A Bad Buzz Day
(The Snips #1)

In soaring lines of poetry that feel as graceful as the creature they describe, Limón (In Praise of Mystery) considers a fox seen in a fenced backyard, "flashing across the lawn, // squirrel bound and bouncing" with characteristic vulpine leaps. D'Alessandro (The Cot in the Living Room) uses a strong digital line and sleek, stylized elements to show the fox against backdrops of sunrise pink and dusky blue. Here, the figure is seen suspended in midair before landing to pounce, engaging in almost casual-feeling pursuit of smaller animals that "doesn't seem/ like work at all but play." On the street at night, the fox explores garbage bags out for collection, assembling "a living out of leftovers// and lazy/ rodents too slow for the telephone pole." Though the fox is visible to two humans silhouetted in a home's window, its life and the lives of its witnesses do not meet: the fox "never cares how long you watch...// never cares// what you do once he is gone." The sense of having entered the world of a wild animal for a few unexpected moments lingers in this refreshing picture book encounter. Ages 5-9. (Jan.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

A wildly enjoyable reminder that the greatest success comes not from winning, but from bringing support and joy to the community.

Spanish words and phrases dot the primarily English text to add extra twists to this do.

Scissors City is home to some of the best and funkiest hairdos ever, thanks to superhero team The Snips. Each member of the team is not only a super stylist but also has individual special powers, like Casco who has a magic pompadour that can punch out bad guys. But when the villainous Bad Buzz Boyz unleash a hair monster to try and beat a hair-related record, The Snips must team together to save the day with style. Much like Dav Pilkey's "Dog Man" or Aaron Blabey's "Bad Guys" series, this graphic novel plays on the superhero genre with humor and kid-friendly action. The illustration elevates this concept even further by using character poses and designs inspired by popular comics of the 1970s and 1980s, blending them with a modern, rubber-hose cartoon style, making the book feel blissfully untethered to a particular time. VERDICT A fresh look at the early reader superhero genre with unbeatable art that pushes boundaries.

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.