(3) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: Hero Dogs series. This high-interest series introduces new readers to four types of "heroic" working dogs and their tasks that make society safer or provide assistance to persons in need. Photographs of the canines in action add interest, and captions extend the brief, conversational texts. Historical facts and a "Top Dog" profile are appended to each volume. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Lightning Bolt Books: Hero Dogs titles: Hero Law Enforcement Dogs, Hero Service Dogs, Hero Military Dogs, and Hero Therapy Dogs.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: Hero Dogs series. This high-interest series introduces new readers to four types of "heroic" working dogs and their tasks that make society safer or provide assistance to persons in need. Photographs of the canines in action add interest, and captions extend the brief, conversational texts. Historical facts and a "Top Dog" profile are appended to each volume. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Lightning Bolt Books: Hero Dogs titles: Hero Law Enforcement Dogs, Hero Service Dogs, Hero Military Dogs, and Hero Therapy Dogs.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: US Armed Forces series. Designed for new readers, this series offers rudimentary introductions to branches of the U.S. military. With a boilerplate format, each book describes the specific branch, training, and equipment, and concludes with projections for the future. The large font and colorful photographs create interest and make for easy reading. A basic gear diagram and a few historical facts are appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Lightning Bolt Books: US Armed Forces titles: Inside the US Army, Inside the US Air Force, Inside the US Marine Corps, and Inside the US Navy.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: US Armed Forces series. Designed for new readers, this series offers rudimentary introductions to branches of the U.S. military. With a boilerplate format, each book describes the specific branch, training, and equipment, and concludes with projections for the future. The large font and colorful photographs create interest and make for easy reading. A basic gear diagram and a few historical facts are appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Lightning Bolt Books: US Armed Forces titles: Inside the US Army, Inside the US Air Force, Inside the US Marine Corps, and Inside the US Navy.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: US Armed Forces series. Designed for new readers, this series offers rudimentary introductions to branches of the U.S. military. With a boilerplate format, each book describes the specific branch, training, and equipment, and concludes with projections for the future. The large font and colorful photographs create interest and make for easy reading. A basic gear diagram and a few historical facts are appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Lightning Bolt Books: US Armed Forces titles: Inside the US Army, Inside the US Air Force, Inside the US Marine Corps, and Inside the US Navy.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: US Armed Forces series. Designed for new readers, this series offers rudimentary introductions to branches of the U.S. military. With a boilerplate format, each book describes the specific branch, training, and equipment, and concludes with projections for the future. The large font and colorful photographs create interest and make for easy reading. A basic gear diagram and a few historical facts are appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Lightning Bolt Books: US Armed Forces titles: Inside the US Army, Inside the US Air Force, Inside the US Marine Corps, and Inside the US Navy.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: Healthy Eating series. In each volume, four or five short chapters give a casual introduction to very basic nutritional concepts. Each brightly colored page contains two or three beginning-reader-pitched sentences, color photographs with boxed captions, and generous open space. Appended to each volume is a suggested activity (such as keeping a food log and preparing an unfamiliar food) and a few random "Fun Facts." Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Lightning Bolt Books: Healthy Eating titles: Caution in the Kitchen!, Taste Something New!, What's on My Plate?, and Why Doesn't Everyone Eat Meat?.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: Healthy Eating series. In each volume, four or five short chapters give a casual introduction to very basic nutritional concepts. Each brightly colored page contains two or three beginning-reader-pitched sentences, color photographs with boxed captions, and generous open space. Appended to each volume is a suggested activity (such as keeping a food log and preparing an unfamiliar food) and a few random "Fun Facts." Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Lightning Bolt Books: Healthy Eating titles: Caution in the Kitchen!, Taste Something New!, What's on My Plate?, and Why Doesn't Everyone Eat Meat?.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: Healthy Eating series. In each volume, four or five short chapters give a casual introduction to very basic nutritional concepts. Each brightly colored page contains two or three beginning-reader-pitched sentences, color photographs with boxed captions, and generous open space. Appended to each volume is a suggested activity (such as keeping a food log and preparing an unfamiliar food) and a few random "Fun Facts." Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Lightning Bolt Books: Healthy Eating titles: Caution in the Kitchen!, Taste Something New!, What's on My Plate?, and Why Doesn't Everyone Eat Meat?.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: Healthy Eating series. In each volume, four or five short chapters give a casual introduction to very basic nutritional concepts. Each brightly colored page contains two or three beginning-reader-pitched sentences, color photographs with boxed captions, and generous open space. Appended to each volume is a suggested activity (such as keeping a food log and preparing an unfamiliar food) and a few random "Fun Facts." Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Lightning Bolt Books: Healthy Eating titles: Caution in the Kitchen!, Taste Something New!, What's on My Plate?, and Why Doesn't Everyone Eat Meat?.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: Baby Farm Animals series. Four brief chapters follow lambs from birth to adulthood at one year. The simple text briefly touches on sheep behavior and diet, "why people raise sheep," and lambs' development. Large, high-quality photos (on unfortunately garish backgrounds) show lambs in action with their mothers and flocks. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) K-3 Start to Finish series. Four- to five-sentence "chapters" follow chicks from egg to adulthood, briefly touching on behavior and diet in addition to development. Each right-hand page provides a full-color photograph of chicks with their parents, in action alone or with other birds. Oddly, the stock photos in each book show a wide variety of owl and penguin species, which readers may find confusing. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Start to Finish titles: From Egg to Owl and From Egg to Penguin.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) K-3 Start to Finish series. Four- to five-sentence "chapters" follow chicks from egg to adulthood, briefly touching on behavior and diet in addition to development. Each right-hand page provides a full-color photograph of chicks with their parents, in action alone or with other birds. Oddly, the stock photos in each book show a wide variety of owl and penguin species, which readers may find confusing. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Start to Finish titles: From Egg to Owl and From Egg to Penguin.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) K-3 Start to Finish series. Four- to five-sentence "chapters" follow mammals from birth to adulthood, briefly touching on behavior and diet in addition to development. Each right-hand page provides a vivid, full-color photograph of cubs or joeys with their mothers, in action alone or with others of their species. Slight but engaging, these titles will draw in animal lovers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Start to Finish titles: From Cub to Panda, From Cub to Tiger, and From Joey to Kangaroo.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) K-3 Start to Finish series. Four- to five-sentence "chapters" follow mammals from birth to adulthood, briefly touching on behavior and diet in addition to development. Each right-hand page provides a vivid, full-color photograph of cubs or joeys with their mothers, in action alone or with others of their species. Slight but engaging, these titles will draw in animal lovers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Start to Finish titles: From Cub to Panda, From Cub to Tiger, and From Joey to Kangaroo.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: Biome Explorers series. Each volume includes an introductory chapter on the respective biome followed by a brief overview of some animals and plants within it and explanation of how all inhabitants work together to survive. Maps and stock photos provide clarity, but the placement of photo labels is sometimes distracting. Details on human impact and examples of "Biome Extremes" are appended. There are four other fall 2016 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Lightning Bolt Books: Biome Explorers titles: Let's Visit the Deciduous Forest, Let's Visit the Ocean, Let's Visit the Desert, and Let's Visit the Rain Forest.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books: Biome Explorers series. Each volume includes an introductory chapter on the respective biome followed by a brief overview of some animals and plants within it and explanation of how all inhabitants work together to survive. Maps and stock photos provide clarity, but the placement of photo labels is sometimes distracting. Details on human impact and examples of "Biome Extremes" are appended. There are four other fall 2016 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Lightning Bolt Books: Biome Explorers titles: Let's Visit the Deciduous Forest, Let's Visit the Ocean, Let's Visit the Desert, and Let's Visit the Rain Forest.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) K-3 First Step Nonfiction: Pollination series. For seeds to grow, pollen needs to reach a flower's carpel. In simple language (with potentially difficult words in bold print), this series teaches early readers about the various ways this happens; information is often repeated from book to book. Close-up photos (inconsistently labeled and captioned) of flower structures and yellow pollen dust on fuzzy bees and bats help readers visualize the process. Glos., ind. Review covers the following First Step Nonfiction: Pollination titles: Animal Pollinators, Cross-Pollination, Insect Pollinators, Self-Pollination, and Parts of a Flower.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 First Step Nonfiction: Pollination series. For seeds to grow, pollen needs to reach a flower's carpel. In simple language (with potentially difficult words in bold print), this series teaches early readers about the various ways this happens; information is often repeated from book to book. Close-up photos (inconsistently labeled and captioned) of flower structures and yellow pollen dust on fuzzy bees and bats help readers visualize the process. Glos., ind. Review covers the following First Step Nonfiction: Pollination titles: Animal Pollinators, Cross-Pollination, Insect Pollinators, Self-Pollination, and Parts of a Flower.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 First Step Nonfiction: Pollination series. For seeds to grow, pollen needs to reach a flower's carpel. In simple language (with potentially difficult words in bold print), this series teaches early readers about the various ways this happens; information is often repeated from book to book. Close-up photos (inconsistently labeled and captioned) of flower structures and yellow pollen dust on fuzzy bees and bats help readers visualize the process. Glos., ind. Review covers the following First Step Nonfiction: Pollination titles: Animal Pollinators, Cross-Pollination, Insect Pollinators, Self-Pollination, and Parts of a Flower.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo