A cocky bird realizes the value of hard work in Hudson’s fable-like account of a wintry woodland competition. Accustomed to being at the top of the food chain (as noted by several pennants in her tree house), Owl assumes she’ll sweep the “Big Snowdown.” During events including igloo building, icicle playing, snow angel making, and downhill skiing, however, the avian protagonist repeatedly sees other forest creatures come out on top through their steady and deliberate effort (“and rightfully so,” a refrain concludes)—a contrast with her own untrained showings. Dusky painterly renderings adeptly convey sporting action and Owl’s wide-eyed disappointment. In the competition’s aftermath, the overconfident fowl realizes that “her friends deserved to win,” and the book rushes to a close with scenes of Owl being coached by the others in prep for next year’s competition. It’s a work that emphasizes themes of community support, hard work, and earning one’s place. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

In the middle of a blizzard blackout, in a home deep in the northern woods of Wisconsin, a doctor delivers a baby by matchlight—one of many storied incidents in the life of Kate Pelham Newcomb (1885–1956). Dubbed the “Angel on Snowshoes” (one spread shows her literally flying over a snowy landscape), “Dr. Kate” would overcome nearly any obstacle to reach patients. This same determination helped her to defy societal expectations and weather personal setbacks. But Dr. Kate knew that the remote community needed more than what one determined doctor could provide, and her work inspires local schoolchildren to gather a million pennies for a hospital’s construction—a campaign that captures the hearts and the pocket change of the entire nation. Preus and Zollars excel at anchoring both human and numerical stories, conveying via first-person prose and crisp, digitally colored graphite images the expansive impact of both one doctor and all those pennies. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Sharff’s second-person rhymes give voice to a lonesome robot who escapes the factory floor for an afternoon of seasonal fun and friendship in this snow-day outing. With human workers nowhere in sight, Robot’s curiosity about the falling fluffy stuff leads first to tentative exploration (“You step into a bank of white./ UNKNOWN SURFACE!/ WARNING LIGHT!”) and then to snowy construction of a “whole big/ snowbot town.” The protagonist’s loneliness is palpable amid pale scenes of solitary play until the bot spies “humans pushing big snowball.” The spotting of people in need rallies fellow bots, and the eventual group meet-up yields the protagonist’s longed-for experience of warm camaraderie. Occasionally foregoing articles, text apes computer-ese for a suitably robotic effect (“Robot, Robot, help them build/ big snow-human on the hill”). Partnering with clean lines and industrial hues, Abbo’s digital renderings have a crisp mechanical precision. Human characters are shown with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Purdie Salas’s incantatory rhyming verse conveys meteorological basics in a science-led account of a snowstorm’s emergence. After a “polar freeze” from the north mingles with a “humid breeze” from the south, couplets marvel at the consequences: “Cold and damp/ work/ hand in hand/ to grow a/ speck/ to something/ GRAND!” Ensuing lines draw on the titular refrain to articulate the wondrous qualities of overnight flurries that develop when “stars and columns fill the sky/ with dreams to/ flurry, float, and fly.” Employing watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and digital techniques, Fedele washes soothing landscapes in luminous layers of blue as humans, portrayed with various skin tones, and critters anticipate and then rejoice in the weather via “snowballs, snow forts, sledding hills.” The creators successfully balance art, information, and poetry for a result that captures the fleeting magic of snowflake-filled skies as well as their power to generate community activity. Back matter discusses a snowfall’s ingredients and more. Ages 4–7. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Kindness and communal collaboration are on full display in Kerbel and Modeweg-Hansen’s ebullient picture book, which wordlessly unfolds through loosely inked sketches and comics-style panels. Gleeful scenes open as a brown-skinned child awakens to a window view of a snow-covered city. Having donned warm layers, the youth and a pink-skinned caregiver rush outside to frolic. Attempting to build a snowperson, the child gets swift support from an increasing number of passersby, who readily assist in rolling and lifting the components as well as comedically ornamenting the figure with a dill pickle nose, bagel ears, and a flower arrangement coif. After the crowd, depicted with varying skin tones, cheerfully congratulate one another on successful teamwork, the story shifts focus as the main characters dismantle parts of the snow sculpture for the benefit of a pale-skinned figure who appears underdressed for cold weather, making for an idyllic vision of community care. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Snowfall presents human child Mei and enormous feline pal Tiger with an ideal opportunity for exploration in Ma’s frolicsome picture book. Dialogue-driven text shared from Mei’s first-person perspective toggles between descriptions of Tiger’s eagerness to experience snow (“Tiger catches a snowflake. ‘Mmmmm.’ Tiger grins. ‘Snow tastes cold, like ice cream’ ”) and Mei’s increasing discomfort (“Brrrrr! It’s very cold. ‘Let’s stay inside and keep warm,’ I say”). Employing bold shapes, spongy naif-style artwork captures the high-spirited energy of the pair’s wintry exploits as they make foot- and paw-prints, then marvel at the beauty of their frost-covered village, cast in pale blues and teals. In this companionable read, the duo, nearly always side by side, roll down a hill, have the “snowiest snowball fight,” and make snow angels until Mei’s wild shivering finally captures the attention of Tiger, who at last carries the child, depicted with brown skin and hair, home for a comfortable wind-down routine. Ages 3–5. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

When haughty former street cat Zephyrina finds abandoned, down-on-their-luck toys, she takes them to the apartment where she lives with mother-daughter duo Elizaveta and Dasha, refugees from Ukraine. At night, the family’s toy collection awakens, roaming free under Zephyrina’s watchful eye and the guidance of her best friend, stuffed teddy Pocket Bear. “Thimble-born” more than a century ago, Pocket was designed to fit in the front uniform pouch of an American soldier and provide comfort in the trenches during WWI. Now the wise “sarge” of this home of misfit toys, Pocket readily accepts Zephyrina’s newest find: an ursine plush with a mysterious past, which she spotted covered in tomato sauce and pasta behind an Italian restaurant. Via attentive and nuanced renderings of the apartment’s unique residents and the humans who care for them, Newbery Medalist Applegate weaves a gently sophisticated tale that considers the trauma brought about by war on those forced to endure it. Zephyrina’s grudging first-person POV injects humor into tender and eloquent narrative sequences, which Santoso (Evelyn Witch Gets a Pet) expertly complements with detailed grayscale illustrations depicting moments such as Pocket’s loving creation and a midnight conference of toys. Across brief yet rousing chapters, this treasure of a book evokes laughter, tears, and introspection in equal measure. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Heirloom Literary. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Mensinga (Everyone Belongs) merges the contemplative tone of Anne of Green Gables with the wonder and stakes of accessible high fantasy in this warm solo debut. Strong-willed and creative young Alice, depicted with pale skin, has been sent by her parents to live with her austere grandmother on Prince Edward Island. Longing for connection and captivated by stories about dragons, Alice is delighted when—while exploring the nearby forest—she encounters an old, reclusive dragon named Brim. When Brim falls ill, Alice undertakes a solitary quest to save him, along the way uncovering more about her own unusual magical abilities that sets her apart from other Kindreds, humans able to telepathically communicate with dragons. Dynamic paneling imparts a cinematic atmosphere; soft line art and sprightly color palettes render evocative landscapes; and detailed character design subtly complements the graphic novel’s emotionally resonant themes of identity, family, and courage. The story’s relationships, particularly between Alice and her grandmother, are layered and, combined with grounded fantasy elements, result in a relatable, human story of loss, maturity, and self-discovery—a solid first entry to a promising new series. Ages 10–13. Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Caldecott Honoree McCarty makes his graphic novel debut with an otherworldly feeling poem in comics form. Intricate crosshatching depicts five anthropomorphic wolves dressed in finery and sailing aboard a Viking-esque longboat. The pack, helmed by Don Pedro Lupine, are artists on an epic journey, one that begins in earnest when the comrades—having spotted a giant shark swimming toward them—break out their easels (“See the fish? Draw the fish!”). Following an extended encounter with the shark, who seems unfamiliar with the concept of art, the wolves’ voyage brings them headlong into confrontation with their artistic nemeses, a clowder of cats led by Don Rodrigo Calico. Scenes devoid of text are accompanied by solo pages bursting with hand-lettered, blue- and red-hued words; the poem’s main verses are rendered in bold lines surrounded by a dizzying sea of language that reflects characters’ thoughts as well as extraneous jokes and commentary. Increasingly dreamlike sequences culminate in a compelling examination of life, art, and the fantastical oddities inherent in both. Human character skin tones match the hue of the page. Ages 9–14. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Luna barely remembers her mother, who died when the middle schooler was a baby. All she has left of her mom is pictures, as well as the memories shared by her loved ones, especially Luna’s single, hardworking father. Luna’s world is turned upside down when she and her father move from California to live with her distant maternal grandmother in a suburb outside of Washington, D.C. She begins seventh grade feeling lonelier than ever, as it seems difficult to find “a single human or animal... who actually wants to hang out with me.” As Luna settles into her new home, however, she and her grandmother bond over their shared grief and love for Luna’s mom. After Grandma gives Luna her mother’s old nature journals, Luna aspires to follow in her mom’s footsteps by creating her own diary and joining her school’s environmental club, despite Luna’s feeling like a “natural disaster” out of doors. Through her grief, she finds community, which Squished creators Lloyd and Nutter highlight via the protagonist’s budding friendships, her shifting dynamic with her father, and her deepening relationship with her grandmother. Eye-catching earth-toned color palettes emphasize the role that nature plays in healing old wounds in this gentle graphic novel. Luna has brown skin. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Aevitas Creative Management. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink