The Horn Book

01/13/2026

⭐ REASONS TO HATE ME by Susan Metallo (Candlewick Press): "Sympathetic readers will find many reasons to love this book, including Jess and Cam’s genuinely sweet relationship, Jess’s borderline-obsessive passion for musical theater, and the diverse cast of drama kids who come to her aid just when she needs it most."

High school senior Jess finds herself a pariah when her best friend Chloe’s boyfriend, Noah, sends a school-wide text claiming that she tried “to...

01/12/2026

: Cathryn M. Mercier on NIGHT LIGHT by Michael Emberley (Holiday House Books for Young People): "This gem of a book exhibits a discerning integration of art and text in the most Caldecott-worthy ways." https://www.hbook.com/story/night-light

01/12/2026

⭐ CAT NAP by Brian Lies (Greenwillow Books / HarperKids Books ): "An unusual game of cat-and-mouse takes place in this visually stunning and highly creative picture book."

An unusual game of cat-and-mouse takes place in this visually stunning and highly creative picture book. Kitten snoozes on the back of a couch until...

01/12/2026

: Jan/Feb Table of Contents + Editorial; x4; + more! https://www.hbook.com/story/blogs/week-in-review-january-5th-9th-2026

01/12/2026

Spotlight on last week's Reviews of the Week. Read the reviews here: https://www.hbook.com/section/bookreviews/reviewsoftheweek
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Feiwel and Friends MacKids Books The MIT Press Candlewick Press

01/09/2026

From January/February Editor in Chief Elissa Gershowitz's editorial: "For the first time since before COVID-19 (and only our second time back in person since 2019), every award winner and honoree was able to attend, with some brave souls even traveling internationally." https://www.hbook.com/story/editorial-together-again-january-february-2026

From the January/February 2026 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

01/09/2026

: Annisha Jeffries on DEAR ACORN (LOVE, OAK) by Joyce Sidman; illus. by Melissa Sweet (Clarion Books / HarperKids Books): "The illustrations extend the poems’ meaning and reward close looking and rereading" https://www.hbook.com/story/dear-acorn-love-oak

01/08/2026

: Adrienne L. Pettinelli on AGGIE AND THE GHOST by Matthew Forsythe (Wiseman/SimonKIDS): "Each image is a kaleidoscope of colors, beautiful to look at, while also exuding a calm energy that works in concert with the dry wit of the text." https://www.hbook.com/story/aggie-and-the-ghost

01/07/2026

: Shelley Isaacson on IMOGEN by Elizabeth Partridge; illus. by Yuko Shimizu (Viking/Penguin Kids): "The genius of Shimizu’s art is how she pays homage to Imogen’s work, through well-researched illustrations, while expressing her own creative flair." https://www.hbook.com/story/callingcaldecott/imogen

01/07/2026

January/February 2026 (original cover by Picture Book winner Matt James; Porter/Holiday House Books for Young People)
See the Table of Contents here: https://www.hbook.com/story/january-february-2026-toc

From the January/February 2026 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

01/07/2026

MEASURING UP: HOW OLIVER SMOOT BECAME A STANDARD UNIT OF MEASUREMENT by Jenny Lacika; illus. by Anna Bron (The MIT Press/Candlewick Press): "The colorful digital illustrations signal a historical setting and amusingly incorporate mathematical symbols."

This unusual nonfiction picture book combines math, hijinks, and etymology—a subject amalgamation readers don’t encounter every day. In the...

01/06/2026

: Allison Grover Khoury on MOON SONG by Michaela Goade (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers): "A beautifully told and illustrated book honoring the Tlingit understanding of the relationship between darkness and light reflected in the deep winter." https://www.hbook.com/story/moon-song