(4) K-3 Explore My World series. Excellent close-up photographs enhance an exclamation-point-heavy and fanciful text describing a wood duck's habitat, diet, and life cycle: a mother cares for her eggs and raises the newly hatched ducklings, then the young birds grow up and start their own families. Appended pages elaborate on other egg-laying animals and the physical adaptations of wood ducks; a "Let's Be Ducklings" activity is also included.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. Vibrant color photographs of exotic flora and fauna accompany this beginner's survey of the rainforest. A sometimes overly fanciful text ("mossy-furred sloths hang still as statues") introduces plants and animals unique to this habitat, with additional facts scattered throughout. Back matter includes an exploration of rainforest layers, a world map, and "Hide-and-Seek" and "Name That Food" activities.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. Excellent close-up photographs elevate an exclamation-heavy and fanciful text describing a bee's honey-gathering journey, the hive members' everyday tasks, and the bee life cycle. Additional facts are scattered throughout. Appended pages cover honey production and the importance of pollination; a "Bee Maze" and an activity prompting kids to "waggle dance like a honey bee" are also included.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. Enhanced by excellent color photos of the endearing ocean mammals, an exclamation-point-heavy and fanciful text explores sea otters' daily routine of searching for food, caring for their young, grooming, and playing. Additional facts are scattered throughout. Back matter includes a habitat map and a "Sea Otter Search" maze activity.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. This is a straightforward introduction to the planets and the solar system. In the introductory description of life on Earth, readers may be confused by the poorly aligned text and photos; a clearer but simplistic description of the sun and the planets and their moons follows, with large color photographs, illustrations, and captions. A "Build an Alien" drawing activity is included.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. Detailed color photographs of dolphins swimming and feeding enhance this volume, though the lack of explanatory captions is a missed opportunity at times. A somewhat fanciful text is still clear, engaging, and full of intriguing facts about behavior, simple anatomy, and development. A final spread shows photographs of different kinds of dolphins (including an orca) not pictured earlier in the volume.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) K-3 Explore My World series. The life cycle of an oak tree unfolds in simple yet attention-grabbing text and a nice variety of excellent photographs: close-ups of squirrels eating acorns, a sprouting acorn, green and red leaves, nesting birds, flowers on a mature tree, and more. Final pages explain tree growth, the many animals sheltering in oaks, other tree seeds, and instructions for making a leaf rubbing.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Explore My World series. Illustrated with the incredible wildlife photos expected of any National Geographic publication, simple present tense describes a tiger's unsuccessful hunt, then covers the raising of her cubs to adulthood. Finally, the text touches briefly on tigers' diet and habitats. Appended pages offer a comparison of tigers and house cats, an overview of tigers' communication, a habitat world map, and a stripe-pattern matching game.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. Simple sentences highlight facts about clouds, weather, and animals' need for water. Readers are encouraged to use their imaginations when looking at clouds. While easy to read, the vocabulary is also interesting and relatable, though Delano tries too hard for lyricism ("...playing hide-and-seek with the moon and stars"). The bold, bright, dramatic photographs fill the pages. Contrasting headings, fonts, and captions bolster readability. Cloud-watching tips are appended.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. A satisfying number of topics are covered in this easy-to-read nature book, which focuses on diet, habitat, and babies and their mothers, though unnecessary personification of the animals distracts from the quality of information provided. Bold, bright photographs, including many lively action shots, fill the pages. Contrasting headings, fonts, and captions bolster readability. A map and "koala maze" are appended.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. Personification and unnecessary exclamations ("Snow leopards eat grass and twigs, too!") somewhat hamper an otherwise straightforward nature book. There's a focus on the maternal relationship, though many additional topics are addressed, including diet and habitat. Bold, bright photographs, many lively action shots, fill the pages. Contrasting headings, fonts, and captions bolster readability. A map and matching activity are included.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. Overly fanciful language ("the butterfly is ready to take off, to fly, to flash like a jewel in the sunlit sky") somewhat hampers an otherwise straightforward nature book. There's a focus on life cycle, though many additional topics are addressed, including diet, camouflage, and predators. Bold, bright photographs, many lively action shots, fill the pages. Contrasting headings, fonts, and captions bolster readability. Activities are included.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. Overly fanciful language ("wiggly, wriggly baby frogs, also known as pollywogs") and exclamations somewhat hamper an otherwise straightforward nature book. There's a focus on life cycle, though many additional topics are addressed, including diet, camouflage, and predators. Bold, bright photographs, many lively action shots, fill the pages. Contrasting headings, fonts, and captions bolster readability. "Sing Like a Frog!" instructions are included.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) K-3 Explore My World series. Personification ("It...toddles over the snow to meet new friends!") and unnecessary exclamations somewhat hamper an otherwise straightforward nature book. There's a focus on the differing roles of "Mom" and "Dad," though many additional topics are addressed, including diet and habitat. Bold, bright photographs, many lively action shots, fill the pages. Contrasting headings, fonts, and captions bolster readability. "Penguin map" included.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth