(4) K-3 Archaeologists, mechanics, gamers, and more: girls can be "anything in the world!" declares Brazilian author/illustrator Ferrari in this earnest ode to girl power. While the translated text describing each occupation (and later, each character attribute) is unremarkable, the inclusive illustrations--which show a young business owner in a headscarf, a wheelchair-using musician, and a diverse cast of other girls--make the feminist message even more powerful.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Nature All Around series. Illustrated by Carolyn Gavin. Photosynthesis, pollination, leaf types, and more feature in this fact-filled beginner's guide to Canadian and American trees. Smudgy watercolor and gouache illustrations lack the realistic detail you'd expect in a guidebook but compensate with vibrant eye-catching hues (particularly in the sections on trees in each season). Instructions on tree-watching and -planting encourage readers to experience nature for themselves. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) YA Koch's eye-opening text, well-illustrated with color photos and diagrams, unveils the semi-invisible communication happening among trees. Chapters center on individual scientists' discoveries, providing readers with a glimpse into their innovative research. Koch emphasizes that trees are living beings essential to human and nonhuman well-being and concludes with a convincing call for sustainable forest management. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Masha D'yans. Narrated by a sassy purple prickly pear cactus, this playful, informative book about pollination teaches budding botanists how to interpret plant colors (e.g., yellow flowers say: "Bees, bargain basement this way--free food!"). D'yans's watercolors--featuring flowers, insects, and wide-eyed birds--are overly busy but burst with colors and textures as each page imparts science facts. Pollination steps and tips for protecting pollinators are appended. Reading list.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Tails from History series. Illustrated by Rachel Sanson. The latest installments in this easy-reader series about famous animals in history present two new compelling protagonists: a Japanese Akita adopted by Helen Keller and a cat dubbed "mayor" of a small town in Alaska. Nakamura imposes mild drama on both "tails," while Sanson's straightforward and appealing cartoon illustrations give new readers lots of visual help with the narratives. Further facts are appended. Review covers these Ready-to-Read: Tails from History titles: The Cat Who Ruled the Town and A Puppy for Helen Keller.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) YA Pham, founder/CEO of women-centered online platform Mogul, dishes on her success in this pep-talky self-help book for teens. The workbook-like volume includes lists, activities, and writing prompts. Pham's tone is chatty and infectiously positive as chapters ranging from fashion to finance to failure mix personal anecdote, practical business skills, inspiration, and feminism. "Mogul mentor" inserts offer additional advice. Young women will learn to set their sights high.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Robinson's poetic biography of pioneering nineteenth-century botanist and photographer Anna Atkins unfortunately fictionalizes historical gaps--mainly regarding Atkins's childhood relationship with her father--with sentimental informed guesses. But the blue-hued illustrations sit alongside reproductions of Atkins's sketches and cyanotypes, resulting in blueprint-like illustrations that evoke nineteenth-century aesthetics while providing a clear picture of Atkins's work. An author's note and cyanotype instructions are included. Bib.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. From trees to bees to clouds, Moore urges readers to open their eyes to the inspiring life lessons offered by nature ("The moon shows me that even when I change, I am still me"). Although the motivational messaging sometimes feels slightly facile, Neal's gorgeous mixed-media and digital illustrations artfully depict various children and their caregivers enjoying the "wide and wonderful world out there, waiting."

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lorian Tu-Dean. Common fashion maxims are spun into rhyming messages of empowerment emphasized by mixed-media illustrations of girls playing joyously while they explore different potential occupations. "You can be brave dressed in reds or in blues," reads the text while the pictured girls pretend to be a firefighter and a police officer. A clever and original take on the ubiquitous girls-can-be-anything picture book.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Natalie Nelson. Wishinsky's straightforward, text-heavy picture-book biography places particular emphasis on Roebling's critical role in bringing her husband's engineering feat, the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, to completion after he fell ill. Taking inspiration from nineteenth-century newspapers, Nelson's collage illustrations draw from photographs, giving the book an air of historical authenticity. Speech bubbles with imagined dialogue make Roebling and her milieu accessible to today's readers. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) PS Likening herself to elements in nature--a leaf, pebble, cloud, and flower--a young girl declares: "I am a small part of it all." Yuly's spare, six-sentence text gently articulates the narrator's feeling of being connected with nature. Distinctive digital-collage, charcoal-pencil, and ink illustrations feature torn tissue and cut paper with recycled-looking textures and rough edges.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) YA Foreword by Amy Klobuchar. "Keep working, keep fighting, and keep persisting," urges Senator Klobuchar in her foreword to this collection of inspiring first-person essays. Reflecting on the challenges of their youth, contributors (including athletes, entertainers, politicians, and activists) offer frank discussions of sexuality, racism, poverty, and beyond. Some pieces are less polished than others, but that unevenness ultimately lends the book authenticity. Discussion questions are appended. Ind.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 With vibrant mixed-media illustrations and playful interactive text, this book presents thirteen different animal species and their unusual collective names: "a conspiracy of lemurs," "a flamboyance of flamingos," etc. Animals are pictured in various poses and described by loosely rhyming verse while additional questions ("Who's sleepy?"; "Who's waving?") encourage readers to linger and examine each colorful spread. Further information on the animals is appended.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) PS A diverse cast of sixteen girls relish the unique weather of each season and its accompanying activities in this light concept lesson in lively rhyme. "A big, bright sun. / Let's have some fun! / We swim and dive and splash and run." Aki's clean, dainty illustrations feature appealing pattern-driven compositions of the girls at play. Back matter briefly summarizes the primary characteristics of each season.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Maria Luisa Di Gravio. A child romps through the forest during a winter bird count, spotting a nuthatch, chickadee, and more while seeking now-retired-down-South Gramps's favorite: a dove. Amstutz light-handedly weaves ornithology facts throughout the well-paced story. Di Gravio's evocative (if slickly Disney-esque) illustrations are full of footsteps in the blue-gray snow and plenty of delicate birds. Further ornithology information and a bird count checklist are appended.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Masha D'yans. "Pictures were his words, fashion his language." Blumenthal's quote-filled tribute to New York Times street-fashion photographer Bill Cunningham focuses on his approach. D'yans's vibrant watercolors catwalk across each page, emphasizing the patterns, palettes, and shapes of the clothing that so enamored Cunningham; the man himself is fittingly pictured where he most liked to be: behind the camera. An author's note provides more straightforward biographical information. Bib.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: You Should Meet series. Illustrated by Alyssa Petersen. Emerging readers meet Broadway phenomenon Lin-Manuel Miranda in this accessible level-three easy reader. Accompanied by straightforward cartoon illustrations, chapters explore the role of influences such as hip-hop and Latino culture in Miranda's work while also emphasizing the support of his friends and family and his own hard work. Back matter includes facts about Puerto Rico and Broadway and a screenwriting activity.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. Unlike the other chameleons, Leon can't seem to change color to match his surroundings. Readers are interactively encouraged to count, whisper, smile, and more as neon-orange Leon searches for an environment (green jungle? yellow desert?) in which his brilliant glow will fit. Teckentrup's bold digital illustrations play with variations in shade and texture, demonstrating the many ways an animal can blend in--or not, in Leon's case.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. This globalized follow-up to She Persisted is a worthy entry point to female empowerment. Weighted toward Nobel Prize winners and activists, the list of thirteen featured women also includes less predictable choices such as J. K. Rowling and dancer Yuan Yuan Tan. Inspiring quotes accompany each brief profile, while watercolor and ink illustrations showcase the diverse women (and sometimes girls) at work.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Tails from History series. Illustrated by Rachel Sanson. This amusing easy reader tells the silly-but-true story of President Calvin Coolidge's misfit pet Rebecca, a raccoon who ate her meals at the table and even participated in the White House Easter Egg Roll. Sanson's playful, cheery illustrations prominently feature the Coolidges' menagerie of unusual pets (including a donkey and a wallaby) while highlighting Rebecca's personality and her struggle to fit in. Additional facts are appended.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter