(3) K-3 Stepping Stone True Stories series. Illustrated by Tim Jessell. This unabashedly Red Sox-centric biography of Babe Ruth will hit all the right spots for fans of the formerly "cursed" franchise. It's written simply enough for younger elementary school students, while packing in a good amount of information and conveying the tension of championship games. The black-and-white illustrations are based on iconic photographs of Babe and the Sox.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Stepping Stone True Stories series. Illustrated by Antonio Castro. The monks of the Saint Bernard monastery in Switzerland train dogs to rescue lost and trapped travelers. In this simple text, young Werner, who helps out at the monastery, helps train Barry, a determined rescue dog. Though the abridged easy-reader text can be jumpy ("Two years later...Barry died of old age"), Barry's tale is inspiring. Unassuming realistic illustrations depict the events.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(4) K-3 Stepping Stone True Stories series. Illustrated by Michael Langham Rowe. Short chapters with average illustrations focus on wild horses such as the Assateague ponies, the brumbies of Australia, British Exmoors, and Mongolian wild horses. The examples jump from country to country and from era to era with neither maps nor timelines to offer context, but the simple, repetitive sentence structures support young readers.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Stepping Stone True Stories series. Illustrated by Jim Nelson. During the early twentieth century, Howard Carter, the Chief Inspector of Antiquities in Upper Egypt, and financier Lord Carnarvon were determined to find King Tut's tomb. The book details their years of fruitless search and subsequent amazing discovery. The story is oversimplified but clearly related and will entertain young readers. Nelson's black-and-white illustrations help set the scene.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Shaver