(3) YA Race in America series. A substantive series that examines race as a social construct and racism from many different viewpoints, both historical and contemporary. Although concentrating on the African American experience, the books cover to a lesser extent problems faced by Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. Discussion starters, archival and contemporary photos, and other materials add to the presentations. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Race in America titles: Roots of Racism, White Privilege, Race in the Criminal Justice System, What Are Race and Racism?, and Race and Policing.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Premier Presidents series. The cursory presidential biography series continues. The texts, written in short, choppy sentences, provide little in the way of detail or new information, but an age-appropriate layout features a large font, plenty of white space, and several captioned photos or paintings. Trump focuses (by publication-date necessity) on the 2016 campaign and his pre-presidency business ventures. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Premier Presidents titles: Donald Trump, James Monroe, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George H. W. Bush, Andrew Jackson, Grover Cleveland, James Carter, and Woodrow Wilson.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Premier Presidents series. The cursory presidential biography series continues. The texts, written in short, choppy sentences, provide little in the way of detail or new information, but an age-appropriate layout features a large font, plenty of white space, and several captioned photos or paintings. Trump focuses (by publication-date necessity) on the 2016 campaign and his pre-presidency business ventures. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Premier Presidents titles: Donald Trump, James Monroe, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George H. W. Bush, Andrew Jackson, Grover Cleveland, James Carter, and Woodrow Wilson.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Premier Presidents series. The cursory presidential biography series continues. The texts, written in short, choppy sentences, provide little in the way of detail or new information, but an age-appropriate layout features a large font, plenty of white space, and several captioned photos or paintings. Trump focuses (by publication-date necessity) on the 2016 campaign and his pre-presidency business ventures. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Premier Presidents titles: Donald Trump, James Monroe, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George H. W. Bush, Andrew Jackson, Grover Cleveland, James Carter, and Woodrow Wilson.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 The volume's initial chapters introduce yoga and plug the benefits of practice on the mind, body, and spirit. Rissman then guides young yogis through an "energizing yoga sequence" and a "calming" one, breathing exercises, and beginner mindfulness meditations. The step-by-step instructions and illustrations of each pose are clear and accessible, and the book's encouraging, compassionate tone should help newcomers feel at ease. Websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Savvy: Beauty Hacks series. Lipstick stains on your clothes? Always getting nail polish on your fingers? Fashion and Nail, respectively, offer "hacks" to these problems and others; chapters cover such topics as repairing damaged clothes and healing dry hands and feet. Though the design--full of flashy graphics, doodles, and varying fonts--is cluttered, the text does contain clever tips and useful advice. Reading list. Review covers these Savvy: Beauty Hacks titles: Nail, Hand, and Feet Hacks and Fashion Hacks.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA Special Reports series. Authors present background and some analysis of contemporary issues using anecdotes, data, and news reports. Ebola provides grounding on the topic and information to help understand future epidemics. Vaccination presents the pros and cons of vaccinating children. Stock photographs and frequent sidebars contribute to the choppy layouts. Both volumes offer serviceable if uninspired fodder for report writers. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Special Reports titles: Ebola Outbreak and The Vaccination Debate.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) YA Women's Lives in History series. Each book provides biographies of a good number of women--both well-known and lesser-known--who are high achievers in their respective fields. Clear, engaging texts provide context-setting background, and the volumes' clean design includes with many photos and useful sidebars. There are four other fall 2016 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Women's Lives in History titles: Women in Science, Women in Politics and Government, Women in Arts and Entertainment, and Women in War.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) 4-6 Snap Books: Cheer Spirit series. In Noise, both all-purpose and sport-specific cheers and chants are detailed, along with tips on enthusiasm, creativity, and sportsmanship. Jump presents cheering techniques, instructions for specific moves, and safety tips. High-energy color photos featuring a diverse group of girls illustrate all of the maneuvers. Back matter offers instructions for creating your own cheer (Noise) and nutritious game-day recipes (Jump). Reading list. Ind. Review covers these Snap Books: Cheer Spirit titles: Jump, Tuck, Flip and Make Some Noise.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(3) 4-6 Snap Books: Cheer Spirit series. In Noise, both all-purpose and sport-specific cheers and chants are detailed, along with tips on enthusiasm, creativity, and sportsmanship. Jump presents cheering techniques, instructions for specific moves, and safety tips. High-energy color photos featuring a diverse group of girls illustrate all of the maneuvers. Back matter offers instructions for creating your own cheer (Noise) and nutritious game-day recipes (Jump). Reading list. Ind. Review covers these Snap Books: Cheer Spirit titles: Jump, Tuck, Flip and Make Some Noise.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Food Matters series. These accessibly designed titles provide information about different aspects of food, from ethical consideration in production and growing to nutrition and safety. While their focus on Common Core standards encourages worthy skills such as comparing sources or finding textual evidence backing a point, few students will appreciate the built-in assignments (e.g., "write a short essay..."). Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Food Matters titles: Eating Ethically, Food Safety Basics, Gluten-Free and Other Special Diets, Nutrition Basics, Eating Organic, Genetically Modified Food, and Processed Foods.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 4-6 Food Matters series. This accessibly designed title provides information about "raising food inside a city's limits." Photographs, text boxes, sidebars, and primary source quotes extend the presentation. While the focus on Common Core standards encourages worthy skills such as comparing sources or finding textual evidence backing a point, few students will appreciate the built-in assignments (e.g., "write a short essay..."). Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 4-6 Food Matters series. These accessibly designed titles provide information about different aspects of food, from ethical consideration in production and growing to nutrition and safety. While their focus on Common Core standards encourages worthy skills such as comparing sources or finding textual evidence backing a point, few students will appreciate the built-in assignments (e.g., "write a short essay..."). Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Food Matters titles: Eating Ethically, Food Safety Basics, Gluten-Free and Other Special Diets, Nutrition Basics, Eating Organic, Genetically Modified Food, and Processed Foods.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 4-6 Food Matters series. These accessibly designed titles provide information about different aspects of food, from ethical consideration in production and growing to nutrition and safety. While their focus on Common Core standards encourages worthy skills such as comparing sources or finding textual evidence backing a point, few students will appreciate the built-in assignments (e.g., "write a short essay..."). Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Food Matters titles: Eating Ethically, Food Safety Basics, Gluten-Free and Other Special Diets, Nutrition Basics, Eating Organic, Genetically Modified Food, and Processed Foods.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) 4-6 Savvy: Yoga for You series. These two yoga books focus on alignment, breathing, and safety while offering step-by-step instructions for the poses as well as their benefits. Photographs of girls executing the poses illustrate the texts, and, for difficult poses, a smaller inset photo is included with a modification. The clarity of their presentation makes these titles a useful resource for the target audience. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Savvy: Yoga for You titles: Calm Girl and Smart Girl.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) 4-6 Savvy: Yoga for You series. These two yoga books focus on alignment, breathing, and safety while offering step-by-step instructions for the poses as well as their benefits. Photographs of girls executing the poses illustrate the texts, and, for difficult poses, a smaller inset photo is included with a modification. The clarity of their presentation makes these titles a useful resource for the target audience. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Savvy: Yoga for You titles: Calm Girl and Smart Girl.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 4-6 African-American History series. These titles provide basic introductions to these concurrent and related movements, though both suffer from choppily written texts ("Martin Luther King Jr. disagreed. He thought peaceful protests were best"). The timeline goes to 1975 in Power and to 1968 in Civil Rights, which limits readers' ability to contextualize current events. Photos and sidebars supplement the information. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these African-American History titles: The Black Power Movement and The Civil Rights Movement.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(4) K-3 Comparing Past and Present series. Designed for young children, this book uses archival and modern photographs to compare historical modes of transportation such as walking, trains, horse carriages, and early automobiles to those of the present. Information is sparse and generalized, but the book may encourage children to learn more about how past generations lived. A note to teachers and parents is appended. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Comparing Past and Present series. Using vintage and modern photographs, Rissman provides young readers with comparisons between early-day school environments and activities and those of the present. Sparse generalizing text beneath each photograph helps emphasize the differences. The book could provide a springboard for family and classroom discussions and encourage children to learn more about how past generations lived. A note to teachers and parents is appended. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Becka Moor. Finding the back door open, Rusty enjoys a day outdoors, rolling in the mud, visiting the butcher shop, and splashing in the fountain. Flip the book over to experience Rusty's big day out from his owner's perspective. Though slight in plot, dog lovers will appreciate Rusty's innocent antics. Retro illustrations are lively and help keep the book from being gimmicky.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden