(4) K-3 National Parks series. Each series volume provides basic facts on weather, natural landmarks, animals, and ecosystems along with some superficial history of the focal park. On each spread, a few simple, large-type sentences aimed at beginning readers appear beside an impressive, gutter-spanning nature photograph. Information is minimal but age-appropriate. A list of four "fun activities" to do in each locale is appended. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Yosemite National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) K-3 National Park Explorers series. Two-page chapters highlight the most basic facts about national parks in this simplistic, succinctly written series for beginning readers. Many high-quality photographs enhance the superficial content ("Sunset at the Grand Canyon is a special time. Watch the sun sink below the beautiful rocks!"). While adequate as introductions, young nature lovers will want more information. An activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following National Park Explorers titles: Death Valley, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, and Yosemite.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 National Parks series. Each volume in this series provides an in-depth look at the cultural, geological, and biological history of a national park. In refreshingly thoughtful detail, this series avoids the usual series cookie-cutting by examining the topics relevant to each place, including wildlife, Native American populations, and conservation plans. Participatory sidebars and thought-provoking questions are included throughout. Park map appended. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Yellowstone National Park, Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) YA America's National Parks series. Older readers (and adults) will find this series useful for its coverage of six national parks' history, ecology, animal life, current challenges, and tourist attractions. Report writers, especially, may find the publisher's enhanced website a welcome shortcut to doing their own Internet research. Contemporary and archival photographs and web screenshots accompany the information. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these America's National Parks titles: Yellowstone National Park, Acadia National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Everglades National Park, Olympic National Park, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(3) K-3 Symbols of Freedom series. These simple, easy-to-read texts begin with an introduction to national parks, then ably present the history of each park, highlighting the plants and animals that live there and showcasing some of the most notable sights. Well-captioned photographs illustrate each volume; maps also add detail to the text. The thoughtful, eye-pleasing design makes navigation easy. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Symbols of Freedom titles: Mesa Verde National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Denali National Park and Preserve, Everglades National Park, Yosemite National Park, Death Valley National Park, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(3) 4-6 National Parks series. In this informative series, each book is set up a little differently to highlight what is most significant about a particular park, but all contain excellent photos and a section on future challenges to the preservation of each park. Written for upper-elementary students, these books will be useful for reports. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Yosemite National Park.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) K-3 Photographs by Cindy Karp. An elementary school class learns about the ecology of the Florida Everglades and the restoration projects of this endangered ecosystem. Marx's wooden but readable narrative is accompanied by beautiful photographs. The book will be useful for report writers but equally attractive to readers intrigued by the natural world. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Habitat Explorer series. Within the framework of a fictional journey, young readers travel through five habitats: the Swiss Alps, the Amazon rainforest, the Pacific Ocean, the Florida Everglades, and the Great Prairie. The books introduce indigenous plants and animals and define interdependence, animal adaptation, and ecological balance. Photos show animal and plant close-ups. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Habitat Explorer titles: Mountain Explorer, Ocean Explorer, Rain Forest Explorer, Prairie Explorer, and Wetlands Explorer.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Trudy Nicholson & Trudy Nicholson. Hiding on a boat to avoid bullies, Henry finds himself trapped when the owner returns and heads the vessel into the Florida Everglades. During the subsequent journey, Henry savors the untamed wilderness but must also unwillingly assist the ship's tough owner in illegal alligator hunting. The nature writing has a timeless quality, but the slow pace and old-fashioned dialogue will seem dated to contemporary kids.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Ecosystems in Action series. Photographs by Stephen G. Maka. Occasionally dry but informative texts, illustrated with crisp color photos, use five specific locations (Adirondack forest, Sonoran Desert, Florida Everglades, Hawaiian rainforest, and Alaskan tundra) as examples of a particular ecosystem. The books discuss geological and climactic characteristics of each area, plant and animal adaptations and interdependence, and close with negative effects of humans on the ecosystem. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Ecosystems in Action titles: Life in a Deciduous Forest, Life in a Desert, Life in a Wetland, Life in a Rain Forest, and Life in the Tundra.]

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Regan. A stunning visual tour of the Everglades, from sunrise to day's end, is accompanied by a lilting, poetic text. Regan's lush illustrations are almost photographic in their detail, capturing not only the characteristics of featured animals and birds but the play of changing light on the swampy landscape.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(3) YA Ecosystems of North America series. These books explore an ecosystem by examining its subsystems (e.g. the beaches, estuaries, marshes, and reefs of the Atlantic coast). The accessible texts reveal how living and nonliving components interact and affect one another, how plants and animals adapt to their surroundings, and how people have damaged and now try to sustain these ecosystems. Clear color photos illustrate the books. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) YA National Parks Mystery series. Accompanying their veterinarian mother on her latest case, Jack, Ashley, and Bridger--a short-term foster child--link the poisoning of manatees in Everglades National Park to a toxic waste cover-up. A heavy-handed subplot has Bridger rethinking his sexist attitude toward women. As in earlier books in the series, facts about the park's wildlife and ecology are woven smoothly into the mystery.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger