(3) 4-6 Common objects, tools, and customs are organized into themed chapters such as "Playtime," "Health & Medicine," "Ancient Inventions," and "Devices & Doodads." Subjects range widely--from adhesive tape, combs, and Silly Putty to sewing machines, vaccines, and vending machines. Each lively double-page spread brims with snippets of history, anecdotes, color and archival photos, and "Bet You Didn't Know" text boxes. Scattered throughout are spreads focused on broader topics, such as "Kid Geniuses," "Killer Clothing," "Not-So-Familiar Fruit and Veggies," and "Frightful Fairy Tales." Intended for browsing, this inviting volume is hard to put down. A table of contents and an index help with navigation.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 From the seashore to the depths of the midnight zone and everything in between, ten sections focus on particular habitats ("On the Beach"; "Reef Life"; "Deep Down"); a final chapter dives into "People and Oceans." The well-designed pages invite browsing with striking captioned photos, colorful text bubbles, and the occasional poem. Drimmer's buoyant text takes a closer look at some representative animals, vegetation, and features within each zone. The volume includes an interview with a marine conservationist (and a plea to protect sea life), a foreword by a marine photojournalist, and an afterword by marine biologist Sylvia Earle. "Scientific Names of Ocean Life" and an index are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 This oversize collection features irresistible color photographs of baby animals from every continent and the world's oceans. Blocks of kid-friendly facts, anecdotal real-animal profiles, and a smattering of poems and folktales are included. From dormice to whales, the book underscores that all babies need love and care. The variety of content makes this volume suited for sharing with multiple age groups. Ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 National Geographic Readers series. Leveled for "reading independently," the text offers very basic information about a variety of space and astronomy topics (sun, moon, stars, planets, etc.). Clearly delineated headings introduce each subtopic (e.g., "Earth's Sidekick" is about the moon). Simple sentence structures--along with corny jokes ("How do you get a baby astronaut to sleep? You rocket!"), well-captioned photos, and sidebars--increase accessibility. Glos.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Photos, drawings, loud graphics, and "Fearless Fact" boxes provide interesting context for a variety of historical and contemporary heroes and heroines, including Harriet Tubman, Tina Fey, Malala Yousafzai, Galileo Galilei, and Mohandas Gandhi. The inclusion of fictional characters dilutes historical significance; brief sections on heroic animals are also included. A colorful and compartmental, if visually busy, design drives these biographical surveys. Ind. Review covers these titles: The Book of Heroes and The Book of Heroines.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis