There are many, many picture books that adapt Aesop’s Fables for children. I’ve read and enjoyed several picture books featuring one or more of Aesop’s Fables, and every author/illustrator brings their own talent and voice to these timeless tales. However, after hundreds of years of telling and re-telling, it seemed unlikely to me that there could be a truly fresh and innovative take on these stories. Thus, I was delighted to read Jerry Pinkney’s Caldecott-winning The Lion and the Mouse, a wordless re-telling of the fable by the same name. Without a single word (other than a few onomatopoeia to provide atmosphere), Pinkney’s beautiful art tells not just the sequence of events, but also develops the characters of the mighty lion and the meek mouse. This book is a wonderful example of a classic story told in an innovative way, keeping this ancient fable relevant for a new generation.

Seventeen-year-old Lucas Knight spends his summers in San Juan, where his real estate magnate father owns several luxury hotels. His carefree life of flirting with girls and getting into mischief comes to a halt when his girlfriend Marisol is found dead on the beach. Lucas now finds himself the main suspect not only in Marisol’s death, but in the disappearances of other girls in the neighborhood. The second mystery in Samantha Mabry’s atmospheric debut hinges upon an abandoned house on Calle Sol — the subject of many a local myth. As Lucas strives to clear his name, family curses, fantasy, and reality collide in unexpected ways.

From the moment I laid eyes on A Fierce and Subtle Poison, with its evocative title and bold cover, I knew I had to read it. Mabry grounds the more fantastical elements of her story with an incisive look at Puerto Rican culture and class tensions. Fans of Leslye Walton and Laura Ruby will revel in this magical realist whodunit.