(4) 4-6 Fact Finders: Extreme! series. This book's gross-out factor is its draw: full-color, close-up views of blood-sucking, pooping lice and burrowing blood flukes are accompanied by scientific and historical facts and figures about bacteria, parasites, and the diseases they cause. Crowded pages make the text difficult to follow, but the reasons for good hygiene come across loud and clear. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Claudia Harrington DeShay

(4) YA Biomes of the Earth series. Illustrated by Richard Garratt. Each volume of this extremely dense, textbooklike series first begins with a preface defining biome, next moves on to that biome's geography and geology, then covers topics including biodiversity, history, and ecology. The plethora of well-captioned maps, diagrams, charts, and inset text boxes and photos breaks up the highly scientific writing. Pages are color-coded for quick reference. There are five other spring 2006 books in this series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Biomes of the Earth titles: Deserts, Grasslands, Taiga, Tundra, and Wetlands.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) 4-6 Biomes Atlases series. Each book begins with a biome map and a description of the biomes of the world, then describes the climate, plants, animals, and cultures specific to the featured biome; geographic examples are interspersed. Packed with information and colorful illustrative material, the format is a well-organized if visually overwhelming cross between textbook and encyclopedia. There are seven other new books in this series. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Biomes Atlases titles: Deserts and Semideserts, Oceans and Beaches, Taiga, Tropical Grasslands, and Arctic Tundra and Polar Deserts.]

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) 4-6 Biomes Atlases series. Each book begins with a biome map and a description of the biomes of the world, then describes the climate, plants, animals, and cultures specific to the featured biome; geographic examples are interspersed. Packed with information and colorful illustrative material, the format is a well-organized if visually overwhelming cross between textbook and encyclopedia. There are seven other new books in this series. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Biomes Atlases titles: Deserts and Semideserts, Oceans and Beaches, Taiga, Tropical Grasslands, and Arctic Tundra and Polar Deserts.]

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen