(4) 4-6 NHL: History and Heroes series. These volumes chart the histories of four National Hockey League teams. Profiles of prominent players and coaches, team lore (e.g., team curses and season-making victories), and quotes from famous players are included. Readers looking for detailed season-by-season facts, figures, and rosters will need to look elsewhere, but others will be satisfied with the basic texts accompanied by many action photographs. Ind. Review covers these NHL: History and Heroes titles: The Story of the Montreal Canadiens, The Story of the New York Rangers, The Story of the Boston Bruins, and The Story of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Reviewer: Ernie J. Cox

(3) 4-6 Baseball: The Great American Game series. Energetic sports writing imparts solid histories of the teams through 2006. Well-chosen quotations supply insight, as when Mel Ott says of Yankees catcher Yogi Berra: "He stopped everything behind the plate and hit everything in front of it." Cleanly designed pages feature many generously sized, visually arresting photographs. Throughout, outstanding position players are highlighted to form hypothetical "All-Time Teams." Ind. Review covers these Baseball: The Great American Game titles: The Story of the Atlanta Braves, The Story of the New York Yankees, The Story of the Boston Red Sox, The Story of the Chicago Cubs, and The Story of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) 4-6 Baseball series. These two books take brief looks at the hundred-year history of the Yankees and the young expansion-franchise Diamondbacks. The widely spaced text and full-page photographs of prominent players will appeal to young baseball fans. However, the illustrations would have had more meaning if they were captioned. Individual players' names in large print scattered throughout the book seem pointless. [Review covers these Baseball titles: The History of the New York Yankees and The History of the Arizona Diamondbacks.]

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Extreme Sports series. The titles in this series provide a quick look at the beginnings of each sport, then move on to cover safety practices, equipment, skills and training, and competitions. The conversational tone and brief chunks of text, including short boxed profiles of important individuals, will likely engage reluctant readers and sports enthusiasts despite interruptions to define some terms. Color photos, many poorly reproduced, appear in each volume. Bib., glos. [Review covers these Extreme Sports titles: In-Line Skating, Snowboarding, Surfing, BMX Racing and Freestyle, Sport Climbing, Street Luge.]

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Extreme Sports series. The titles in this series provide a quick look at the beginnings of each sport, then move on to cover safety practices, equipment, skills and training, and competitions. The conversational tone and brief chunks of text, including short boxed profiles of important individuals, will likely engage reluctant readers and sports enthusiasts despite interruptions to define some terms. Color photos, many poorly reproduced, appear in each volume. Bib., glos. [Review covers these Extreme Sports titles: In-Line Skating, Snowboarding, Surfing, BMX Racing and Freestyle, Sport Climbing, Street Luge.]

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute