(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. In each volume, an easy-to-read if choppy text provides basic information on the titular animal, touching on habitat, physical characteristics and adaptations, and diet. Written at a slightly more advanced level, Chimpanzees features topical two-page chapters. Relevant photos (to which the text periodically refers) provide resting points and often illustrate the concepts. Glos. Review covers these Kingfisher Readers titles: Seals and Chimpanzees.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. "Birds are everywhere!" This beginning-reader text explains "what makes an animal a bird" (feathers, wings, a beak), highlighting adaptive benefits and interspecies variation of these features, then traces a bird's egg-to-flight development; the content includes some minor inaccuracies. Bright bird photographs, including an actual-size image of a bee hummingbird, illuminate in-text descriptions and may occasionally assist new readers. Glos.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. In each volume, an easy-to-read if choppy text provides basic information on the titular animal, touching on habitat, physical characteristics and adaptations, and diet. Written at a slightly more advanced level, Chimpanzees features topical two-page chapters. Relevant photos (to which the text periodically refers) provide resting points and often illustrate the concepts. Glos. Review covers these Kingfisher Readers titles: Seals and Chimpanzees.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. This is a very basic look at the African savanna, illustrated with stock photos (some animals pictured aren't identified). The easy-to-read text presents random facts, and children will come away with a general if limited sense of the habitat. Each two-page spread focuses on a distinct topic; highlighted words in the text are defined in an appended glossary.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Two-page chapters introduce newly independent readers to key moments in space-travel history; explain takeoff, landing, and astronauts' many jobs; and highlight ongoing work on the International Space Station. Fact boxes and captioned photos (many from the NASA photo library) expand on the accessible if limited text. Three "Astronaut Records" and a timeline are appended. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. In two-page chapters, the book introduces foundational environmental concepts, including animal species, ecosystems, climate, and fossil fuels, then seamlessly unites these concepts in discussions of environmental threats and possible resolutions. Complex connections (e.g., the relationship between global warming, habitat loss, and endangered species) are illuminated. Captions lend substance to bright stock photos; simple maps and diagrams offer additional points of engagement. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. This easy-to-read book introduces beginning readers to perhaps the most well-known dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex. The you-are-there text ("Triceratops gets away!") describes how T. rex hunts for his next meal and battles with his prey while presenting bold-faced vocabulary words and pronunciations for the dinosaurs mentioned. A mix of digital art and photographs of paleontologists at work ground the information. Glos.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Offering limited information about their subjects, which is suitable for the reading levels noted, these slim books feature lots of colorful photos and somewhat halting texts that closely match the photos. Rainforest uses a double-spread format with headings; Colors has continuous text that's more like captions for the photos. Rainforest doesn't distinguish between tropical and temperate rainforests. Glos. Review covers these Kingfisher Readers titles: Animal Colors and In the Rainforest.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Stock photos featuring children engaged in their daily routines (waking, washing, eating breakfast) pair with easy-to-read sentences that trace the arc of a day from sunrise to midnight, then describe the relationship among various units of time. The text is choppy, and the early sections on morning, noon, and midnight omit mention of minutes and hours, which limits the later content. Glos.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Two-page spreads introduce the five senses before discussing each sense individually and highlighting a few animals using the "amazing" sense. The labeled photos and a diagram of a signal moving through a mouse's nervous system help illustrate the concepts. The beginning-reader text is superficial but accessible. Glos.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Amid just a bit of fearmongering, this lively book gives good information about spiders, such as their distribution, classification, methods of capturing and hunting prey, silk-spinning, mating, and significant differences from insects. Numerous photos closely match the text, and the relatively few spider species that are dangerous to humans (one hundred out of approximately 38,000) are described carefully. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. The double-spreads of this simple reader give basic information about thirteen river-related topics, including the water cycle, rivers and people, and dams and water power. Definitions are accurate, if limited, and captioned illustrations match the text well. Sidebars--often with photos--add related facts to the bits of science, history, and culture in the text. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Offering limited information about their subjects, which is suitable for the reading levels noted, these slim books feature lots of colorful photos and somewhat halting texts that closely match the photos. Rainforest uses a double-spread format with headings; Colors has continuous text that's more like captions for the photos. Rainforest doesn't distinguish between tropical and temperate rainforests. Glos. Review covers these Kingfisher Readers titles: Animal Colors and In the Rainforest.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Well-known figures such as Marco Polo, along with lesser-known explorers, are profiled. The volume's wide scope (there's even a section devoted to space- and deep-ocean exploration) is notable, as is its mention that explorers often harmed the native people they encountered. Clear maps show the explorers' routes, and illustrations and photographs help bring the informative text to life. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Thirteen two-page chapters introduce newly independent readers to components of firefighters' jobs, addressing procedural variations and lesser-known aspects like service at airports and on "fire engines at sea." Bright, action-filled stock photos are strategically positioned to illustrate new information and support in-text explanations of subject-specific terms (breathing apparatus, hydrants, nozzle). Fact boxes appear throughout. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Simple yet informative text helps to create a clear picture of what life was like for the Vikings. Sea travel, religion, home life and customs, exploration, and settlements are all discussed effectively. The roomy design, with large font, frequent sidebars, and a mix of colorful illustrations and photographs of artifacts, will keep new readers on track. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Fourteen two-page chapters introduce beginning readers to the basic food groups and healthy eating. Other topics include how food gets from the field to our tables and cooking techniques. The accessible text is choppy; stock photos from around the world support the information. This is a basic if superficial overview. Glos.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. Bright, crisp color photographs star in this early reader about frogs and their life cycle. The book jumps abruptly and briefly to toads ("Toads are a lot like frogs. Toads have bumpy skin"), which may confuse some young readers. Otherwise, the information is straightforward, and the simple, spare text is engagingly written. Glos.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. According to this book, "creepy-crawlies" are insects, spiders, worms, and snails--"all very small animals!" Readers will discover how these creatures move, what they might eat, where they might live, etc. The amount of information, as well as the blurring of classification lines, could confuse young readers. A combination of photographs, illustrations, sidebars, and diagrams add visual interest. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Kingfisher Readers series. "Fur or feathers help an animal stay warm"; mammals groom their fur and birds preen their feathers; a male peacock's tail feathers and a male lion's mane both attract mates. By comparing the similarities and differences between feathers and fur, this nicely organized early reader explores mammals and birds. Direct text and engaging color photos are well suited to new readers. Glos.

Reviewer: Kari Allen