(3) 4-6 Darwin, a reluctant and mediocre student, found his calling aboard the HMS Beagle on its five-year trek around the world. Ashby's readable text chronicles the events of this journey, also touching briefly on Darwin's theories of natural selection and evolution. An author's note gives additional information about Darwin's life and times. Reading list, timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Sterling Biographies series. Attractive layouts and well-chosen images including photographs, paintings, documents (e.g., the police report on Rosa Parks's arrest), etc. make for accessible, if adulatory, biographies of six noteworthy African Americans. Sidebars flesh out historical contexts and important contemporaries. Malcolm X is the most riveting, both because of the subject's criminal past and his controversial beliefs. Across the volumes, quotations aren't cited. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Sterling Biographies titles: Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Marian Anderson, and Frederick Douglass.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Phil Wilson. The life cycle of the Pteranodon, an ancient flying reptile, is described accurately and clearly in this fictionalization focusing on the perils faced by this now-extinct creature. Pteranodon is attacked by dinosaur and marine reptile predators but manages to survive to father his own offspring. Full-page, sharply etched illustrations provide vivid images of the animals and action.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Ashby's biography begins in Franklin's seventeenth year, when he ran away from Boston to Philadelphia. There, hard work and a love of books led to his own print shop, a subscription library, and a leadership role as the Colonies moved toward independence. The narrative is clear, if occasionally overexcited; an afterword summarizes Franklin's inventions and family information. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Using sources such as Glenn's own memoir and the transcript from the Friendship 7 flight, this dramatized history chronicles Glenn's boyhood through his flight aboard the shuttle Discovery at age seventy-seven. In a dull design, the dutiful text is uninterrupted by art (except for a final ten-page illustrated section), making this fairly slow going. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Connie ANn Kirk

(3) 4-6 Cultures of the Past series. These series books are sure to draw report writers and history buffs alike: they provide in-depth overviews of the history, religion, and culture of, respectively, Victorian England and Renaissance Italy. Copiously illustrated with period reproductions and modern-day photos, these books focus on the literary and artistic achievements of the eras. A timeline and a list of relevant websites are appended. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Cultures of the Past titles: Victorian England and The Italian Renaissance.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 Techies series. The books in this series clearly explain the details of their subjects' contributions and give perspective on those endeavors in the larger high-tech world. Illustrated with a few stock black-and-white photos, the books are mostly positive about the contributions of Case to the business of Internet access, Dyson to the prediction of trends, and Fanning to the sharing of music; still, they note the controversies surrounding these activities. Bib., ind. [Review covers these titles: Steve Case, Esther Dyson, Shawn Fanning.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Civil War Chronicles series. The history of the cavalry is recounted in Fury, which briefly and adequately chronicles the role of horses and horsemen during the Civil War. Gettysburg tells the story of the landmark three-day battle in 1863. Archival art and photographs illustrate the text. Unfortunately, many of the photos are quite poorly reproduced. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Civil War Chronicles titles: Fury on Horseback and Gettysburg.]

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Civil War Chronicles series. The history of the cavalry is recounted in Fury, which briefly and adequately chronicles the role of horses and horsemen during the Civil War. Gettysburg tells the story of the landmark three-day battle in 1863. Archival art and photographs illustrate the text. Unfortunately, many of the photos are quite poorly reproduced. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Civil War Chronicles titles: Fury on Horseback and Gettysburg.]

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Civil War Chronicles series. Walt Whitman and Dorothea Dix are among the eleven people briefly chronicled in this book, as well as lesser-known individuals such as former slave William Carney of the first black army regiment. Though limited in content, the text contains a number of interesting facts. Historical photos, some reproduced quite poorly, are included, as is a map of major battle sites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Around the World In... series. These two series books sketch events in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas (1800 includes Australia). Anecdotes, modern-day references, and an emphasis on daily life in the historical period keep the text interesting. Maps, archival reproductions, and color photos illustrate the pages. This crosscultural approach makes these overviews useful resources. A list of related Internet sites is included. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Around the World In... titles: 1800 and 1500/]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(3) 4-6 Cultures of the Past series. The opening chapter of each volume presents a compact survey of the historical era. Succeeding chapters deal with cultural achievements of the times, such as theater and literature, and the role of religion in society. A summation explains the legacy of the Elizabethan and historical Spanish eras on modern life. The writing is tight; the accompanying historical reproductions serve the texts well. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta