(2) K-3 Illustrated by Felicita Sala. Emilia's beloved grandfather gives her a walnut and uses it to tell his immigration story. As a child, he emigrated with his family from Italy. They carried very few belongings, but the boy managed to take a walnut from the tree outside his window, which he planted in a pot upon arrival in his new country. He carried the growing tree with him, transplanting it as needed throughout the years, until, with his new wife, planting it in the backyard of their home. Now, many years later, Emilia, with her grandfather's help, plants and cares for her own walnut sapling, only putting it in the ground after her grandfather's death. The relatively simple text includes many layers--in addition to being an immigration story, it is a family history tale and a story about the passing of a beloved grandparent and the carrying on of that person's legacy. Paquette's emotive writing is strong and clear: "Emilia held her grandfather close for as long as she could. And then she said goodbye." Sala's paintings, in shades of green, gold, and sepia, are equally effective. In them, Emilia and her grandfather are visually connected, often overlapping or framed together by curving lines, bringing intimacy to the tale.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lisa K. Weber. Each of the book's nine chapters features three case studies about newsworthy nature-related events broadly grouped into topics such as water, physics, space, and future discoveries. Two of them are true, one isn't, and readers are encouraged to use reason to figure out the fake. The brightly colored pages include photographs and diagrams, as well as suggestions to stimulate discussion. Answers are appended. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 Marty seeks the storied "Train of Lost Things" after he loses a jacket given to him by his dying father. In this fantasy-adventure, Paquette attempts to tackle large questions about death and loss with uneven success. The connection between the train and death is sketchy, but the notion that beloved lost objects are collected on a magical train is appealing, as is Marty's hero's journey.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lisa K. Weber. In the authors' dynamically designed follow-up to their science-focused title Two Truths and a Lie: It's Alive!, nine chapters tell three intriguing stories about historical or recent events, places, and people. Section-ending summaries challenge readers to determine which one is fake (answers are appended). Sidebars extend the critical thinking for readers, and a "Research Guide" encourages appropriate use of resources. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) PS Illustrated by Lesley Breen Withrow. The Bunny Bus hops about town, shuttling animal friends dressed in their Easter finery to a parade. Along the way, the overcrowded bus suffers mechanical problems, which leads to cooperative if confusing problem-solving: the animals clean the bus and that fixes it. Still, rollicking rhyming text and illustrations in the bright hues of early spring combine for a cheery, celebratory (and secular) Easter read-aloud.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) PS Illustrated by Adam Record. A winsome little girl hears a noise on Christmas Eve and investigates, only to find a crumb trail leading away from the plate of cookies for Santa. So begins a parade through her house as she discovers several visitors, including a mouse, an elf, and a reindeer. A lyrical cumulative text is accompanied by cheerful digital illustrations in this amusing, lighthearted holiday read.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) 4-6 Book three begins where Princess Juniper of the Anju left off, with Princess Juniper poised to return to Torr to rescue her father and drive out the Monsian invaders. The constant insertion of Juniper's lists and the juxtaposition of modern phrases with archaic grammar structures detract from the story flow, but series fans should enjoy her final adventure and be pleased with the ending.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(3) 4-6 In each of nine chapters, the authors present three fascinating, hard-to-believe scientific reports about plants, animals, or people and then challenge readers to figure out which is a hoax. Answers are appended, but a "Research Guide" encourages appropriate use of resources for kids to judge validity on their own; throughout, sidebars provide discussion topics and extension ideas that foster critical thinking. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Though Princess Juniper (Princess Juniper of the Hourglass) has regained control of Queen's Basin, her father and the rest of the kingdom have been taken by invaders. To reclaim her home, she'll need an army, not just the few children who are with her. Juniper has an authentic voice, and her efforts to balance her emotions with her duty to save the kingdom are realistically portrayed.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(4) 4-6 For her thirteenth "nameday," Princess Juniper asks for a kingdom to rule; she receives a "very small country" and recruits children from home to populate it. All goes fairly well, until her subjects learn their families are in danger--a secret that, when revealed, results in mutiny. At times the book's lightheartedness rings false, but its kid-centric kingdom has appeal.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(3) PS Illustrated by Adam Record. "There's a ghost in the house, / In the creepy haunted house, / On this dark, spooky night, all alone." The cute little ghost is joined by a mummy, monster, skeleton, and witch. Then a boy arrives, scaring them all away. The bouncy rhyme in this cumulative story is engaging, and the scariness level is just right. Digitally created illustrations feature clean compositions.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joy Ang. A tranquil Petey, enjoying some light gardening, suddenly finds himself in the midst of trouble kicked up by a tricksy Pru, some cats, a dog, and a watering hose. The purposeful story is just a vehicle to highlight some outrageous vocabulary in bold font (cacophony, brouhaha, kerfuffle), but kids will probably love saying the words aloud. The simple plot is buoyed by colorful, dynamic digital illustrations.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marie Letourneau. This "guide" invites readers to explore likely spots for mermaid sightings, such as tide pools and rock clusters. Altered color photographs feature seashore settings with cartoonlike pictures of mermaids frolicking and swimming. Although the staged photos are sometimes awkward-looking, young mermaid fans may welcome the book.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Christa Unzner. This book invites readers to join in the search for magical creatures. Nature photographs are overlaid with delicate cartoon-illustration fairies, to varying effect. The reminder that fantasy worlds could lurk beneath acorns, flowers, and other natural objects will appeal to fairy fans ("Under a tiny waterfall, fairies might...stretch out and dry their wings by the light of the moon").

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang