Newbery Honoree Bell creates an entire high-fidelity world with this clever, irresistibly prodigious abecedarian, which features album cover art and one song’s worth of liner-note lyrics from 26 invented animal recording artists. The creaturely crooners—soloists and groups alike—represent each letter of the alphabet as well as musical genres ranging from classical to hip-hop, and album design aesthetics across the decades. Standing for S, Slow Surfin’ ’67 from the Sensational Sloth Boys sports a Pet Sounds–style cover and the ditty “Sometimes the Soup Is Salty” (“Sometimes the soup is salty/ But I’ll make it sweet for you”). Additionally, for each album, the creator has produced a song (accessed via a QR code) and provides a brief “About the Artists” note. Of the Sensational Sloth Boys, brothers Sam, Syd, and Slocum Slothum grew up in SoCal writing tunes about “teen crushes and soup” that made their fans snooze (describing a 1969 performance: “I fell asleep. It was the best nap I ever had”). For new listeners and seasoned audiophiles alike, this rigorously imaginative tour de force—conjured up from collaged, hand-painted paper and even a little embroidery—displays Bell’s goofy, deeply affectionate, no-detail-left-behind creativity, which turns each rockin’ concept “up to 11.” Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/08/2023 | Details & Permalink

This factual, step-by-step biography of philanthropist chef José Andrés foregrounds how his background and career led to his founding World Central Kitchen. Born in Spain in 1969 to nurse parents who frequently hosted at home, he realized early on that “it was possible to make life better for others in big and small ways,” specifically through food. After attending cooking school in Barcelona, he worked in New York, then opened a tapas restaurant in Washington, D.C.: “He liked tapas because they created a community.” Volunteering at a D.C. soup kitchen, he once again noticed food’s effect on people, a concept that followed him to Haiti after its 2010 earthquake; there, he learned “to cook food in the local style to make people feel better cared for,” a practice he continued after founding nonprofit World Central Kitchen, a globally scaled soup kitchen providing for people in places affected by disasters. Miguéns’s digital illustrations, one of which seems to nod at Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen, depict Andrés cooking and collaborating around the world, including during Covid and in 2022 Ukraine. A list of Andrés’s honors and a glossary conclude. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/08/2023 | Details & Permalink

Leaning into themes of community, imagination, and storytelling, this concept-driven biography of a chef renowned for global disaster relief efforts traces how he came to feed “the few AND the many.” As a boy in Spain, José Andrés (b. 1969) tended the fire that cooked his family’s paella, but he wanted to do more, including re-creating his mother’s flan, whose “cool spoonful... told a story to his senses.” Later, at culinary school, he imagined “the stories that he wanted to tell with food.” After his work in New York City and Washington, D.C., garnered fame, Andrés’s volunteering at a D.C. soup kitchen and cooking in Haiti following an earthquake leads to his founding World Central Kitchen for those experiencing disasters, including Huracán María. An italicized Spanish refrain (“No era solo”) emphasizes the idea that it isn’t just one experience or person but many moments and individuals that lead to success. Focusing on scenes of people and food, Escobar’s luscious digital images add visual savor via colorful spirals of enticing aromas. An author’s note and photographs conclude. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/08/2023 | Details & Permalink

In comprehensive first-person free verse and oil portraiture, Boston Weatherford and Velasquez reverently draw the life of multifaceted performer, athlete, and activist Paul Robeson (1898–1976) via four acts: Youth, Artist, Activist, Erased. Propulsive text punctuated with song lyrics, many from African American spirituals, record key moments, including the early death of Robeson’s mother (“Sometimes I feel like a motherless child”). From college athlete to stage and film actor, and rising to international celebrity, he became “an emissary for universal struggles,” singing across Europe and the Soviet Union, and later experiencing repercussions for supporting progressive movements. Without shying away from the varied layers behind his public controversy or the details behind his attempted suicide, the creators painstakingly detail history’s intersections in one activist-icon. Ages 9–12. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 12/08/2023 | Details & Permalink

“The Bronx is a library of stories./ Of poetry in graffiti./ Of sheroes who have changed history,” declares Ramos at the start of this reverent homage to Puerto Rico–born “Bronx royalty” Evelina Antonetty, Lillian López, and Elba Cabrera. Through the refrain “you best believe,” rhythmic verse lays out the activist sisters’ life work. In the face of systemic discrimination, Antonetty becomes a community organizer who demands better school conditions, librarian and library coordinator López works to put Spanish and bilingual books on the shelves, and Cabrera works as an ambassador for the arts. Medina’s digital illustrations have a sumptuous risograph-like quality, rendering a floral motif alongside images of “Tres Hermanas” working powerfully in concert. An author’s note and glossary conclude. Ages 6–10. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/08/2023 | Details & Permalink

Addressing climate change, discrimination, and gun violence, among other issues, children’s letters to Ruby Bridges form the basis of this affirming work. On each page, a young writer shares concerns and moments of bravery, and Bridges answers with encouragement and validation. Many of the letter-writers draw strength from the figure’s example: “when I think about your bravery, I think I can be brave too.” Spreads center each letter with declarative titles in red banners (“Stop Asian hate!”), while Cabuay’s textural illustrations, which depict characters of various skin tones, capture each writer in a moment of resolute conviction. Inventively utilizing kids’ voices to discuss their own experiences, this collection supports budding activist readers with relatable scenarios. A glossary concludes. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 5–10. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/08/2023 | Details & Permalink

Speaking in broad language about how global warming is impacting the natural world, Heglar’s epistolary picture book debut begins by noting the “magic all around you. You can see it when the sun rises in the morning.” Establishing that climate change is apparent, simple text next invites readers to cherish nature (“the fireflies who light the night sky”) as a step toward implementing collective change. In a saturated graphical style, Mineker’s digital illustrations depict people of various skin tones encountering the outdoors and collaborating on concrete solutions amid a repeating rainbow motif. It’s a gentle introduction to climate advocacy that emphasizes learning and care. An author’s note and “First Steps for Changing the World” conclude. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/08/2023 | Details & Permalink

This optimistic picture book biography of Lithuanian newspaperman Abraham Cahan (1860–1951) begins with the Yiddish-speaking figure being educated “in the traditional Jewish way, studying Hebrew and the Bible.” As he matured and became a teacher, he also got into politics, advocating for mistreated workers oppressed by Czarist rule. Facing retaliation, he joined the “nearly two million other Jews who arrived in the United States from Eastern Europe between 1880 and 1914,” Finkelstein writes. A factory worker by day, he studied English at night, and reported on the experiences of Jewish immigrants. In 1897, he cofounded Yiddish-language newspaper Forverts, which connected readers with news local and global, and provided practical advice about U.S. life (e.g., explaining baseball to readers). Depicting gentle-faced characters with various skin tones, Stamper’s gouache illustrations portray bustling social scenes in this story of community-based success. End notes conclude. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/08/2023 | Details & Permalink

With high school graduation rapidly approaching, cynical Oli is almost free to leave for Evergreen Community, a commune in British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, where she plans to do “meaningful work.” Her best friends Milo and Liam are set to join, but after a hookup between Oli and Liam turns awkward, Milo’s friend Alvin signs on instead. Oli, Milo, and Alvin abscond after their penultimate day of school, and their journey starts and stays rocky due to the confiscation of Oli’s go bag and the group’s general lack of preparation. Thanks to much-needed assistance from a few nonjudgmental adults, the teens finally make it to Evergreen, which, upon arrival, differs from what Oli imagined. Ample wordless panels allow the teens’ actions and conversations to linger and take up space, while shaky, hand-inked drawings by de Souza (Ish, for adults) reinforce the uncertainty and distrust Oli expresses about her future. The limited color palette shifts to reflect the characters’ emotions and dialogue throughout their 2007-set journey, making for a contemplative and optimistic take on adolescent fears surrounding growing up in an inequitable world. The book’s cover depicts Oli, Milo, and Alvin with tan skin; other characters’ skin tones reflect the white of the page. Ages 14–up. (Mar.) ■

Reviewed on 12/08/2023 | Details & Permalink

Juniper and her nonbinary best friend Hadley are chasing their dreams in the quiet town of Larkspur; Juniper is an aspiring baker apprenticing at a local pâtissier where Hadley, a bard, enchants patrons with their flute. When the bakery receives an unusually large order with a life-changing price tag, the duo set off on their first-ever journey beyond Larkspur and into neighboring towns seeking the rare ingredient needed to complete the order. What starts off as a simple grocery run turns into a high-stakes adventure when they find a nearby town besieged by mysterious, crop-ravaging monsters—and gentle fey caterpillars desperate for a meal following an expanding city’s new farm fields’ encroachment upon their natural habitat. Haught’s debut graphic novel is an empathetic tale of friendship, trust, and learning to balance expansion with preserving and living alongside nature. Soft, loosely lined illustrations and muted tones add warmth and gentility to this quintessential, cozy queer fantasy tale that will appeal to fans of The Tea Dragon Society and The Sprite and the Gardener. Characters are portrayed as having fanciful skin tones and animalian features. Ages 12–up. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/08/2023 | Details & Permalink