(3) K-3 I Can Read Book: My Community series. Illustrated by Catalina Echeverri. Through simple, kid-friendly framing stories, children learn about the possibilities and the variety in each community-helping career field. Softly colored cartoon illustrations show a diverse array of approachable-looking characters and match the books' conversational tone. Each easy-reader narrative flows naturally while providing controlled vocabulary and concrete explanations for emerging readers. Review covers these I Can Read Book: My Community titles: I Want to Be a Doctor, I Want to Be a Police Officer, and I Want to Be a Veterinarian.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Kelly Light. Art-loving Louise must rethink her bake sale plans when little brother Art mixes all the icing colors together (Bake Sales); when Louise's cat scares the class guinea pig, Pigcasso, her brother saves the day (Class Pet). Emerging readers will appreciate the large font, ample white space, and appealing illustrations, but the subtle difference between art (noun) and Art (character) may confuse those unfamiliar with Louise's earlier picture books. Review covers these titles: Louise and the Class Pet and Louise Loves Bake Sales.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Kelly Light. Art-loving Louise must rethink her bake sale plans when little brother Art mixes all the icing colors together (Bake Sales); when Louise's cat scares the class guinea pig, Pigcasso, her brother saves the day (Class Pet). Emerging readers will appreciate the large font, ample white space, and appealing illustrations, but the subtle difference between art (noun) and Art (character) may confuse those unfamiliar with Louise's earlier picture books. Review covers these titles: Louise and the Class Pet and Louise Loves Bake Sales.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book: My Community series. Illustrated by Catalina Echeverri. Through simple, kid-friendly framing stories, children learn about the possibilities and the variety in each community-helping career field. Softly colored cartoon illustrations show a diverse array of approachable-looking characters and match the books' conversational tone. Each easy-reader narrative flows naturally while providing controlled vocabulary and concrete explanations for emerging readers. Review covers these I Can Read Book: My Community titles: I Want to Be a Doctor, I Want to Be a Police Officer, and I Want to Be a Veterinarian.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book: My Community series. Illustrated by Catalina Echeverri. Through simple, kid-friendly framing stories, children learn about the possibilities and the variety in each community-helping career field. Softly colored cartoon illustrations show a diverse array of approachable-looking characters and match the books' conversational tone. Each easy-reader narrative flows naturally while providing controlled vocabulary and concrete explanations for emerging readers. Review covers these I Can Read Book: My Community titles: I Want to Be a Doctor, I Want to Be a Police Officer, and I Want to Be a Veterinarian.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) K-3 Mouse Math series. Illustrated by Deborah Melmon. Mouse siblings Albert and Wanda play in the "People House playroom" and learn about sorting, attributes, and classification when it's time to put the toys away (Mess). Albert adds more and more toys to trade for Wanda's copy of the new Captain Slime book (Adds). The purposeful stories' soft, friendly illustrations welcome children to the early math lessons. "Fun activities" are appended. Review covers these Mouse Math titles: A Mousy Mess and Albert Adds Up!.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Mouse Math series. Illustrated by Deborah Melmon. Living in the walls of a "people house," mouse siblings Wanda and Albert have various adventures with their friends. Each purposeful story serves to illustrate a math concept, including number sequencing and comparing sizes, with some concepts allowing more variety of examples than others. The cheerful mice are aptly illustrated by softly colored, well-delineated art. Two activity pages are appended. Review covers these Mouse Math titles: Count Off, Squeak Scouts!, Albert's Bigger Than Big Idea, Albert's Amazing Snail, Mice on Ice, The Mousier the Merrier!, Albert Keeps Score, and The Right Place for Albert.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 All Aboard Science Reader series. Illustrated by Tammy Smith & Tammy Smith. A simple, conversational text provides interesting information about how to graft branches to grow a specific type of apple. Repetition in the text and clues in the pictures help with word predicting, but a pronunciation guide for one word (blossom) is awkwardly inserted into the text. The illustrations are colorful and clear.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(3) K-3 Smart about Scientists series. Illustrated by Jill Weber. The conceit that a kid, Annie, wrote this text as a school report works well: the child's voice adds perspective and liveliness without being cutesy or intrusive. The "report" features handsome illustrations (ostensibly made by Annie), complete with dialogue balloons; black-and-white photos of Carver; a science experiment; peanut facts (though not that it's a legume); and a recipe.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(3) K-3 Smart about History series. Illustrated by Tracy Mitchell. This overview of the Negro baseball leagues provides historical background, introduces major players such as Rube Foster and Satchel Paige, and touches on the integration of the major leagues in the 1940s. The presentation--a fictional school assignment by a student, complete with childlike drawings mixed in with photos--is a bit contrived, but the information is sound and the lively tone has kid appeal.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 All Aboard Reading series. Illustrated by Esther Szegedy. When young Ed attends his family reunion with Big Ed, Little Ed, Red Ed, Well-Fed Ed, and Bed-Head Ed, he wishes he, too, could have a nickname. He tries every activity in his search for a moniker, ending up "Ed the Potato Sack Champ." Simple and repetitive enough for beginning readers but with a flat ending, this book is illustrated with cartoony art.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin