(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dow Phumiruk. Before Title IX became law in 1972, girls and women could be excluded from sports programs, fired from jobs, and denied educational opportunities--all "on the basis of sex." In a simple, direct narrative, Becker highlights what life was like pre-Title IX and how the law ushered in opportunities for everyone. Phumiruk's understated digitally created illustrations let the concepts expressed in the text take center stage. Two pages at book's end briefly profile the women (three lawmakers, one academic) who were instrumental in the law's passage. More details on what changed, progress made since, and the work ahead are appended, as is a reading list.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Orbie. Delivered to "the Zoom" (instead of the "Zzzzzoo"), a sloth doesn't understand why the animals are always in a hurry. She takes her time, and eventually, gradually, makes friends with a snail. In the end, the other animals pause long enough "to become fast friends." This tale will especially appeal to children who move at a different pace; Orbie's illustrations offer lots to slow down for.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Alex Ries. The ten robots profiled in this collection resemble humans, most with heads, arms, and legs. Each section provides a basic description of the bot's primary functions, specifications, applications, and current stage of development, as well as large photographs or drawings of the robot. A mid-book spread discusses "the uncanny valley" (how "most people find [hubots] creepy") and attempts to overcome this perception. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dow Phumiruk. In straightforward text with a folksy refrain of "count on me," this picture book biography introduces the life of math genius, NASA computer, and Hidden Figures notable Katherine Johnson, culminating in her Apollo 13 triumph. Phumiruk's illustrations, created in Photoshop with scans of watercolors and textures, are clean and precise; small figures give way to a dramatic close-up of Johnson calculating the safe flight path home. Bib.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mark Hoffmann. "You can read in the classroom / you can read in the park / you can read on a mission / under cover in the dark." Hand-lettered rhyming text describes the many places one can read, while retro illustrations show large-headed children with thin limbs reading. The text makes somewhat labored attempts to be subversive, but sly details in the art add cohesion and substance.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marie-Ève Tremblay. This short-form biography describes inventor and "jack-of-all-trades" William Playfair's road to creating the line graph, bar graph, and pie chart, appreciated only after his death. Like Playfair, illustrator Tremblay thinks outside the box: e.g., a giant-size Playfair stepping out from a building's roof accompanies "Meikle's workshop felt too small to hold all Will's grand dreams." Nuts-and-bolts sidebars and back matter supplement the peppy narrative.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kathy Boake. Providing real recipes used to feed zoo animals, this book shows mid-elementary readers how zookeepers cater to a wide variety of diets and feeding behaviors. Other challenges, such as providing animals with physical and mental exercise and serving those with highly selective palates, are also highlighted. The informal delivery and bounty of zoological facts, culinary and otherwise, make up for the somewhat garish illustrations. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Phil McAndrew. This clever book discusses whether Frankenstein's monster, vampires, bigfoot, zombies, werewolves, and sea monsters could really exist. Interweaving historical and current facts and stories with clearly explained science (in Frankenstein's case: genetic engineering, electricity, and the nervous system), Becker creates a wonderfully accessible, lively book. Loaded with sidebars, cartoon illustrations, diagrams, maps, and charts for kids to pore over. Ind.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) 4-6 National Geographic: Everything series. With Brendan Mullan. The facts in this book are accurate and progressively organized from layers of the atmosphere through space phenomena and space exploration to a final section, "Space Fun." The tone is accessible without being hyperbolic, with occasional contributions from a National Geographic astronomer. Short boxes of information are presented scrapbook-style with excellent photos. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Alex Ries. This unique book introduces a variety of robotic devices based on animals. Each device is introduced on a two-page spread set up like a video-game-character profile, touching on name, realm, team, super skill, specifications, applications, and animal inspiration. Illustrations are a clear, colorful mix of the technological and lifelike and the fantastic. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Willow Dawson. Simple activities are used to demonstrate scientific principles related to the ocean and its inhabitants. Some reliably illustrate important concepts, while others contribute little. Accompanying the activities is information about threats to marine and global environmental health, as well as steps readers can take to play a role in conservation. Cartoonlike illustrations, diagrams, and photographs aid comprehension of the science. Ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dave Whamond. Adjective comparatives and superlatives from angry, angrier, angriest to zany, zanier, zaniest are presented alongside energetic cartoons of carnival scenes. Some pages require a careful look to discern the connection between word and picture. There's no narrative sequence to this visual feast, but the whole is connected by the alphabetical sequence and patterned word play; teaching tips are appended.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John Beder. Some of the poems in this collection are overlong, but all are imaginative, kid-pleasing, and Prelutsky-esque in topic and level of humor ("I woke up in a muddle / In the middle of a puddle / Had the poodle made a piddle in the middle / Of the night?"). The typeface is too small and crowded, but the picture book layout works well, with large, vibrant illustrations set off nicely against plentiful white space.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 4-6 Civil War series. This series offers readable, factually sound biographies of Civil War-era leaders. Small, gray sidebars pop up occasionally to link the biography to events in the lives of other famous Americans of the period, specifically those featured in other books of the series. Archival photos, engravings, and a few color portraits, without bibliographic citations, serve as illustrations. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Civil War titles: Frederick Douglass, John Brown, Andrew Johnson, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(3) 4-6 Civil War series. This series offers readable, factually sound biographies of Civil War-era leaders. Small, gray sidebars pop up occasionally to link the biography to events in the lives of other famous Americans of the period, specifically those featured in other books of the series. Archival photos, engravings, and a few color portraits, without bibliographic citations, serve as illustrations. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Civil War titles: Frederick Douglass, John Brown, Andrew Johnson, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang