(4) 4-6 Great Disasters: Reforms and Ramifications series. Each of the books in this series begins with an account of the disaster it concerns, followed by background, including what is known of the causes, how those causes were determined, and what remedies were attempted. Illustrated with black-and-white photos and a few diagrams, the detailed but uneven texts reward close reading. Chronologies end the books. Chernobyl has a glossary. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Great Disasters: Reforms and Ramifications titles: The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, The Irish Potato Famine, The Holocaust.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Explorers of New Worlds series. Illustrated with color reproductions and photographs, the books provide biographical information and track the explorations that made each of these historic figures famous. The tone of the prose is generally casual and somewhat dumbed down, and generic "historians" and "researchers" are often cited to back up statements but remain unnamed in the text. Time lines are included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta