(4) 4-6 States series. This series' hallmark is its web portal linked to pertinent sites. Short, choppy chapters glossing over each state's history, citizenry, and points of interest are illustrated with color photos and screen shots. Facts are relayed in paragraphs lacking transitions, creating a scattershot narrative, but the website summaries will encourage further exploration. There are nine other spring 2003 books in this series. Reading list. Bib., ind. [Review covers these States titles: Illinois, Alaska, Indiana, Delaware, and Vermont.]

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA Extraordinary People series. In brief but lively essays, Alter profiles more than fifty notable women, including explorers and adventurers (Sacajawea, Bessie Coleman), artists and entertainers (Georgia O'Keeffe, Maria Tallchief), athletes (Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Shannon Miller), and social and political activists (Jeannette Rankin, Pat Schroeder). Organized chronologically and illustrated with black-and-white drawings and photographs, the book is noteworthy for its inclusion of many women of color. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jackie C. Horne

(3) 4-6 Community Builders series. In these biographies the focus is on each individual's lasting impact on his or her community and world. Captioned black-and-white and color photographs and reproductions illustrate each brief text. Sidebars also provide world and national context for the lives and the work of the individuals. Time lines are included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(3) 4-6 Cornerstones of Freedom series. Although the prison at Alcatraz should more properly qualify as a cornerstone of confinement, the five volumes in this series all deal with important episodes and places in American history. Written in simple language and illustrated with archival images, the books serve as solid introductions that contain intriguing historical vignettes without neglecting the overarching historical significance of the topics. Time lines are included. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 First Book series. Making an argument that the tradition of vaudeville is still evident in today's sitcoms and talent shows, the book traces the history of this branch of entertainment, popular from the late nineteenth century to the 1930s. The quick-moving text, illustrated with black-and-white photographs and reproductions, also discusses various types of vaudeville routines, and identifies some of the famous performers of the era, including Al Jolson and the Marx Brothers. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Community Builders series. Black-and-white and color photos and boxed sidebars of relevant information accompany texts that introduce these five influential Americans. Though the texts are often choppy, they adequately give a sense of events that shaped the subjects' lives and the times in which they lived. Time lines are included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.