(3) 4-6 Magnificent Book Of series. Illustrated by Simon Mendez & Val Walerczuk. After a brief introduction, double-page spreads portray thirty-six breeds of horses from the well-known (Thoroughbred) to the relatively obscure (Konik). Along with a large, realistic color portrait of each breed, the spreads contain chatty bullet points detailing the breed's history and a few other facts, usually emphasizing how tough and well-adapted to their environment the horses are; a "Fact file" gives further information on the breed's height, color, character, origin, and use (e.g., driving, riding, hauling, etc.). This browsable volume includes a world map pictorially indicating where each breed originated.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Real-Life Monsters series. Illustrated by Simon Mendez. Appealing to offbeat, lurid, and macabre sensibilities, these titles are stuffed with facts about world's strangest marine and rainforest creatures. Some of the text is small and densely packed, and the photographs--prominently featuring razor-sharp teeth and bizarre bodily protuberances--would be better appreciated in larger format. Still, many a child will be fascinated by the contents of this series. Ind. Review covers these Real-Life Monsters titles: Creatures of the Deep and Creatures of the Rain Forest.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) 4-6 Real-Life Monsters series. Illustrated by Simon Mendez. Appealing to offbeat, lurid, and macabre sensibilities, this title is stuffed with facts about Earth's strangest insects and arachnids. Some of the text is small and densely packed, and the photographs--prominently featuring razor-sharp teeth and bizarre bodily protuberances--would be better appreciated in larger format. Still, many a child will be fascinated by the contents of this series. Ind.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) 4-6 Real-Life Monsters series. Illustrated by Simon Mendez. Appealing to offbeat, lurid, and macabre sensibilities, this title is stuffed with facts about Earth's strangest reptiles. Some of the text is small and densely packed, and the photographs--prominently featuring razor-sharp teeth and bizarre bodily protuberances--would be better appreciated in larger format. Still, many a child will be fascinated by the contents of this series. Ind.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) 4-6 Real-Life Monsters series. Illustrated by Simon Mendez. Appealing to offbeat, lurid, and macabre sensibilities, these titles are stuffed with facts about world's strangest marine and rainforest creatures. Some of the text is small and densely packed, and the photographs--prominently featuring razor-sharp teeth and bizarre bodily protuberances--would be better appreciated in larger format. Still, many a child will be fascinated by the contents of this series. Ind. Review covers these Real-Life Monsters titles: Creatures of the Deep and Creatures of the Rain Forest.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Flip the Flaps series. Illustrated by Simon Mendez. Lift-the-flap vertical half pages encourage readers to uncover the answers to basic (if random) questions about the ocean and various types of marine animals (e.g., "Which animals have tusks like an elephant and whiskers like a cat?"). The somewhat scattered text detracts from the visual appeal of the carefully detailed nature illustrations. Ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Simon Mendez. A kitten, lamb, calf, donkey, and some mice together follow a bright star to the nearby stable. There they find "a very special baby" sleeping in the hay. In this gentle, sentimental Nativity story, the baby animals are bathed in golden light in the pastel, watercolor-pencil, and mixed-media illustrations.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Simon Mendez. Ten mythological creatures are featured--one per double-page spread. The left page briefly describes the creature and sometimes relates a myth associated with it; the right page, in order to dispel the myth, explains what animal or animals have been mistaken for the creature. While the illustrations are accomplished, photographs of the real animals would better suit the book's purpose. Glos.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) K-3 Starting Life series. Illustrated by Simon Mendez. Pages cut progressively wider and marked for easy reference follow the development of ladybugs from egg to larva to pupa to adult. The basic information is here, but the captioned labels and text compete for attention within spreads containing realistic illustrations of the meadow setting. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Starting Life series. Illustrated by Simon Mendez. Pages cut progressively wider and marked for easy reference follow the development of crocodiles from egg to hatchling to juvenile to adult. The basic information is here, but the captioned labels and text compete for attention within spreads containing realistic illustrations of the mangrove swamp setting. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Starting Life series. Illustrated by Simon Mendez. The life cycle of an apple tree, from a seed to bearing fruit, is straightforwardly discussed; sophisticated readers can learn from the ancillary information presented in smaller font throughout. The colorful illustrations resemble nature photos, but there are enough visual treats--extreme close-ups of bugs, glimpses of worms under the soil--to attract the attention of non-nature enthusiasts. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Starting Life series. Illustrated by Simon Mendez. The life cycle of a mallard, from egg to adult, is lucidly discussed; sophisticated readers can learn from the ancillary information presented in smaller font throughout. The colorful illustrations resemble nature photos, but enough liberties are taken--we see what's inside the egg, what's beneath the water's surface--to attract the attention of non-nature enthusiasts. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram