(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Sierra's origin story of the first modern easy reader, The Cat in the Hat, explains--via straightforward narration and occasional playful rhymes--the challenges Dr. Seuss faced while creating a beginning reader that would encourage kids to read a whole book. Hawkes's dynamic, colorful illustrations seamlessly mix the realistic and the Seussian. An informative and entertaining biographical snapshot of the author's important accomplishment.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher. Emphasizing Seuss's lifelong passion for doodling and general playfulness, longtime Seuss publisher Klimo objectively highlights the author-illustrator's life-defining moments in this accessible easy-reader biography. Johnson and Fancher incorporate Seuss's original art into their soft-focus, nostalgic illustrations. This is a nice follow-up read to the illustrators' other, more childhood–focused Seuss biography, The Boy on Fairfield Street.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) K-3 Zoom In on Amazing Authors series. This series, which aligns to Common Core Standards, offers beginning readers brief, humdrum introductions to the lives of five well-known children's book creators and one cartoonist (Schulz). While archival photographs add interest, generic stock photos unrelated to the authors or their work (especially in Mayer and Ryan) are less successful. Lists of quick stats and key dates are appended. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Zoom In on Amazing Authors titles: Charles Schulz, Dr. Seuss, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Maurice Sendak, Mercer Mayer, and Pam Muñoz Ryan.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) K-3 Author Biographies series. These very brief, accessible, photo-heavy biographies offer high points of the careers of two giants of children's literature (the book was published before Sendak's death). The simple one or two lines of text accompanying each picture act more as captions, without really identifying either what's going on in the photo or why it's relevant to the person's life. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Author Biographies titles: Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) 4-6 Photographs by Frankie Frankeny. Quotes from Dr. Seuss introduce inventive recipes inspired by his well loved books. Of more interest to devoted Seussians than serious cooks (the busy design makes some of the recipes difficult to follow), this cookbook includes beverages and foods for every meal. Original images from the Seuss books and photos of some (but, confusingly, not all) of the finished dishes decorate the pages.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher. With additional illustrations by Dr. Seuss. This affectionate survey centers on Geisel's boyhood, plus a bit on his brush with higher education, concluding with the first months of his career. The high points are summarized, but the real story here is of a boy who couldn't stop doodling. Krull does a good job of linking such early propensities with what turned up later in Geisel's books. Nostalgic full-page paintings nicely recall illustrations of the period.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2004

(4) YA People to Know series. These biographies will give young students personal information about two famous men of the twentieth century and some insight into their careers. Adult support may be needed to help less able readers with life stories that are more detailed and less choppy than many biographies written for the primary grades. The photographs are plentiful and appropriate. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Meeting Famous People titles: Walt Disney and Neil Armstrong.]

Reviewer: Nell Beram