(4) YA Living Through series. These extremely detailed volumes focus on battles, strategies, weapons, generals, and leaders; daily life during war is covered briefly. Bingham gives the second Iraq war more attention, including protests against it, the failure to find WMDs, and other issues. A "What Have We Learned?" section summarizes each war's legacy. Illustrations, photos, sidebars, and maps crowd the pages. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Living Through titles: World War I and The Gulf Wars with Iraq.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Emergency! series. These are superficial overviews of natural and accident-related disasters. Each book defines the topic and identifies some notable events, mostly from recent history. For example, Earthquake includes catastrophes ranging from the 1906 San Francisco quake to the 2011 Japanese tsunami. Sidebars include eyewitness accounts and news segments from media sources. Reluctant readers will respond to the dramatic photographs. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Emergency! titles: Plane Crash, Earthquake, Oil Disaster, Fire Disaster, Nuclear Accident, and Chemical Accident.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) YA Charities in Action series. This overview of various poverty-related charities, their missions, success stories, and case studies, as well as different volunteer opportunities open to individuals, could benefit from tighter organization. The information, while inspiring and engaging, bounces from topic to topic, and the many colorful sidebars do little to augment the main text. Photographs of communities in need add context. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(3) 4-6 Environment Challenge series. In this leveled-text edition for reluctant upper-elementary-age readers, Barber examines the pressures exerted on the environment and global resources due to population growth. The discussion considers the increase in longevity with better heath, water, and sanitation, as well as uneven growth and control across developed and developing nations. Color photographs add interest, and helpful diagrams effectively convey statistical concepts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Environment Challenge series. Barber examines the pressures exerted on the environment and global resources due to population growth. The discussion considers the increase in longevity with better heath, water, and sanitation, as well as uneven growth and control across developed and developing nations. Color photographs add interest, and helpful diagrams effectively convey statistical concepts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) YA Changing World series. This book contrasts the effects of poverty--including the favelas (Rio de Janeiro's shanty neighborhoods), street children, and large income disparities among classes--with attempts to create sustainable economic projects and increase trade. Useful for middle school and early high school reports, the busy pages are filled with color photos and charts. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Global Cities series. Photographs by Adrian Cooper. Readers are introduced to the history, culture, economy, environment, and challenges faced by these North American cities. Each section is dense with facts, reading like an encyclopedia entry, but the "case study" sidebars focusing on specific people or issues provide insider views. Well-captioned photographs, charts, graphs, and maps appear throughout the busy pages; Los Angeles has occasional typos. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Global Cities titles: Los Angeles, New York, and Mexico City.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) 4-6 World Cultures series. These books describe the culture and lifestyle of two desert communities, the Tuareg in the Sahara and the Maasai in the African savannah. The deserts' environmental effects on livelihood is followed by information about food, clothing, arts and folklore, celebrations, and a simple craft or quiz activity. The large-font text can be simplistic, but the many photographs are compelling. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these World Cultures titles: Living in the African Savannah and Living in the Sahara.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) 4-6 World Cultures series. These books describe the culture and lifestyle of two desert communities, the Tuareg in the Sahara and the Maasai in the African savannah. The deserts' environmental effects on livelihood is followed by information about food, clothing, arts and folklore, celebrations, and a simple craft or quiz activity. The large-font text can be simplistic, but the many photographs are compelling. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these World Cultures titles: Living in the African Savannah and Living in the Sahara.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) 4-6 Learning Musical Instruments series. Operating on the theme that "music brings people together," these volumes introduce the histories, styles, technical details, and famous players of various musical instruments. The unfocused and sometimes redundant narratives wander, but instrument diagrams are concise and useful. "Recordings to Listen To" suggests particular versions of pieces for that instrument in different genres (usually classical, jazz, and one or two others). Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Learning Musical Instruments titles: Should I Play the Flute?, Should I Play the Piano?, Should I Play the Drums?, Should I Play the Trumpet?, Should I Play the Clarinet?, Should I Play the Guitar?, and Should I Play the Violin?

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Learning Musical Instruments series. Operating on the theme that "music brings people together," these volumes introduce the histories, styles, technical details, and famous players of various musical instruments. The unfocused and sometimes redundant narratives wander, but instrument diagrams are concise and useful. "Recordings to Listen To" suggests particular versions of pieces for that instrument in different genres (usually classical, jazz, and one or two others). Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Learning Musical Instruments titles: Should I Play the Flute?, Should I Play the Piano?, Should I Play the Drums?, Should I Play the Trumpet?, Should I Play the Clarinet?, Should I Play the Guitar?, and Should I Play the Violin?

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Global Cities series. Photographs by Rob Bowden. Readers are introduced to the history, culture, economy, environment, and challenges faced by these cities. Each section is dense with facts, reading like an encyclopedia entry, but the "case study" sidebars focusing on specific people or issues provide insider views. Well-captioned photographs, charts, graphs, and maps appear throughout the busy pages. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Global Cities titles: Tokyo, Mumbai, and Beijing.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) YA World Art & Culture series. Beginning with a short history of the Islamic world, this well-written volume goes on to describe some of the art forms used in countries with large Muslim populations. Calligraphy, book illustration, and architecture are highlighted, as are decorative arts used in palaces and ordinary homes, including textiles, carpets, and tiles. The photos, showing objects old and new, are dramatic. Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 History in Art series. Each first chapter explains, with varying success, the relationship between art and artists. Subsequent chapters give a chronology of the main events of certain periods. Captioned, labeled images serve as examples of artistic conventions, materials, and techniques. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these History in Art titles: Ancient China, Islamic Empires, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Native Americans, and Middle Ages.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) YA Twentieth-Century History Makers series. These books profile six influential figures of the last century and their accomplishments. Little attention is paid to their personal lives, but the authors adequately detail the history of the times and their subjects' particular influences on it. Captioned black-and-white and color photos illustrate the books. There are six other spring 2003 books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Twentieth-Century History Makers titles: Winston Churchill; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Sigmund Freud; Anne Frank; Albert Einstein; and Fidel Castro.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 Sections cover topics from how opera began to modern opera to opera stars, while numerous shorter elements contain additional information. With captioned photos, most of them in color, the resulting busy pages are useful as an introduction for readers with patience for detail. Notes explain the selections from the accompanying CD. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian