(3) K-3 Illustrated by Matt Collins. This brief biography chronicles the life of one of the nation's early pioneers. The narrative succinctly relates Boone's early life, his experiences with Native Americans, the opening of the Cumberland Gap to form the Wilderness Trail, the settlement of Boonesborough, and his final push into Missouri. Realistic illustrations are artfully rendered and complement the straightforward, readable text. Timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Courageous Heroes of the American West series. All originally published under different titles, the updated editions of these brief biographies, written in short, easy-to-read sentences, outline the lives of adventurous individuals who helped shape the American West during the nineteenth century. Black-and-white photographs and drawings add some interest to the text-heavy pages; the lurid cover illustrations are unappealing. There are four other fall 2012 books in this series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Courageous Heroes of the American West titles: Bill Pickett, Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Richard King, Sacagawea, and Sam Houston.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ard Hoyt. Captured by Shawnee warriors in 1778, Daniel Boone persuades their chief to spare his men. He lives for months as a Shawnee before escaping to protect his family from an attack. Crosshatched watercolor, colored-pencil, and pen-and-ink illustrations capture the drama. Though an epilogue gives more history, the vague text raises more questions than it answers.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 Harness's lively narrative follows Boone's life as he journeys through frontier lands of North Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri, battling Indians and helping settle the wilderness. Intricate illustrations (some muddy) and an extensive timeline of world events that runs along the bottom of each page contribute to the story but complicate the format. A chronology of Boone's life is appended. Reading list. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) YA Great Explorations series. The well-researched books in this series will be useful to students writing reports. Maps and archival reproductions in both black and white and color extend the text, but the illustrations aren't always captioned and maps from antiquity aren't always labeled as such. Nevertheless, these are engaging introductions. Each book includes a chronology. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Great Expectations titles: Daniel Boone, Robert e. Peary, L Salle, Lewis and Clark, Captain James Cook, Ferdinand Magellan.]

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) K-3 On My Own Biography series. Illustrated by Loren Chantland. A brief, easy-to-read narrative follows the life of the well-celebrated frontiersman from boyhood in Exeter, Pennsylvania, to the wilds of North Carolina to unsettled Kentucky in the 1770s. The adequate text is accompanied by scratchboard-looking drawings, which don't provide much detail but do give a sense of the time. A chronology is appended.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(3) K-3 While posing for a portrait, Boone tells the artist an escalating tall tale that ends with his promise to a mother raccoon that he will never wear coonskin. Vigorous colored pencil and oil pastel illustrations bring out Boone's nervous energy as well as the increasing momentum and humor in this fast-moving tale. An endnote on Boone legends separates fact from fabrication. Bib.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) 4-6 In American History series. The Weatherford volume traces the issue of civil rights across one hundred and fifty years of American history; the other books are more concentrated, explaining the political culture of individual eras, identifying notable figures, and discussing the continuing legacy of the events described. Occasionally drab black-and-white photos and reproductions accompany the texts. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Explorers of New Worlds series. Illustrated with color reproductions and photographs, the books provide biographical information and track the explorations that made each of these historic figures famous. The tone of the prose is generally casual and somewhat dumbed down, and generic "historians" and "researchers" are often cited to back up statements but remain unnamed in the text. Time lines are included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA Historical American Biographies series. These books present informative looks at eight American figures. For the most part, the authors dispell myths and discuss each subject's flaws as well as strengths--Billy the Kid and Mary Todd Lincoln are most successful at this, Custer is less well rounded. Black-and-white archival photos, illustrations, maps, and sidebars help to establish time and place. A chronology is included in each book. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman