(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Bye. Growing up in South Dakota in the early twentieth century, Ruth Mason was curious about the "bones" she collected in her backyard. Decades of inquiries to museums and universities yielded no results until finally, in 1979, a fossil hunter arrived and the incredible fossil beds (at what became Ruth Mason Quarry) were uncovered. Ninety-nine different kinds of dinosaur fossils and ten complete skeletons went to museums all around the world. Cartoon-like digital images of Mason at different ages in her prairie home will sustain reader interest in this (partly fictionalized) biography, and although the text occasionally conflates fossils and bones, its message of persistence will play well. An author's note and bibliography round out this light fare.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 National Park Explorers series. These books describe basic features of U.S. national parks for younger elementary-aged readers. Engaging photographs of landscapes and animals appear throughout; short sentences and large-size type convey information about each park's indigenous plants and wildlife, along with details about the climate and land formations. A simple activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Park Explorers titles: Badlands, Big Bend, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Kacey Schwartz. When orphan June, a twelve-year-old coin-collecting heiress, loses her fortune, she and her pet pig must leave New York City for her aunt's South Dakota farm. June's exploration of her family's past and her search for a valuable penny may be intriguing, but the novel's self-conscious attempts at whimsy overshadow the moments of sincerity. Spot and full-page black-and-white drawings accompany the text.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) YA In the late-nineteenth-century Badlands, Samuel and his self-taught paleontologist father hope to beat out dinosaur-fossil-hunting competitor Professor Cartland of Yale and his daughter Rachel. Oppel's tale is part Western adventure--full of sabotage, double-crosses, and Indian encounters--part social commentary on the times. Oppel explains he's taken pains to accurately portray the Sioux and Pawnee characters and the white scientists' unenlightened attitudes.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(3) 4-6 Preserving America series. This series provides an in-depth look at the history, development, and biological and geological formation of America's national parks. The information is well organized and presented in erudite text. Maps and large, gorgeous photographs of landscapes and wildlife appear prominently in otherwise understated layouts. An appendix in each volume provides further information on animals and planning a visit. Websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Preserving America titles: Badlands National Park, Big Bend National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) K-3 Our Great States series. These graphically pleasing travel guides highlight the top ten sites to see and things to do in each place. Although the books read like brochures and may include quickly outdated information, kids will appreciate the engaging second-person narratives and many photos. A map and facts are appended. There are twelve other spring 2015 books in this series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. This review covers the following Our Great States titles: What's Great About Oregon?, What's Great About Arizona?, What's Great About Washington, DC?, What's Great About South Dakota?, What's Great About Maine?, and What's Great About Mississippi?.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by S. D. Nelson. This anthology presents profound, expressive, and hauntingly honest voices of Lakota youth on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Moving pieces are presented by theme: Natural World; Misery; Native Thoughts; Silence; Spirit; Family, Youth and Dreams; and Language. This attractive book includes bordered pages, Nelson's Lakota-themed art, and eloquent notes from the editor introducing each section. Ind.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) PS Illustrated by Susan Swan. Modeled on "Over in the Meadow," this rhyming verse introduces prairie wildlife, covering animals such as pronghorn, rattlesnake, and sharp-tailed grouse. Valuable back matter expands information about flora and fauna, carefully separating fact from fiction by pointing out which species of animals do not care for their young. Though busy, the mixed-media art provides a good sense of prairie ecology.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. Lincoln Borglum was young when his father Gutzon was commissioned to carve Mount Rushmore. Lincoln learned much from his father, and his hard work and skills earned him the honor of finishing the project after Gutzon's death. Interesting details combine with bold acrylic and pastel illustrations to add perspective and significance to this little-known historic figure. Limited follow-up resources weaken the volume. Bib.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) K-3 At dawn, buses take kids off to school while pictographic images of buffalo and men on horseback fly through the sky. Throughout the day, the interactions of people, animals, earth, and sky are celebrated in modern poetic language with traditional songs in Lakota and English. This is a pictorial testament to a way of life that still survives in South Dakota.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) 1-3 Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures series. Illustrated by Macky Pamintuan. Written by Sara Pennypacker. These brief chapter books find our hero using his state of flatness to rescue his friend from a rockslide at Mount Rushmore and to foil tomb raiders in Egypt. With their breezy "Oh, golly" tone and broad humor (also apparent in the black-and white cartoons) deftly mimicking the originals, these geography-themed books will likely be popular with kids and social studies teachers. Review covers these Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures titles: The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery and The Mount Rushmore Calamity.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Rachel (Prairie Summer, Lessons) and her family experience the challenges of a snowy, stormy winter. After their school bus is stranded in a snowdrift, the sisters are taken in by kindly neighbors. The girls have fun, but worry about their parents (their stubborn dad still refuses to get a telephone). Geisert vividly depicts the harsh weather conditions and the warmth of a 1950s family.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) 4-6 A meteorite crashes into Brady's bedroom, endowing him with extreme strength and endurance. Almost steroidal in its nonstop action and numerous subplots, the book takes the sentiments of its title seriously. Hobbs keeps everything on track by focusing strongly on Brady's friendship with his best friend/cousin and their mutual enjoyment of the well-evoked Black Hills setting.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Morris. Paper engineering by Linda Birkinshaw. This fictional account of a young Sioux girl quickly covers a twelve-year period in the 1800s, which creates a rushed and wordy merger of diary and textbook: "In August 1876, the U.S. government stole the Black Hills from the Sioux without giving us anything in return!" Though the illustrations are rather bland, the pop-ups and flaps may draw in readers.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Wonders of America series. Illustrated by John Wallace. For children gaining confidence in reading, the stories of the presidential heads on Mount Rushmore and of America's most famous river--the Mississippi--will be enjoyable reading that might make kids want to visit these landmarks. Bauer's writing is succinct, factual, and interesting--especially with the support of Wallace's simple, unfussy illustrations. Additional information is included at the end of each text. Review covers these Ready-to-Read: Wonders of America titles: The Mighty Mississippi and Mount Rushmore.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(2) 4-6 Though immersed in the pleasures and responsibilites of starting fifth grade, doing chores on her family's South Dakota farm, and caring for her new baby brother, Rachel can't help noticing that her father seems under a dark cloud. This sequel to Prairie Summer is set in the mid-1950s. Geisert's quiet, simple style gives the novel's quotidian details immediacy and interest.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2005

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Colleen, unable to deny a stranger's deathbed plea, finds herself caught in an agonizing ethical dilemma. Promising to protect the woman's new baby from her abusive husband, Colleen takes the child home to her own mother--who is unaware that her own infant didn't survive and that Colleen has switched the babies. The intriguing premise will draw readers in to this suspenseful and well-told tale set in the pioneer prairie.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2003

(4) 4-6 It's My State! series. These complete and well-organized state books have appealing covers, a clear inside design, colorful quote and fact bubbles, and photos with rounded edges and informative captions. The writing is dry and somewhat impersonal, but overall the books will be useful for report writers. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these It's My State! titles: Colorado, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Utah.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) K-3 Photographs by Alvis Upitis. In prose that strains slightly for lyricism, the author describes wild horses, their range in South Dakota, and how a rancher (and sometimes-children's book author) named Dayton Hyde fought to create a preserve for them in the 1980s. The account doesn't cohere around a single focus, but horse lovers won't mind. And they will certainly appreciate the nature shots of mustangs romping in the wild.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Arthur Geisert. It's summer in Cresbard, South Dakota, and though she dislikes it, ten-year-old Rachel must work with her sisters on the family farm. The author uses the rigor of farm life as a backdrop for Rachel's struggle--making her father proud despite her dislike of hard, physical labor. The occasional, detailed black-and-white drawings complement the simple, honest story set in 1954.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt