(4) 4-6 Jake Maddox Girl Sports Stories series. Illustrated by Katie Wood. These sports-themed stories starring girls highlight important skills necessary for success at a skate park (Longboard), a ranch (Cowgirl), on the ice (Ice Rink), and with the cheer squad (Squad). Fast pacing and black-and-white digital illustrations keep the predictable plots focused and easy to follow. Discussion questions, writing prompts, and facts about the sports are appended. Glos. Review covers these Jake Maddox Girl Sports Stories titles: Cowgirl Grit, Ice Rink Rookie, Longboard Letdown, and Squad Struggles.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) 4-6 Mind Benders series. This compilation of browsable, interesting statistics about geography is loosely organized by largest to smallest continent. Each spread contains bright, varied graphics and photos. Facts include comparisons ("Five Eiffel Towers stacked on top of each other would fit inside" Lake Baikal in Russia) and some perhaps-unknown stats for trivia buffs, though unfortunately all are unsourced. Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) 4-6 Jake Maddox Girl Sports Stories series. Illustrated by Katie Wood. These sports-themed stories starring girls highlight important skills necessary for success at a skate park (Longboard), a ranch (Cowgirl), on the ice (Ice Rink), and with the cheer squad (Squad). Fast pacing and black-and-white digital illustrations keep the predictable plots focused and easy to follow. Discussion questions, writing prompts, and facts about the sports are appended. Glos. Review covers these Jake Maddox Girl Sports Stories titles: Cowgirl Grit, Ice Rink Rookie, Longboard Letdown, and Squad Struggles.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) 4-6 Mind Benders series. Energetically illustrated pages and a small trim size invite kids to browse for trivia about human physiology. The pages are lively with photos, micrographs, illustrations, and snippets of text. The unsubstantiated information shouldn't be taken at face value ("the loudest burp recorded was...about as loud as a plane taking off"), but these books might spark further interest in various topics. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mind Bender titles: Totally Wacky Facts About the Human Body and Totally Wacky Facts About the Mind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 Mind Benders series. Energetically illustrated pages and a small trim size invite kids to browse for trivia about human physiology. The pages are lively with photos, micrographs, illustrations, and snippets of text. The unsubstantiated information shouldn't be taken at face value ("the loudest burp recorded was...about as loud as a plane taking off"), but these books might spark further interest in various topics. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mind Bender titles: Totally Wacky Facts About the Human Body and Totally Wacky Facts About the Mind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Penguin Young Readers series. Illustrated by Rich Davis. Oversize dog Tiny has many friends--but cat Kiki won't give him the time of day, despite Tiny's best efforts one snowy afternoon. When Kiki gets stuck in a tree, though, Tiny comes to the rescue. Narrated by Tiny's little-boy owner (Eliot, from previous Tiny books), the text, aimed at the newest readers, is simple yet satisfying. Davis's illustrations convey the many personalities.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Tubby holds the record for recycling the most plastic bottles; Norman rides a scooter one hundred feet in twenty seconds. They are two of twenty-five record-setting dogs featured in this random collection. The feats are comical and bizarre and should appeal to many beginning readers. Color photos accompany large-print text (two to three sentences per page), which briefly describes each record.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. From the world's heaviest limo and tallest motorcycle to the largest motorized shopping cart and the largest skateboard, this quick read identifies twenty-five offbeat vehicle-related world records. Color photos accompany large-print text (two to three sentences per page) providing the briefest description for each record. The presentation is random, but this should have appeal for many beginning readers.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Mind Benders series. One shouldn't expect organization or comprehensive information here, as the book's unsourced and sometimes unspecific facts bounce around from topic to topic and among many civilizations and eras; Meister's definition of "Modern History" is stretched with topics such as Genghis Khan (1162–1227). Still, trivia buffs will gladly peruse the energetic pages full of photos, illustrations, and snippets of jokey text. Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Mind Benders series. One shouldn't expect organization or comprehensive information here, as the book's unsourced and sometimes unspecific facts ("Donkey dung, dog saliva, and moldy bread have been used in the past to cure infections") bounce around from topic to topic and among many civilizations and eras. Still, history buffs will gladly peruse the energetic pages full of photos, illustrations, and snippets of jokey text. Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Multicultural Fairy Tales series. Meister gathers Beauty and the Beast stories from France, China, and Switzerland and Hansel and Gretel tales from Germany, Russia, Italy, and the Philippines. Each collection begins with a familiar Western version and then encourages comparison via appended writing prompts. While the retellings and illustrations are undistinguished, the variants are well chosen to highlight folktales as a global genre. Reading list, websites. Glos. Review covers the following Multicultural Fairy Tales titles: Beauty and the Beast Stories Around the World and Hansel and Gretel Stories Around the World.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) K-3 Multicultural Fairy Tales series. Meister gathers Beauty and the Beast stories from France, China, and Switzerland and Hansel and Gretel tales from Germany, Russia, Italy, and the Philippines. Each collection begins with a familiar Western version and then encourages comparison via appended writing prompts. While the retellings and illustrations are undistinguished, the variants are well chosen to highlight folktales as a global genre. Reading list, websites. Glos. Review covers the following Multicultural Fairy Tales titles: Beauty and the Beast Stories Around the World and Hansel and Gretel Stories Around the World.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Mind Benders series. Each double-page spread includes at least one bright photo of a sea creature--from familiar (polar bear, shark, jellies) to less so (sea lice, blobfish, glass squid)--and one or more incredible facts (a narwhal's tusk is really a tooth, sleeping sea otters hold hands, etc). Kids will love dipping in and out of this browsable trivia fest. Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Do You Really Want to Meet...? series. Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. In each book, readers accompany an inquisitive child on a journey to observe wild animals in their natural habitat. Bold cartoon illustrations and the second-person text add to the immediacy of the experience. Peppered with facts, warnings, and questions, the texts focus mainly on the dangers of interacting with wild animals rather than on their habitat, diet, and behaviors. Map, reading list, websites. Glos. Review covers these Do You Really Want to Meet...? titles: Cape Buffalo, Kangaroo, Lion, Moose, and Elephant.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) K-3 Do You Really Want to Meet...? series. Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. After a brief introduction to the smallest and largest shark species, readers follow an inquisitive girl on a cage-diving expedition to meet a great white. Bold cartoon illustrations and the second-person text add immediacy to the experience. Peppered with facts, warnings, and questions, the text focuses mainly on the dangers of interacting with sharks rather than their habitat, diet, and behaviors. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) K-3 Do You Really Want to Meet...? series. Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. In each book, readers accompany an inquisitive child on a journey to observe wild animals in their natural habitat. Bold cartoon illustrations and the second-person text add to the immediacy of the experience. Peppered with facts, warnings, and questions, the texts focus mainly on the dangers of interacting with wild animals rather than on their habitat, diet, and behaviors. Map, reading list, websites. Glos. Review covers these Do You Really Want to Meet...? titles: Cape Buffalo, Kangaroo, Lion, Moose, and Elephant.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) K-3 Do You Really Want to Meet...? series. Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. In each book, readers accompany an inquisitive child on a journey to observe wild animals in their natural habitat. Bold cartoon illustrations and the second-person text add to the immediacy of the experience. Peppered with facts, warnings, and questions, the texts focus mainly on the dangers of interacting with wild animals rather than on their habitat, diet, and behaviors. Map, reading list, websites. Glos. Review covers these Do You Really Want to Meet...? titles: Cape Buffalo, Kangaroo, Lion, Moose, and Elephant.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) K-3 Do You Really Want to Meet...? series. Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. In each book, readers accompany an inquisitive child on a journey to observe wild animals in their natural habitat. Bold cartoon illustrations and the second-person text add to the immediacy of the experience. Peppered with facts, warnings, and questions, the texts focus mainly on the dangers of interacting with wild animals rather than on their habitat, diet, and behaviors. Map, reading list, websites. Glos. Review covers these Do You Really Want to Meet...? titles: Cape Buffalo, Kangaroo, Lion, Moose, and Elephant.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) K-3 Do You Really Want to Meet...? series. Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. In each book, readers accompany an inquisitive child on a journey to observe wild animals in their natural habitat. Bold cartoon illustrations and the second-person text add to the immediacy of the experience. Peppered with facts, warnings, and questions, the texts focus mainly on the dangers of interacting with wild animals rather than on their habitat, diet, and behaviors. Map, reading list, websites. Glos. Review covers these Do You Really Want to Meet...? titles: Cape Buffalo, Kangaroo, Lion, Moose, and Elephant.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) K-3 Do You Really Want to Meet...? series. Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. Written in the second person, this armchair field trip takes readers to the Indian and Pacific oceans in search of saltwater crocodiles. While cautioning young explorers about the dangers of crocodile tracking, the text provides minimal information about habitat, diet, and behaviors. The friendly cartoon illustrations soften the warnings. Appended websites provide more in-depth information. A habitat map is included. Reading list. Glos.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear