(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Wong. This humorous folktale adaptation explains why the Chinese calendar uses specific animal names for the twelve years. The emperor, bemoaning that "we cannot recall the years," devises a race--the first twelve animals to finish will have a year named after them. Both text and ornate illustrations give personalities to each of the animals, the emperor, and his devoted advisors.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Disasters--People in Peril series. Storm looks at why severe weather occurs and its effects on the environment. Fiery recounts the 1980 volcanic eruption and the resulting damage. Waves focuses on the 1946 Hawaiian tsunami and the 2011 disaster in Japan. Illustrated with effective stock photos, these books relate their stories in informative if formulaic narratives. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Disasters--People in Peril titles: Deadly Storm Alert!, Deadly Waves, and Fiery Volcano.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 I Like Plants! series. This series provides an overview of the biology and physiology of plants, along with information about their uses. Though the texts are choppy, the facts are clear and accurate. Colorful photographs appear in an easy-to-follow layout. Each book ends with a simple plant-related experiment or activity for young readers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these I Like Plants! titles: Flowers Bloom!, People Need Plants!, Plants Grow!, Plants Live Everywhere!, Seeds Sprout!, and Trees, Weeds, and Vegetables--So Many Kinds of Plants!

Reviewer:

(4) K-3 I Like Plants! series. This series provides an overview of the biology and physiology of plants, along with information about their uses. Though the texts are choppy, the facts are clear and accurate. Colorful photographs appear in an easy-to-follow layout. Each book ends with a simple plant-related experiment or activity for young readers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these I Like Plants! titles: Flowers Bloom!, People Need Plants!, Plants Grow!, Plants Live Everywhere!, Seeds Sprout!, and Trees, Weeds, and Vegetables--So Many Kinds of Plants!

Reviewer:

(4) K-3 I Like Plants! series. This series provides an overview of the biology and physiology of plants, along with information about their uses. Though the texts are choppy, the facts are clear and accurate. Colorful photographs appear in an easy-to-follow layout. Each book ends with a simple plant-related experiment or activity for young readers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these I Like Plants! titles: Flowers Bloom!, People Need Plants!, Plants Grow!, Plants Live Everywhere!, Seeds Sprout!, and Trees, Weeds, and Vegetables--So Many Kinds of Plants!

Reviewer:

(4) K-3 I Like Plants! series. This series provides an overview of the biology and physiology of plants, along with information about their uses. Though the texts are choppy, the facts are clear and accurate. Colorful photographs appear in an easy-to-follow layout. Each book ends with a simple plant-related experiment or activity for young readers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these I Like Plants! titles: Flowers Bloom!, People Need Plants!, Plants Grow!, Plants Live Everywhere!, Seeds Sprout!, and Trees, Weeds, and Vegetables--So Many Kinds of Plants!

Reviewer:

(4) K-3 I Like Plants! series. This series provides an overview of the biology and physiology of plants, along with information about their uses. Though the texts are choppy, the facts are clear and accurate. Colorful photographs appear in an easy-to-follow layout. Each book ends with a simple plant-related experiment or activity for young readers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these I Like Plants! titles: Flowers Bloom!, People Need Plants!, Plants Grow!, Plants Live Everywhere!, Seeds Sprout!, and Trees, Weeds, and Vegetables--So Many Kinds of Plants!

Reviewer:

(4) K-3 I Like Plants! series. This series provides an overview of the biology and physiology of plants, along with information about their uses. Though the texts are choppy, the facts are clear and accurate. Colorful photographs appear in an easy-to-follow layout. Each book ends with a simple plant-related experiment or activity for young readers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these I Like Plants! titles: Flowers Bloom!, People Need Plants!, Plants Grow!, Plants Live Everywhere!, Seeds Sprout!, and Trees, Weeds, and Vegetables--So Many Kinds of Plants!

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(4) K-3 Amazing Americans series. With minimal, easy-to-read texts, these biographies touch on a few key points in each notable American's career. Roosevelt focuses on his early life, so it's not obvious what made him an "amazing" president; the contributions of Barton and Carson are clearer, though greatly simplified. Stock photographs (some oddly colorized) are featured opposite the text on each spread. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Amazing Americans titles: Amazing Champion of the Earth Rachel Carson, Amazing Civil War Nurse Clara Barton, and Amazing President Theodore Roosevelt.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) K-3 Amazing Americans series. Henson's accomplishments as one of the first men--and the first African American--to reach the North Pole are the focus of this easy-to-read biography. Though Wade doesn't discuss discrimination in depth, she does touch on the subject ("Because Henson was African American, nobody talked about what he had done"). Stock photographs are featured opposite the text on each spread. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) K-3 Amazing Americans series. The easy-to-read text of this sketchy biography touches on a few important moments in the life of one of America's most decorated female athletes. Rudolph's Olympic accomplishments are noted, as well as her personal triumph in overcoming the effects of childhood polio. Photographs of Rudolph as a young girl and later as an Olympian appear opposite the text in most spreads. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) K-3 Amazing Americans series. With minimal, easy-to-read texts, these biographies touch on a few key points in each notable American's career. Roosevelt focuses on his early life, so it's not obvious what made him an "amazing" president; the contributions of Barton and Carson are clearer, though greatly simplified. Stock photographs (some oddly colorized) are featured opposite the text on each spread. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Amazing Americans titles: Amazing Champion of the Earth Rachel Carson, Amazing Civil War Nurse Clara Barton, and Amazing President Theodore Roosevelt.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) K-3 Amazing Americans series. With minimal, easy-to-read texts, these biographies touch on a few key points in each notable American's career. Roosevelt focuses on his early life, so it's not obvious what made him an "amazing" president; the contributions of Barton and Carson are clearer, though greatly simplified. Stock photographs (some oddly colorized) are featured opposite the text on each spread. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Amazing Americans titles: Amazing Champion of the Earth Rachel Carson, Amazing Civil War Nurse Clara Barton, and Amazing President Theodore Roosevelt.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) K-3 Amazing Americans series. Readers are introduced to the father of the Cherokee written language in this easy-to-read biography. Wade communicates the significance of Sequoya's development of a Cherokee alphabet; she only briefly mentions forcible relocation of the Cherokee to Oklahoma. Stock photographs and illustrations are featured opposite the text on each spread. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) YA Authors Teens Love series. Each of these biographies opens with a childhood anecdote before focusing on the subject's life and writings. Captioned photographs and sidebars (printed in hard-to-read type) add information. Tolkien covers the Middle-earth phenomenon as well as the author and his work. Nixon is disturbingly referred to in both past and present tenses. Bradbury and Nixon include interviews. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Authors Teens Love titles: Ray Bradbury, Joan Lowery Nixon, and J. R. R. Tolkien.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin