(4) K-3 Fabulous Animals series. Both books begin with European settlers landing in Australia and seeing "strange animals" for the first time, then trying to determine what they are. Indigenous Australian legends are also touched on. The flow of information isn't always straightforward, but eye-catching photos and accessible texts give readers a sense of these creatures and their special features. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Fabulous Animals titles: The Story of the Kangaroo and The Story of the Platypus.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Fabulous Animals series. Both books begin with European settlers landing in Australia and seeing "strange animals" for the first time, then trying to determine what they are. Indigenous Australian legends are also touched on. The flow of information isn't always straightforward, but eye-catching photos and accessible texts give readers a sense of these creatures and their special features. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Fabulous Animals titles: The Story of the Kangaroo and The Story of the Platypus.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Cultures and Customs series. With clear texts and contemporary color photos, the books will generally inform young middle graders about birth and death rituals practiced by varied religious and cultural groups, but there are occasional lapses. Busy layouts include tiny, difficult-to-read maps. Birth features instructions for making tihu dolls, representing katsinas (Hopi spirits); Dead includes directions for Day of the Dead candy skulls. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Cultures and Customs titles: Celebrating Birth Around the World and Remembering the Dead Around the World.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Cultures and Customs series. With clear texts and contemporary color photos, the books will generally inform young middle graders about birth and death rituals practiced by varied religious and cultural groups, but there are occasional lapses. Busy layouts include tiny, difficult-to-read maps. Birth features instructions for making tihu dolls, representing katsinas (Hopi spirits); Dead includes directions for Day of the Dead candy skulls. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Cultures and Customs titles: Celebrating Birth Around the World and Remembering the Dead Around the World.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Corr. This bright and engaging atlas offers facts and characteristics for every country throughout the seven continents. Often relying on labeled illustrations to convey what a country is known for (Honduras: bananas and the Honduran white bat; Yemen: sand cats and apricots), the well-selected and accessible text balances out the colorful and busy maps featured on every page. Level-appropriate trivia questions appear throughout. Ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) 4-6 How to Live Like... series. Illustrated by Mariano Epelbaum. These books present accounts of selected events that distinguish certain historical periods. Examples include jousting (Knight), battling lions (Gladiator), and training for raiding (Warrior). Each book is narrated by a cocky youth, which adds humor but becomes tiresome. Cartoonlike illustrations and numerous text boxes accompany the main texts. Related facts are appended. Glos., ind. Review covers these How to Live Like... titles: A Medieval Knight, A Roman Gladiator, and A Viking Warrior.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 How to Live Like... series. Illustrated by Mariano Epelbaum. A stone-age kid gives insights into the daily life of prehistoric people during the Paleolithic era. He discusses essential survival activities such as trapping mammoths, hunting reindeer, and making tools. Brief information is included on cultural and societal issues such as cave art and burials. Cartoonlike illustrations and numerous sidebars accompany the text; the humorous tone becomes tiresome. Related facts are appended. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 How to Live Like... series. Illustrated by Mariano Epelbaum. These books present accounts of selected events that distinguish certain historical periods. Examples include jousting (Knight), battling lions (Gladiator), and training for raiding (Warrior). Each book is narrated by a cocky youth, which adds humor but becomes tiresome. Cartoonlike illustrations and numerous text boxes accompany the main texts. Related facts are appended. Glos., ind. Review covers these How to Live Like... titles: A Medieval Knight, A Roman Gladiator, and A Viking Warrior.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 How to Live Like... series. Illustrated by Mariano Epelbaum. These books present accounts of selected events that distinguish certain historical periods. Examples include jousting (Knight), battling lions (Gladiator), and training for raiding (Warrior). Each book is narrated by a cocky youth, which adds humor but becomes tiresome. Cartoonlike illustrations and numerous text boxes accompany the main texts. Related facts are appended. Glos., ind. Review covers these How to Live Like... titles: A Medieval Knight, A Roman Gladiator, and A Viking Warrior.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stuart Jackson-Carter. Young readers come face to face with the amazing animals that live deep in the ocean and in rainforests. From pygmy seahorses and the giant Pacific octopus to the Parson's chameleon and a jaguar, readers learn basic information while taking in the captivating full-spread illustrations to real-life scale. Each book includes additional facts on each featured animal and information on ocean and rainforest conservation, respectively. Review covers these titles: Lifesize Ocean and Lifesize Rainforest.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(4) K-3 Exploring Habitats with Benjamin Blog and His Inquisitive Dog series. Wide-eyed cartoon narrators Benjamin Blog and his dog, Barko Polo, guide readers through two-page introductions to aspects of coral reefs, alternately styled as Benjamin's blog excerpts and Barko's "Blog-tastic" facts. Entries emphasize reef formation and animal inhabitants. The gimmicky format is unnecessary, but the whole is informative nonetheless. Large stock photos simultaneously educate and serve as visual resting points for young readers.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stuart Jackson-Carter. Young readers come face to face with the amazing animals that live deep in the ocean and in rainforests. From pygmy seahorses and the giant Pacific octopus to the Parson's chameleon and a jaguar, readers learn basic information while taking in the captivating full-spread illustrations to real-life scale. Each book includes additional facts on each featured animal and information on ocean and rainforest conservation, respectively. Review covers these titles: Lifesize Ocean and Lifesize Rainforest.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(4) K-3 Explorers series. Illustrated by Peter Bull. The varied illustrations for the loosely organized information here include double-page-spread scenes and smaller examples of animals, rescuers, anatomy, etc., some overlaid with numbered keys. Occasional icons point readers to additional pages for information, but these are sometimes more confusing than helpful. Information and comparisons (e.g., single versus double blowholes) are accurate if somewhat scattershot. "More to explore" facts are appended. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Introducing Continents series. The continent of South America is very broadly surveyed through brief topical paragraphs accompanied by color photos. Topics include geography, weather, animals, and "culture and sports," each of which is given one or two spreads. The book reads like a slicker version of a child's first geography report, which may be the point. "Fun Facts" and a pointless quiz are appended. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) K-3 Introducing Continents series. The only continent that is a country is very broadly surveyed through brief topical paragraphs accompanied by color photos. Topics include geography, weather, animals, and "cities and countryside," each of which is given one or two spreads. The book reads like a slicker version of a child's first geography report, which may be the point. "Fun Facts" and a pointless quiz are appended. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) K-3 Introducing Continents series. The coldest continent is broadly surveyed through brief topical paragraphs accompanied by color photos. Topics include geography, weather, animals, and research stations, each of which is given one or two spreads. The book reads like a slicker version of a child's first geography report, which may be the point. "Fun Facts" and a pointless quiz are appended. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) K-3 Writing Stories series. Each book introduces a genre of writing; perhaps unbelievably, the manufactured student examples are at a similar reading level to the useful instructive text. Often arbitrary stock photos, graphics, and drawings break up the text, and running footers offer suggestions and pose questions; "more top tips" are appended. There's a significant amount of repetition across the volumes. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Writing Stories titles: Adventure Stories, Fairy Tales, and Mystery Stories.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) K-3 Writing Stories series. Each book introduces a genre of writing; perhaps unbelievably, the manufactured student examples are at a similar reading level to the useful instructive text. Often arbitrary stock photos, graphics, and drawings break up the text, and running footers offer suggestions and pose questions; "more top tips" are appended. There's a significant amount of repetition across the volumes. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Writing Stories titles: Adventure Stories, Fairy Tales, and Mystery Stories.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) K-3 Writing Stories series. Each book introduces a genre of writing; perhaps unbelievably, the manufactured student examples are at a similar reading level to the useful instructive text. Often arbitrary stock photos, graphics, and drawings break up the text, and running footers offer suggestions and pose questions; "more top tips" are appended. There's a significant amount of repetition across the volumes. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Writing Stories titles: Adventure Stories, Fairy Tales, and Mystery Stories.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) YA Turning Points in History series. Large well-captioned black-and-white and full-color photographs combine with an accessible text and effective pull quotes to provide an overview of the life and work of the civil rights movement's inspirational leader. Organized chronologically, this resource--part biography, part history lesson--covers the movement's challenges and successes. The final pages discuss King's legacy. Websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale