a path leading from the initial endpapers to the first words of text. Here readers discover properties of rubber: that it can bounce, stretch, roll, and be molded. Animated illustrations at times combine with text treatment to graphically reinforce features of rubber (e.g., under vignettes of children riding a rubber-tired tricycle, scooter, and bike: "It can r o o o o o o ll"). By posing three questions, Albee provides an outline of what readers can expect to learn about rubber: "Who discovered it? Where does it come from? How is it made?" As promised in the subtitle, she provides scientific explanations for each of the properties discussed in the introduction. Spot art supports clear, understandable explanations of scientific steps, as well as key historical moments of discovery. Throughout, Ewen's bright watercolor illustrations both pace and inform this lively text, creating a book as bouncy as the original red ball. Extensive back matter includes a note about the nomenclature of Indigenous people of South America who first discovered rubber, a discussion of environmental problems and historical conflicts involving rubber today, a timeline, a bibliography, and documentation.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(1) YA Epidemiologists are scientists who study the causes, patterns, and control of diseases in groups of people. Positioning epidemiologists as forensic detectives, Cherrix examines six case studies that convey the scope and importance of their work. Opening with the appearance of a mysterious illness within the Navajo Nation in 1993, she shows how, through a series of breakthroughs, scientists were able to identify this illness as rodent-borne hantavirus. (As Cherrix points out, it was widely known in Indigenous communities that the mice carried disease; this was simply a confirmation of Native knowledge.) Cherrix then revisits a nineteenth-century London outbreak of cholera; the decades-long hunt for the virus that caused the influenza pandemic of 1918; the creativity and cooperation that led to the global eradication of smallpox; the medical activism of the HIV/AIDS epidemic; and the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout these riveting profiles, we learn how health and science professionals cooperate, collaborate, and corroborate to develop increasingly effective vaccines; we also learn about the contributions of historically marginalized communities in these efforts. Dr. Anthony Fauci plays a leading role in both the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 overviews, allowing readers who might only have heard of his COVID pandemic work to see him in a different context. Occasional sidebars and captioned photographs complement the text, while an extensive bibliography, comprehensive source notes, and an index (unseen) are appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) K-3 The James Webb Space Telescope is the latest "great observatory" collecting data on distant galaxies and stars from a position orbiting Earth. Slade skillfully explains NASA's decades-long and at times precarious process of designing, building, launching, and operating the telescope. The focus is mainly on the technical aspects of the engineering project, but there is also helpful consideration of the political and financial costs of keeping a complex technology project aloft. Abundant photographs of the people, machines, and facilities involved illustrate the telescope, with its distinctive hexagonal mirrors, under construction; the rocket launch into orbit; and then the payoff: crisp, striking images that show never-before-seen objects and give new details about familiar stars and nebulae. Excellent, in-depth captions provide valuable information, in particular when describing which data is accessed to produce each space image. The back matter provides schematics, information about historical space telescopes, and resources for further reading.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Katy Wu. This engaging nonfiction picture book details the SR 99 Tunnel project in Seattle, focusing on the journey of Bertha, a massive tunnel-boring machine, as she digs through the city. With a compelling text and mid-century-modern-style illustrations, the book illuminates the complex engineering behind the project and Bertha’s impressive feats. Back matter packed with fascinating facts and additional resources rounds off this title that’s sure to please young construction enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(1) PS Illustrated by Robert Neubecker. This spirited look at a range of mass transportation vehicles showcases some of the vital but less visible jobs involved in making them move. "Who makes buses rev and go / through detours, gridlock, storms, and snow? / Block by block, who smooths the journey -- / potholed, hilly, twisty, turn-y? / IT'S NOT JUST THE DRIVER!" The book goes on to celebrate the role of the mechanic who proactively inspects the bus for safety and keeps it running. Continuing in this pattern, the text and art feature the subway's signal maintainer as well as the operator, the train's ticket agent along with the engineer, the plane's air traffic controller in addition to the pilot, and more. Full of small, amusing details to notice, the bright digital illustrations clarify how a team of people works together to get a complex job done. The engaging pages are packed with vehicles, transportation workers, and passengers. The whirlwind of activity flows visually to demonstrate the efficacy of the busy system running smoothly. This distinctive transportation book with its chirpy, rhyming text appeals to a young vehicle-loving audience while capturing the complicated and often overlooked aspects involved in keeping systems moving. An author's note provides more for readers to consider, including several questions: e.g., "Would you like to work on a team that makes transportation go? Which important job would you choose?"

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Number Tours for Curious Kids series. Illustrated by Dawn DeVries Sokol. Berne's counts and measures of the cells and organs of the human body illustrate just how remarkable -- and quantifiable -- we are. "Did you know" that we are composed of "30 trillion cells," eight thousand taste buds, and "60,000 miles" of blood vessels? Or that "15 million cells in your body were replaced by new ones in the time it took you to read this sentence"? Numerous other facts about our sensory organs and digestive, skeletal, respiratory, and circulatory systems are equally impressive. The organized layouts include diagrammatic illustrations that effectively portray each system, often within a child-size human body outline, accompanied by text on scraps of lined notebook paper that appear taped onto the pages. The end notes should not be skipped, as they include noteworthy details about the various systems, additional number facts, and an important statement about the degree of certainty of some of the numbers. An interactive section at the very end of the book encourages readers to measure their own bodies and to calculate the volume of their blood, their heart rate, and number of bones in their hands.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) YA Charles Bolden credits Ron McNair, NASA's second Black astronaut, with encouraging him to apply to be an astronaut. Despite having been a Marine pilot and holding a master's degree in a STEM subject, Bolden did not think NASA would consider a five-foot-seven Black man -- but to his surprise he was accepted into the astronaut program. An accessible, conversational text, written with veteran nonfiction author Tonya Bolden (no relation), covers the subject's training, his first mission (to deploy a communication satellite), and his appointment as head of the Johnson Space Safety Division after the Challenger flight explosion. Three years after that tragedy, Bolden and his crew went back into space to deploy the Hubble telescope. Color photos from his four missions support the text and reinforce the scientific information. An author's note provides more detail about Bolden's life before and after his NASA career, along with a timeline and personal photos. Nicholl Denice Montgomery

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lars Kenseth. The words "go boldly" are boldly recontextualized in this newest addition to the ever-growing collection of poop-focused nonfiction titles for kids. This truncated history of American space exploration specifically focuses on the challenges (both new and old) of defecating in zero gravity, along with the argument that the easier it is for astronauts to poop, the healthier and more comfortable (and effective) they will be. Real-life complications such as limited privacy, adhesive poop bags, and frozen storage tanks (which caused frozen feces to "come back up the tubes") are delivered through a combination of conversational text and irreverent cartoon imagery. Innovations, largely fueled by the Apollo program's need for astronauts to spend extended periods of time in space, eventually led to the invention of the game-changing space toilet (depicted in diagram form). Looking toward the future, NASA's 2016 Space Poop Challenge sought out inventors with designs for "a better way to poop in space." A doctor from Texas won first prize, although the book refrains from describing how the wearable device (composed of tubes, bags, and screw-on caps) functions. Recurring caption boxes provide supplementary facts, including launch dates, mission objectives, and the number of bathrooms per spacecraft. The colorful illustrations effectively shift between playful and expository, mimicking the tone-shifts in the text while handling the potentially unsavory subject matter with relative discretion. Back matter includes sources along with "More Poop Fun Facts (and Beyond!)."

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) 4-6 Chimpanzees were "America's first astronauts," but what did their missions entail, and how did their voyages help NASA send humans into space? Cusick's well-researched look at the primates' training and flights provides details for an area of the space race typically relegated to a footnote. The account covers the rigorous and extensive training that dozens of chimps underwent to prepare for the Mercury program, introducing individual animals along with their dedicated human trainers and veterinarians (and touching on the ethics of animal testing). Cusick zeroes in on the high-stress and difficult flights of two astrochimps: Ham, whose suborbital flight preceded Alan Shepard's historic one, and Enos, whose two orbits around Earth paved the way for John Glenn. The propulsively page-turning narrative accessibly explains scientific details while showcasing the vital importance of the chimp program to NASA's moonshot goal. We learn that the chimps were not merely passengers but instead highly skilled astronauts performing difficult mental challenges throughout their flights to give scientists evidence that brains could function normally in zero-gravity situations as well as during the intense pressures of ascent and descent. Back matter that includes extensive endnotes, a glossary, an index, and additional resources rounds out this compelling aspect of astronautic history.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jessie Hartland. Mr. Tony and his student, Nevaeh, plot during the winter months how to bring their community garden in Harlem into bloom with a spring cleanup and planting party. The nei7ghborhood shows up -- people of all backgrounds, with gardening tools and flowers and seeds and doughnuts for snacking on -- to work together and watch their garden grow. They add a small library, too, and just as they share their library of books, the group shares their library of knowledge, with members who have expertise in cooking, in raising chickens, in plumbing and carpentry. Hartland's illustrations burst with color and detail, a visual feast; keen-eyed readers will notice plants growing and changing from scene to scene. The daubs of paint and visible brushstrokes give the art a tactile feel that pairs well with the vibrancy and hands-on nature of the garden. Children will enjoy the art but also likely appreciate learning (from the back matter) that the book is based on a true story and written by Mr. Tony himself. Steps to start an urban school community garden and a recipe for vegetable soup are also appended. Perfect both for a lap-sit to pore over the details and for community-garden or farmers' market storytimes.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Nik Henderson. During the Industrial Revolution, vast numbers of workers moved to cities that housed the new factories. These laborers lived in crowded and often squalid conditions, in areas where the air was thick with noxious odors. One such place was London's Broad Street, overtaken by a cholera outbreak in 1854. Although the accepted thinking of the time was that such illnesses were transmitted through "bad, smelly air," Dr. John Snow (1813–1858) does not buy that explanation. He asks questions: why are some individuals sick and others free from disease? How could the air cause diarrhea and vomiting? He investigates by visiting homes of the victims, asking pertinent questions, and creating a map of the affected areas; he then theorizes that cholera must come from something ingested. But what? Here readers see the scientific method at work as Snow determines it is the water, notoriously contaminated by human waste, that causes cholera. Modern epidemiology is born. Henderson's mixed-media illustrations, in shades of brown, depict the thick, noxious air of Broad Street but lighten as Snow finds evidential proof for his theory. Besides highlighting a historical moment in time, Hopkinson deftly presents a nondidactic object lesson about evaluating information, showing the value of making decisions with facts rather than unverified opinions. The back matter includes information about the Broad Street pump (where cholera victims got their water) and Snow; a glossary of other infectious diseases; and resources for further inquiry.

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

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald. A picture book’s journey from Asian printing factory to American bookstore. Each striking double-page spread includes parallel texts: Sidebar narration explaining details about each phase of the process and pairs of opposites depicting more abstract impressions of the story (“Every UP has a DOWN” and “Every QUIET has a NOISY”). Digital illustrations contrast grayscale environments with selective colors (the bright red cargo ship; blue, green, and orange container crates, etc.).

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Diana Hernández. Toucan Grecia’s life is upended when a group of humans senselessly destroy her upper beak in this picture book based on a true story. News of the injury spreads, inspiring her rescue team of veterinarians and engineers to build her a 3D-printed prosthetic beak and sparking demands that lead to Costa Rica’s first anti-animal cruelty law. Cartoony digital illustrations soften the story’s darker moments, showcasing the beauty of Grecia’s rainforest home and the passion of Grecia’s diverse supporters. Back matter includes an author’s note, timeline, additional facts about Grecia’s life, and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Ellen Heck. "Cold winter winds rattle your window and the blast of the foghorn weaves into your morning dreams, warning ships away from the rocky cliffs behind you." In a second-person narrative voice, Partridge (Parks for the People, rev. 3/22) follows the 1930s construction of the Golden Gate Bridge through the eyes of two fictional siblings, the children of one of the workers. This enables her to highlight key events, simplify complex processes, and weave in compelling factual details. Double-page spreads feature the children observing the construction from up close and from afar. Inset illustrations zoom in to provide extra detail about the construction work, while the bottom of every spread provides a visual timeline of the bridge's progress. Heck's textured art, varied compositions, and striking color choices (blues and greens contrast with the famous reddish orange) provide the appropriate mood and gravitas for the accomplishment of such a noted architectural wonder and historical landmark. An informative afterword provides intriguing additional details such as the challenges presented by tides and currents; the expert Mohawk Indians who came west and worked as riveters; and the choice of the iconic International Orange.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 A small scrap of unbleached muslin (typically used for underwear in the early 1900s) traveled to the moon and back with the Apollo 11 astronauts in the summer of 1969. Sixty-six years before the flight, that swatch was part of a fabric wing that made the most consequential flight in aviation history. Though the Wright brothers' Flyer traveled only 120 feet on the sandy beaches of North Carolina, it changed humankind's relationship with gravity forever. Fifty-two years after the moon landing, 118 years after Kitty Hawk, a smaller piece of fabric from that same scrap took another historic flight, aboard NASA's Ingenuity, the autonomous helicopter that made the first controlled flight from the surface of Mars in 2021. Combining historical photographs and NASA concept art with the author's cartoonish illustrations creates an enjoyable informational picture book that connects the past to the present. Roth's clear and compelling narrative follows the swatch's fascinating journey through the history of flight. An extensive author's note fleshes out the fabric's many "adventures."

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jialei Sun. Kimchi, chowchow, and sauerkraut: oh my! This vibrant picture book honors the culture-spanning art of pickling. Sayres’s rhymes are chock full of spicy adjectives -- “rubbery” “wrinkled” “squeaky” -- that both appeal to the senses and are fun to read aloud. Sun’s energetic digital art fills each double-page spread to the brim, echoing the expansive diversity of picklers and pickled products spanning the globe. Back matter includes an illustrated “World of Pickles,” how-tos, a recipe, author’s note, and more. Like a day spent pickling and preserving in the kitchen, this is a pleasantly chaotic sensory delight. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jam Dong. In clear language, this book explains the long, natural process that creates crude oil; how it’s refined; and how it’s used to provide fuel or to make plastics. Dong’s colorful mixed-media illustrations, which were processed digitally, help to add clarity. The text, which uses oil as a first-person narrator, doesn’t shy away from the problems with using fossil fuels and also discusses renewable sources of energy. A glossary and several informational notes are appended.

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(3) K-3 Illustrated by Teresa Martínez. Directly addressing a young person, a narrator recommends starting with “something simple,” such as a toy robot, when educating a grownup about robotics. Two characters with dark skin -- a child and an adult who uses a wheelchair -- play out the lesson: the child defines robots; lists some of the tasks they can do; and explains how these machines solve problems, while the adult mostly looks humorously clueless. Martínez’s digital illustrations help clarify robot-related concepts. A glossary and a list of robots’ “SUPERHUMAN” abilities are appended.

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(1) K-3 This lyrical picture book is a paean to the vastness of space and the human drive to explore. The Voyager 2 spacecraft, launched in 1977 and still traveling through the stars, narrates its own journey: "I rise up. I am above the clouds. I cross through the daylight." The book starts on Earth--"Since the dawn of time, we have raised our heads and wondered"--and then focuses on the journey as Voyager 2 passes one planet after another. Most pages contain just a few words or phrases, with the emphasis on Decalf's stunning digital illustrations. Broad expanses of black punctuated by countless stars give a sense of the enormousness of space. Color is used sparingly, with most of the images in shades of black, gray, silver, and white. The final spread asks readers to look into the vast night sky and think of Voyager 2, still "out there." The endnote describes NASA's plans for Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023