(3) K-3 Race to the Truth series. Illustrated by Bridget George. A white girl teaches readers about the colonization and land dispossession of Native Americans. She sings a song taught to her by her Anishinaabe friend’s grandmother that rebuts Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" anthem. Visits to iconic landmarks help her understand Indigenous peoples’ historical claim to the “living,” “sacred” American land--including her backyard. Fairbanks’s unvarnished text pairs well with George’s full-color digital illustrations, which portray diverse Native traditions, clothing, and housing. A necessary reminder of Native American resilience, endurance, and land rights.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Hwei Lim. Arnaq (the Inuktitut word for woman) is inveigled into an unhappy marriage by a shapeshifting shaman. While rescuing her by boat, Arnaq’s father is frightened into drowning her, whereupon she transforms into the vengeful spirit of the sea. This intriguing retelling of the Inuit marine goddess's origin story includes gory details and sends complex messages about women's roles, needs, and impact that seem too inconclusive for young readers. Earth-toned digital watercolor illustrations dramatize the artic setting. Back matter includes an afterword and a pronunciation guide/glossary.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Huynh Kim Liên & Phùng Nguyên Quang. Composed mostly of questions, this picture-book biography traces Jeremy Lin's uphill battle as the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA. Moving from his youth to his breakout 2012 game with the New York Knicks, the book shows how faith, diligence, and tenacity helped Lin weather taunts, setbacks, privation, and an agonizing NBA draft wait. The digital illustrations employ spot art to depict Lin's off-court life, while full bleeds portray on-court action and the media craze ("linsanity") surrounding his meteoric rise from obscurity. Ho prompts children to reflect on their own experiences contending with naysayers, find role models who look like them, embrace who they are, and defy stereotypes. Back matter fleshes out Lin's life story and includes an author's note and bibliography.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight. A Native boy learns about the kinship between plants and humankind from his great-grandparents before his people's untouched lands are destroyed for urban development. He loses his “connection to spirit” as he grows older until a lone city flower inspires him to keep the voices of his human and plant relatives alive. Hummingbird's (Cahuilla/Apache) autobiographical account of his journey to becoming a Native plant expert/activist balances pathos and ethos, bolstered by Goodnight's (Chickasaw) gentle illustrations. Back matter includes plant conservation tips and further reading.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) PS Translated by Mary Ann Corbiere. Employing the time-tested baby book refrains “What do you see?” and “What do you hear?”, Pawis-Steckley’s (Ojibwe) upbeat text takes readers along for a stroll in the morning woods, introducing them to thirteen different animals engaged in everyday activities like munching leaves, climbing a tree, digging a hole, and eventually falling asleep. Written in Anishinaabemowin and English and featuring bright, varicolored, minimalist woodland-style illustrations, this is a welcome addition to Native American literature for the preschool set. Includes bilingual author’s and translator’s notes.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Petite Poems series. Illustrated by Paige Pettibon. This picture book rendition of a pithy poem by nineteenth-century Muskogee Creek Renaissance man Alexander Lawrence Posey contemplates autumn using one stanza of non-rhyming lines. "In the dreamy silence / of the afternoon,” the narrator observes sights and sounds of the season. Pettibon's (Salish) quiet, lambent illustrations, rendered in digital marker and graphite, depict a Native child reveling in the splendor of the outdoors as the summer’s end gives way to fall. Like the period of the year it describes—charming and crisp.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. As she grows from a child into a woman, Tatiana is guided by her wise grandmother who sews her a ribbon skirt to wear each time she marks an important rite of passage. Making and wearing the skirt reinforces the continuity of their Ojibwe traditions, fostering a loving, grateful connection to their ancestors. Woodland art-style illustrations and Ojibwe words in the text support cultural specificity. Useful back matter includes an author's note, a postface about manoomin (wild rice), and a glossary.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ashley Barron. A racoon is panic-stricken after taking a spill down a chimney. During a nighttime car ride, a family is startled when a moose sallies out onto the road. A chipmunk is brought to bay in a rainspout by its feline predator. In the fifteen short narrative poems in this picture book, racially diverse children and their caregivers unexpectedly come face to face with undomesticated critters, some imperiled, and choose to show them kindness and respect. A closing poem observes each animal’s whereabouts following their human encounters. Ruddock’s evocative rhyming verses and Barron’s textured cut-paper-collage illustrations convey both the vulnerability and power of wild creatures. Readers will warm to the wisdom of giving wildlife their space. An eloquent exemplum of animal ethics that avoids preachiness.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sabrina Gendron. Lamondin (Métis) shares a nostalgic snapshot of her childhood on the Magnetawan River, focusing on the winter day when her town finally received electricity. As young Patsy and her household move through their daily routine, she reflects on the comforting, down-home rituals of their half-Métis, half-French extended kin and wonders if electricity will change anything. Luminous digital illustrations exude warmth and capture the homespun details of life in 1950s rural Canada. A closing author's note provides context for this portrait of times of change.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) Illustrated by Katie Dorame. In the Tongva village of Japchivit in California, a girl named Toypurina grows up to become a powerful medicine woman. When Spanish missionaries invade and oppress the villagers, Toypurina leads an unsuccessful rebellion and is exiled for life, but remains convinced of a brighter future for her people. Stone’s (Paiute) generous narrative illuminates an important eighteenth-century Indigenous figure. Saturated, hand-painted illustrations rich with historical details bring the era to life. The vignette-dotted backmatter includes selected resources, authors’ and illustrator’s notes, and an afterword.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) PS Illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice. When Daddy, an emergency medical technician, departs for work each day, time seems to drag on “forever and ever and ever” as Olivia, a young Black girl, and her mother count the hours until his return. They “always” miss him, and fears for his safety prey on their minds, but a grounding daily routine -- fixing breakfast together, completing chores, styling Olivia’s hair, making a forever bracelet that will “protect [Daddy] always” -- boosts their morale. Hugs, laughter, daddy-daughter dances, and cozy family dinners mark the trio’s end-of-day reunions, feelingly portrayed in the pattern-rich digital-mixed-media illustrations. An author’s note reflecting on the heightened, everyday endangerment of Black lives adds context to Thurman’s heartening narrative about love’s perennial power in the face of life’s precious fragility.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Hawlii Pichette. A Native (Nation not specified) boy named Bineshii excitedly attends a powwow with his mother. The rhythmic text conveys the sights (including a firework display), sounds (onomatopoeia abounds), and tastes of the experience. Bineshii enjoys traditional Indigenous foods (bannock and strawberry juice) and watches jingle dancers perform until, moved by “the heartbeat of the drum,” he joins them. Woodland style-inspired illustrations capture personal aspects of the public event and the uniqueness of each’s dancer’s regalia. Back matter includes a rudimentary overview of the powwow tradition.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Karlene Harvey. As Serenity, an Anishinaabe girl, follows her brother Big Ed to the river to fish, she connects with the medicine and spirits of nature, including the hawks who are their protectors. When Big Ed gets into a pinch while fishing, Serenity rescues him with a red-tailed hawk’s help. Waboose’s (Nishnawbe Ojibway) ecologically conscious text skillfully balances moments of suspense and lightheartedness and reflects the dynamics of a healthy sibling relationship. Harvey’s (Tsilhqot'in/Syilx) full-color digital illustrations capture the moods and personalities of the characters.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Richy Sánchez Ayala. Maribel, a young girl with Costa Rican and Mexican heritage, narrates the story of her family’s experience with housing insecurity due to parental job loss. Although grateful to be sojourning at an aunt’s house where there are scads of sportive cousins and exuberant family dinners, crowded quarters have their inconveniences, and Maribel and her older sister inevitably pine for their old life. Visions of a new home, and their papi’s reminders that their displacement is temporary, help them look to the future with optimism. The decision to leave the frequent Spanish words unglossed is a smart choice for a story that avoids "othering" people experiencing homelessness. Upbeat digital illustrations temper the poignancy. A bittersweet tale about the triumph of family and faith in the face of uncertainty.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(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

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gastón Hauviller. A young Latina girl and her grandmother connect over the homely pleasures of baking bread, sewing, and making trips to the outdoor market, although the old woman is showing signs of ailing. She gently prepares her granddaughter for her impending death by reassuring her of the indissolubility of their relationship -- the places they visit, activities they enjoy together, and the natural world that connects them to something beyond themselves will all remind the girl of her grandmother’s tender, fortifying love long after the day she breathes her last. The book addresses the subjects of aging and illness in an age-appropriate manner. Both Hauviller’s textured illustrations and Camacho-Church’s bilingual English/Spanish text are imbued with the warmth of treasured memories of their own grandmothers.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Badiu. Chaffee gets the ball rolling with a quick sketch of soccer icon Abby Wambach's childhood as the last-born in a competitive, seven-sibling-strong family. After riding the highs and lows of youth soccer league and high school soccer, Abby is noticed by college scouts and trains relentlessly to land a spot on the U.S. National Soccer Team. The fast-moving account of her subsequent historic career presents her as a team leader and class act on and off the field. A refrain -- "But Abby was tougher" -- emphasizes the pluck and mettle that helped her surmount defeats, self-doubt, and a major injury. In the vector-like illustrations, a color motif of coruscating pinks reconciles femininity and athleticism. Back matter includes a run-through of Wambach's professional milestones and a glossary of soccer terminology.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) PS Using succinct declarative statements, and the sentence opener “My daddy loves” as a refrain throughout the text, Figueroa identifies thirteen routine activities that the fathers in this book delight in doing with their kids. The visual imagery moves from rise-and-shine to bedtime and depicts an assortment of Black dads bonding with their children in various settings, including a food garden, supermarket, the woods, and more. Impressionistic touches in the digital illustrations (broken color; contrasts between warm and cool hues; soft, undefined edges) convey a sense of the transience of cherished moments and the spontaneity of the father-child interactions. This celebration of paternal devotion isn’t one-note; exuberance and joy trade with glimpses of quiet and upset, but comfort predominates. The revelation that “what my daddy loves most of all...is me” rounds off the book triumphantly.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ishaa Lobo. With a refrain of “thank you for,” this wholehearted shout-out to our canine companions (the narrator addresses them directly) enumerates their physical attributes to celebrate what makes them so simpatico with humans. Although some companion pooches (including one with a disability) are acknowledged in the warm-and-fuzzy digital illustrations, service dogs also receive literal and figurative pats on the back. A grief therapy dog, a courtroom support dog, and a future assistance dog are among the sung heroes featured in the artwork. Human characters are racially and ability diverse. The closing double-page spread offering an aerial view of a dog shelter’s fundraising event explicates the concept of gratitude in action. Back matter educates readers about therapy dogs.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christian Robinson. Front endpapers depicting a stark mountain of rubbish, and a title-page image of a Black boy peeking out from behind a jam-packed trash can, set the stage for this unflinching parable about confronting the world's ugliness. When the boy clears away sidewalk trash with the help of a light-skinned man in a wheelchair, he uncovers a wildflower that inspires the creation of a public garden box that rallies their diverse community. Gorman urges readers to resist any suggestion that they should wink at societal problems and assume powerlessness. "Someday, somewhere [you'll] find a friend" with whom to do "something small" to tackle big issues is the book's hopeful promise. Robinson's pared-down paint and collage illustrations offer a wealth of white space, giving readers room to process the serious subject matter.

Reviewer: Summer Edward