(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Tails from History series. Illustrated by Rachel Sanson. This lively easy reader centers on painter and famous animal-lover Frida Kahlo's outgoing pet parrot, Bonito (who appeared in one of Kahlo's most beloved paintings, Self-Portrait with Bonito). Smiles (both human and animal) abound in Sanson's appealing illustrations, which humorously depict the joyous relationship Kahlo had with all her pets but particularly with the spirited Bonito.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: You Should Meet series. Illustrated by Alyssa Petersen. In this easy-reader biography, Feldman introduces Katherine Johnson, an African American mathematical prodigy. She began her career at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (later NASA) as a human computer and advanced up the ranks. Back matter includes information on stars, careers in engineering and astronomy, and space facts. Petersen's full-color cartoonlike illustrations have kid-appeal.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. In each volume, an easy-to-read if choppy text provides basic information on the titular animal, touching on habitat, physical characteristics and adaptations, and diet. Written at a slightly more advanced level, Chimpanzees features topical two-page chapters. Relevant photos (to which the text periodically refers) provide resting points and often illustrate the concepts. Glos. Review covers these Kingfisher Readers titles: Seals and Chimpanzees.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. "Birds are everywhere!" This beginning-reader text explains "what makes an animal a bird" (feathers, wings, a beak), highlighting adaptive benefits and interspecies variation of these features, then traces a bird's egg-to-flight development; the content includes some minor inaccuracies. Bright bird photographs, including an actual-size image of a bee hummingbird, illuminate in-text descriptions and may occasionally assist new readers. Glos.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. This easy-to-read book introduces beginning readers to perhaps the most well-known dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex. The you-are-there text ("Triceratops gets away!") describes how T. rex hunts for his next meal and battles with his prey while presenting bold-faced vocabulary words and pronunciations for the dinosaurs mentioned. A mix of digital art and photographs of paleontologists at work ground the information. Glos.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Offering limited information about their subjects, which is suitable for the reading levels noted, these slim books feature lots of colorful photos and somewhat halting texts that closely match the photos. Rainforest uses a double-spread format with headings; Colors has continuous text that's more like captions for the photos. Rainforest doesn't distinguish between tropical and temperate rainforests. Glos. Review covers these Kingfisher Readers titles: Animal Colors and In the Rainforest.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Chris Danger. These early readers focus on real-life courageous canines and the services they provide in their professional capacities. Sadie works as an evidence-finder for a fire department; Gabe was a bomb-sniffing dog in Iraq and now does school visits. Both texts treat the subject matter seriously, presenting straightforward details and acknowledging potentially dangerous circumstances. Unfortunately, the illustrations aren't as lively as the texts. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Gabe and Sadie.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Chris Danger. These early readers focus on real-life courageous canines and the services they provide in their professional capacities. Sadie works as an evidence-finder for a fire department; Gabe was a bomb-sniffing dog in Iraq and now does school visits. Both texts treat the subject matter seriously, presenting straightforward details and acknowledging potentially dangerous circumstances. Unfortunately, the illustrations aren't as lively as the texts. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Gabe and Sadie.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Stock photos featuring children engaged in their daily routines (waking, washing, eating breakfast) pair with easy-to-read sentences that trace the arc of a day from sunrise to midnight, then describe the relationship among various units of time. The text is choppy, and the early sections on morning, noon, and midnight omit mention of minutes and hours, which limits the later content. Glos.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. The double-spreads of this simple reader give basic information about thirteen river-related topics, including the water cycle, rivers and people, and dams and water power. Definitions are accurate, if limited, and captioned illustrations match the text well. Sidebars--often with photos--add related facts to the bits of science, history, and culture in the text. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Offering limited information about their subjects, which is suitable for the reading levels noted, these slim books feature lots of colorful photos and somewhat halting texts that closely match the photos. Rainforest uses a double-spread format with headings; Colors has continuous text that's more like captions for the photos. Rainforest doesn't distinguish between tropical and temperate rainforests. Glos. Review covers these Kingfisher Readers titles: Animal Colors and In the Rainforest.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Thirteen two-page chapters introduce newly independent readers to components of firefighters' jobs, addressing procedural variations and lesser-known aspects like service at airports and on "fire engines at sea." Bright, action-filled stock photos are strategically positioned to illustrate new information and support in-text explanations of subject-specific terms (breathing apparatus, hydrants, nozzle). Fact boxes appear throughout. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) K-3 Photographs by Barry Bland. This book relates the story of Mitra and Shiva, two white tiger cubs raised in a wildlife preserve in South Carolina by a human and a chimpanzee named Anjana. Endearing color photos show Anjana engaged in activities such as giving the cubs a bottle and cuddling them. The uncomplicated text, clean design, and high-cute-factor photos make an appealing package.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 American Museum of Natural History Easy Readers series. Exceptionally beautiful color photographs grace the glossy pages of these succinct and engagingly written nonfiction titles. While the names of some of the animals, such as bombardier beetle or Lonomia caterpillar, may stymie some young readers at first encounter, they will delight in the facts they glean about the esoteric creatures. Review covers these American Museum of Natural History Easy Readers titles: Deadly and Dangerous and Strangest Animals.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Bright, crisp color photographs star in this early reader about frogs and their life cycle. The book jumps abruptly and briefly to toads ("Toads are a lot like frogs. Toads have bumpy skin"), which may confuse some young readers. Otherwise, the information is straightforward, and the simple, spare text is engagingly written. Glos.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. According to this book, "creepy-crawlies" are insects, spiders, worms, and snails--"all very small animals!" Readers will discover how these creatures move, what they might eat, where they might live, etc. The amount of information, as well as the blurring of classification lines, could confuse young readers. A combination of photographs, illustrations, sidebars, and diagrams add visual interest. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. "Fur or feathers help an animal stay warm"; mammals groom their fur and birds preen their feathers; a male peacock's tail feathers and a male lion's mane both attract mates. By comparing the similarities and differences between feathers and fur, this nicely organized early reader explores mammals and birds. Direct text and engaging color photos are well suited to new readers. Glos.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. "Bees are busy!" This early reader introduces honeybees and offers some basic facts about hive life, honey making, and flower pollination. Clear photographs and repeated sight words should help beginning readers with more difficult vocabulary. The content is limited and the text's repetition grows tedious, but for struggling readers the presentation might help foster confidence. Glos.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Geared toward newly independent readers, this introduction ranges from the physical buildings in which people live to the environments where they are located. Two-page chapters cover topics such as urban and rural settings, building materials, and unconventional homes. Longer sentences with varied vocabulary make the text slightly challenging, but plentiful photos help with decoding and the subject matter isn't intimidating. Glos.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 My Readers series. Illustrated by Olga Ivanov & Aleksey Ivanov. Night owl Harry Cat's new lifestyle--as a celebrated actor--causes jealousy in homebody Tucker Mouse ("Harry is a star now...I have to let him go"). When Harry realizes Tucker's feelings, he quits the play to spend time with his friend. These aren't the Tucker and Harry that George Selden fans know, but the story, with its imitation-Garth-Williams illustrations, is mildly diverting.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz