Reviews
Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You
“Smoothly translated. . . the account of Jeanne’s survival is remarkable and inspiring, as she indeed proves herself a fighter in many ways. . . The heroine’s story ends on a welcome note of hope.” —Publishers Weekly, starred… View →
Millie's Marvellous Hat
“Whimsy drives both the text and airy watercolor art of Kitamura’s (The Young Inferno) story of a girl with a creative and colorful imagination. . . A cheerful tribute to a determined and optimistic imagination.” —Publishers… View →
Elmer's Special Day
“McKee illustrates in a loose, folk-art style. Elmer visually clashes with the foliage and his friends, and the whole enterprise exudes cheery, unassuming goodwill. The elephants’ nonexclusive event provides a model for any peaceable kingdom.” … View →
Flabby Cat and Slobby Dog
“Ross’s watercolor cartooning displays its customary energy and wry wit, and these frequent collaborators deserve praise for being able to walk the fine line between comedy and cruelty in their portrayal of the consequences of obesity.”… View →
Boker Tov!: Good Morning!
“Brown’s cheery paintings, which chronicle a boy’s morning at home and school, are distinguished by exuberant colors and have just enough naïf charm to be endearing without cloying. . . A suitably buoyant way to begin the day.” —Publishers… View →
The Perfect Shot
“Alphin (Picture Perfect) scores big with this novel. . . the author’s portrayal of Brian’s slow awakening to a sense of personal integrity and responsibility – even at great personal cost – is convincing, and may well get readers thinking.” … View →
Many Ways: How Families Practice Their Beliefs and Religions
“. . .serves as a simple introduction to how families practice their different religions, promoting tolerance and respect. The clear, spare text and large photographs serve as eye-opening catalogue as well as a jumping-off point for discussion.” … View →
Rebecca's Journey Home
“The joyous tone of how adoption helps a family grow in love and in faith gives this title its appeal. Shapiro’s gently stylized watercolors, sometimes suggesting the work of Giselle Potter, bring warmth and heart to the proceedings.” —… View →
Mallory on the Move
“Spinning a spry variation on a familiar theme, Friedman launches a series starring a spunky eight-year-old who is not happy about her family’s impending move. Readers will find her [Mallory] and Joey likable characters, worth revisiting.” … View →
What DO Teachers Do (after YOU Leave School)?
“The secret life of teachers comes to the fore in What DO Teachers Do (after YOU Leave School)? . . . Mayhem bursts from the spreads as Gott depicts teachers overtaking the playground, eating leftovers and tossing the rest in a ‘colossal . View →
Why the Crab Has No Head
“The beautifully written text is matched with striking black-and-white illustrations that suggest stark woodcuts. This African tale is artful, using ancient elements to portray a still relevant message: to lie to oneself will surely lead to dishonesty with others.” View →
Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry
“Full of puns and silly jokes, Cleary here does for poetry what his Words Are Categorical series does for grammar. . . the verses are clever and comical, and youngsters who may be intimidated by poetry may well warm up to its playful presentation here.” … View →
“McNish (the Doomspell Trilogy) once again explores the idea of children pulled from safety to fight an apocalyptic battle, and the result is this strange and intriguing luanch title in the Silver Sequence. The images hang together in a tantalizing, avante-garde way.”… View →
Sail Away, Little Boat
“. . . Ishida’s voluptuous, dynamic full-bleed illustrations. . . The artist’s dense, smudged colors and cheery, streamlined characterizations may bring to mind classic Golden Books, while her strongly horizontal compositions feel bracing and bold – every spread View →
Nachshon, Who Was Afraid to Swim: A Passover Story
“Jago’s highly stylized digital pictures are handsome and heartfelt: his gold-hued palette and mural-like compositions convey the heat and oppressiveness of Egypt, while his elaborately textured (and seemingly handmade) surfaces make the pages feel burnished by the forces… View →
Monkey with a Tool Belt
“Laid out in panels, some numbered, some boxed; laid out in loops; arranged as vignettes; or composed like a maze, the illustrations command a reader’s attention. Chico, looks sophisticated—he’s a grown-up cousin of Julius the sock monkey. . . not only gadget… View →
Hanukkah Around the World
“This tour of Hanukkah includes information on its historical significance and the ways in which it is celebrated in places like New York City, Turin, Sydney and Warsaw. After an introductory section about the history, terminology and customs associated with the holiday, the book View →
It's Back to School We Go!: First Day Stories From Around the World
“Portrays the first day of class for children from 11 different countries. First-person accounts capture the similarities and differences among children across the globe. A Kenyan girl eats Mandazi (fried bread) for lunch, a Peruvian boy paddles a canoe to school on the Amazon… View →
Bears at the Beach: Counting 10 to 20
“Long outshadowed in the counting-book genre by their single-digit predecessors, numerals 10 through 20 get their day in the sun when 11 friendly-looking, swimsuit-clad bears turn a trip to the beach into a numbers game. Yektai. . . debuts as an illustrator in this clever… View →
Eight Wild Nights: A Family Hanukkah Tale
“. . .the ties that bind in this rhyming story are more Seinfeldian in nature (‘We await the arrival/ Of eight days of guests/ Friends and family, and pests,/ Who will threaten our very survival’). Of course, it’s all in good fun-what kid wouldn’t want to View →
All Year Long
“I’ll know it’s spring when robins sing,/and tulips give a nod, begins Deady’s ebullient young narrator as she embarks on a winsome dance through the seasons. Deady brings her poem satisfyingly full circle and translates nature’s rhythms into… View →
A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun?
“While this book may appear to be little more than a list of nouns, the witty zeal it brings to the task of enumeration makes this basic concept seem like plenty. . . Colored type highlights the nouns within the verse, which winds around the pictures in a bouncy typeface.… View →
Almost to Freedom
“Through Sally’s perceptive eyes, readers catch a hard-hitting glimpse of slave life. . . A captivating account of escape via the Underground Railroad includes many suspenseful moments. . . Nelson’s writing is immediate and often lyrical. Yet it is Bootman’s… View →
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal
“With lively language and anecdotes, Nelson (Juneteenth) chronicles the life of African-American lawman Bass Reeves in a biography that elevates him to folk hero. . . It’s an arresting portrait of a man who rose from escaped slave in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) View →