(2) K-3 Illustrated by Kirsti Beautyman. Eva is new in town, and as Hanukkah approaches, she hasn’t made friends...but she does have a dragon. Spark is lonely and needs a dragon friend, but “that would take a miracle.” As Eva gets to know her neighbors, Hanukkah traditions and Spark provide entry points for conversation, and by the eighth night, Spark and Eva both have friends. Many readers and listeners will likely identify with the friendship arc, and the fantasy elements intriguingly leave room for ­interpretation -- is Spark real (“not ­everyone can see him”) or a coping ­mechanism? Textured illustrations use swirling patterns around dragons to create a sense of magic. An endnote gives Hanukkah background.

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

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Ana Albero. Fifty personalities across history and many disciplines are profiled in one-page summaries, organized by categories in a faux awards show recognizing creativity, bravery, etc. The selection includes well-known figures such as Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, and Malala Yousafzai, as well as lesser-known pioneers, including British slave and memoirist Olaudah Equiano, first woman in space Valentina Tereshkova, and Gurindji activist Vincent Lingiari. Cartoonlike portraits and vignettes accompany the sparse information.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) 4-6 Welcome to the Museum series. Illustrated by Chris Wormell. This oversize volume begins with explanations of classification and the age of the dinosaurs, then presents an imagined museum tour through six "galleries," each featuring a clade or group. Wormell's digital engravings capture textures beautifully--including the scales, skins, and feathers of dinosaurs and the lush foliage of their habitats--and are accompanied by detailed field guide–like notes on each feature or species. Ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford