(4) 4-6 North American Indian Nations series. These titles introduce Native American peoples living in each geographic area, discussing traditional way of life, spirituality, arts, changes after European influences, and modern times; each concludes with notable Native Americans from the region. The broad texts, covering many native nations within each book, are fractured in their focus but illustrated with helpful maps, photos, and tables. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers the following North American Indian Nations titles: Native Peoples of the Great Basin, Native Peoples of the Plateau, Native Peoples of the Arctic, Native Peoples of the Subarctic, Native Peoples of California, Native Peoples of the Plains, Native Peoples of the Southwest, and Native Peoples of the Northeast.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 4-6 North American Indian Nations series. These titles introduce Native American peoples living in each geographic area, discussing traditional way of life, spirituality, arts, changes after European influences, and modern times; each concludes with notable Native Americans from the region. The broad texts, covering many native nations within each book, are fractured in their focus but illustrated with helpful maps, photos, and tables. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers the following North American Indian Nations titles: Native Peoples of the Great Basin, Native Peoples of the Plateau, Native Peoples of the Arctic, Native Peoples of the Subarctic, Native Peoples of California, Native Peoples of the Plains, Native Peoples of the Southwest, and Native Peoples of the Northeast.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 4-6 North American Indian Nations series. These titles introduce Native American peoples living in each geographic area, discussing traditional way of life, spirituality, arts, changes after European influences, and modern times; each concludes with notable Native Americans from the region. The broad texts, covering many native nations within each book, are fractured in their focus but illustrated with helpful maps, photos, and tables. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers the following North American Indian Nations titles: Native Peoples of the Great Basin, Native Peoples of the Plateau, Native Peoples of the Arctic, Native Peoples of the Subarctic, Native Peoples of California, Native Peoples of the Plains, Native Peoples of the Southwest, and Native Peoples of the Northeast.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) K-3 Yo solo biografías series. Illustrated by Janice Lee Porter. Accessible narratives, including anecdotes chosen for their kid appeal, introduce these important (and classroom-friendly) historical figures to young Spanish-language readers. Although some of the illustrations have a static feel, their colorful warmth enhances the text. In each book, a brief afterword is accompanied by a photograph of the subject. Timeline. Review covers these Yo solo biografías titles: George Washington Carver, Pablo Picasso, and Wilma Rudolph.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 On My Own Holidays series. Illustrated by Barbara Knutson. Each author provides a detailed explanation of the featured holiday or, in the case of Easter, describes how the holiday is celebrated in diverse lands, from Sweden to Ethiopia to Colombia. Some books' illustrations are less accomplished than others, but the short sentences in these thorough offerings are just right for beginning readers. Chinese and Cinco contain glossaries. Review covers these On My Own Holidays titles: Veterans Day, Easter around the World, Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 On My Own Holidays series. Illustrated by Barbara Knutson. The light mood of the text stresses the positive focus of this celebration; that of hope, renewal, and rebirth, not death. The personal style, easy reader format, and color illustrations outlined in black also make this topic accessible to the intended audience. The glossary includes a pronunciation key.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) 4-6 This biography of a former slave who made and lost a fortune in Colorado's mining towns offers a detailed portrait of an exceptionally full life. It also provides a distinctive perspective on major events in nineteenth-century American history: slavery, the Civil War, western migration, and economic booms and busts. Glossary notes at the end of each chapter disrupt the flow of the text, but they flesh out the historical context. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Carolrhoda On My Own Books series. Illustrated by Janice Lee Porter. Freed slave and activist Clara Brown and radical abolitionist John Brown are profiled in these early readers. Simple sentences make for taut story lines and render weighty themes, especially John Brown's controversial legacy, accessible to children. The spare, expressionist paintings in Aunt Clara are mostly successful in conveying emotions in a few strokes; some human figures in John Brown are stiff and awkwardly rendered.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Carolrhoda On My Own Books series. Illustrated by Janice Lee Porter. Picasso's life story is told with economy, verve, and diplomacy. While emphasis is placed on anecdotes that will appeal to children (we learn that Picasso's son's toy cars were used to make a baboon sculpture), there's no attempt to dodge complex subjects like cubism, Guernica, and the artist's moral lapses. The moody, textured illustrations, which include fine imitations of Picasso's paintings, complement the master's style.

Reviewer: Nell Beram