Winner

I Did It! [I Like to Read: Comics]
by Michael Emberley; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Holiday    40 pp.    g
9/22    978-0-8234-4651-3    $14.99

A red-nosed creature wearing a green-and-purple-striped onesie attempts a series of activities: building a tall block tower, climbing a rope and a tree, catching a ball. Each try begins with optimism (“I can do it!” “Can I do it?” “I want to do it!” “I think I can do it”) but ends with frustration and discouragement: “I can’t do it!” Early efforts at bike riding seem similarly destined for disappointment — but the positive difference in outcome is a product of perseverance. Although the results aren’t yet mastery level, the protagonist — with a little help from friends raccoon, robot, elephant, penguin, and alligator — gains confidence and enjoyment without the pressure of perfection. The all-dialogue text, with just a handful of words in total, is easy to read and will give new readers, too, the self-assurance finally enjoyed by our main character. Lively cartoony illustrations with plenty of white space provide humor and relatability. The creature’s emotions are on full display (e.g., when it kicks over the block tower; walking, slumped shouldered, away from an uncaught ball), making its ultimate triumph that much sweeter. ELISSA GERSHOWITZ

From the September/October 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Honor Books

Gigi and Ojiji [I Can Read Book]
by Melissa Iwai; illus. by the author
Primary    Harper/HarperCollins*    32 pp.
5/22    9780063208063    $16.99
Paper ed.  9780063208056    $4.99
e-book ed.  9780063208070    $4.99

REVIEW TO COME

*HarperCollins Union members (UAW Local 2110) continue to be on strike.

Owl and Penguin [I Like to Read: Comics]
by Vikram Madan; illus. by the author
Primary    Holiday    40 pp.
9/22    9780823451500    $14.99

REVIEW TO COME

Fish and Wave [I Can Read!: Comics]
by Sergio Ruzzier; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    HarperAlley/HarperCollins*    48 pp.   g
5/22    978-0-06-307667-9    $16.99
Paper ed.  978-0-06-307666-2    $4.99

Fish (Fish and Sun, rev. 9/21) wakes up early to search for a new friend, and the first potential pal he finds is a wave. Wave starts as a nonthreatening little bump on the water, with a button nose and two dots for eyes. But then, as waves do, she swells, rising to several times her original size and crashing down on Fish, frightening him. ­Ruzzier’s illustrations feature minimal ink lines and watercolor washes in groovy pastels that bleed into each other and let the texture of the paper show through, adding warmth and visual interest to this comic for the newest readers. Each spread features one panel; the illustrations do most of the work, and the rest of the story comes in speech bubbles (one or two per panel) that lean heavily on sight words and repetition. When Wave rises again, she and Fish talk about their ­feelings and find a way to allow friendship to blossom and flourish through the cycle of a wave’s inevitable fluctuations. Unlikely duos sorting out how to have fun together are a staple of the beginning reader genre, and this story has added depth in its assertion that ­sometimes the best way to play is to go with the flow. ADRIENNE L. PETTINELLI

From the July/August 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

*HarperCollins Union members (UAW Local 2110) continue to be on strike.

For more, click on the tag ALA LibLearnX 2023.