(3) 4-6 Illustrated by James Brown. This eminently browsable, nearly poster-size book is a self-described "essential miscellany of fascinating facts." Platt devotes double-page spreads to thirty wide-ranging topics, from knot types to music notation to human organs to the Periodic Table. Brown's screenprinted, monochromatic illustrations are stylized infographics preceded by informative text that will appeal to all ages and may inspire further, more systematic research.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by John Kelly. This mash-up of medical science and history presents random information including invention of the microscope, archaic beliefs and modern knowledge of how diseases spread, as well as facts about the plague, leprosy, and more. Text boxes with small type are at right angles and kitty-corner to one another. Illustrations include goggle-eyed mites, rats, flies, and other creatures. May be useful for browsing. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 How They Made Things Work! series. Illustrated by David Lawrence. This series explores the technology that allowed the titular ancient civilizations to thrive. Each two-page section focuses on a particular advance or invention, with text and illustrations detailing how it was used in everyday life; there's some welcome humor in the sketchlike drawings. Unfortunately, the information can be hard to navigate across the busy spreads. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these How They Made Things Work! titles: The Egyptians, The Greeks, In the Renaissance, and The Romans.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 How They Made Things Work! series. This series explores the technology that allowed the titular ancient civilizations to thrive. Each two-page section focuses on a particular advance or invention, with text and illustrations detailing how it was used in everyday life; there's some welcome humor in the sketchlike drawings. Unfortunately, the information can be hard to navigate across the busy spreads. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these How They Made Things Work! titles: The Egyptians, The Greeks, In the Renaissance, and The Romans.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 How They Made Things Work! series. This series explores the technology that allowed the titular ancient civilizations to thrive. Each two-page section focuses on a particular advance or invention, with text and illustrations detailing how it was used in everyday life; there's some welcome humor in the sketchlike drawings. Unfortunately, the information can be hard to navigate across the busy spreads. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these How They Made Things Work! titles: The Egyptians, The Greeks, In the Renaissance, and The Romans.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 How They Made Things Work! series. This series explores the technology that allowed the titular ancient civilizations to thrive. Each two-page section focuses on a particular advance or invention, with text and illustrations detailing how it was used in everyday life; there's some welcome humor in the sketchlike drawings. Unfortunately, the information can be hard to navigate across the busy spreads. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these How They Made Things Work! titles: The Egyptians, The Greeks, In the Renaissance, and The Romans.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 Through Time series. Illustrated by Manuela Cappon. Platt presents a chronological overview of New York City's history (mostly focused on Manhattan) from 1600 to the present. The narrative just barely scratches the surface but does get across the city's triumphs and travails. Each spread is crammed with text and drawings featuring miniatures that are great fun to explore. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by David Parkins. This oversize, heavily illustrated volume is presented as the diary of Iliona, a young Greek girl captured and sold as a house slave in ancient Rome. Though the cartoony illustrations are sometimes jarring, readers will find themselves learning about such topics as Roman government, dress, and sanitation, while engaged in Iliona's adventures. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: T. Borregaard

(4) 4-6 To commemorate the Apollo 11 moon landing, Platt and Hawcock describe the history of the U.S. space program, including detailed consideration of its technological advancements. The information is overshadowed by elaborate pop-ups and foldouts of rockets and the moon; some require a bit of manipulation on the part of readers, making the book unlikely to remain in one piece for very long.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Busy, colorful pages recount the historical, social, and political sides of clothing, hair, hats, and shoes, from legal and moral issues such as wearing fur to dangerous practices like cinched waists and bound feet. Towering hair, hats, heels and undergarments through the ages are among the featured trends. Ever-fluctuating ideas of beauty and body image are also explored. Reading lists, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) 4-6 From ancient times to the present day, this book describes competitive activities played on land, water, and in the air for skill, entertainment, shock factor, and monetary gain. The topic of racing, for example, covers the ordinary (horse), the exotic (camel), and the absurd (snail). Busy, colorful pages provide facts that are sufficiently engaging for leisure reading. Reading lists, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) 4-6 Through Time series. Illustrated by Manuela Cappon. This book traces Pompeii's history, from its beginnings as a collection of huts through its apex as a Roman colony culminating in its modern iteration as a tourist destination. The search-and-find aspect--focusing on one ever-evolving house--requires a high level of commitment from readers. Each double-page spread includes an illustration crowded by main text, captions, and annotations. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 "Deep-fried grasshoppers make a tasty, crunchy snack! Mmmmmm." This is just one of the exotic delicacies offered in this entertaining book of foods and manners from times and cultures far and near. The busy layout includes photos that provide shock value--a fistful of fat grubs, a fresh catch of field rats. The introduction warns against trying these cuisines. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) 4-6 Snappy text and busy pages cover the practice of medicine throughout the ages. Research and breakthroughs, mistakes and misconceptions--including the medicinal use of goat dung and pelican droppings (ancient Rome and Egypt, respectively)--as well as important discoveries are presented. Part entertainment and part information, this book makes an agreeable contrast to more traditional texts on the topic. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) 4-6 An overview debunks popular pirate myths, introduces lesser-known figures, and contextualizes pirates in history. In a crowded design, the illustrated double-page spreads include a fact-filled main text, detailed information boxes, and labeled diagrams. An accompanying narrative written in poor rhyme detracts from the book's nonfiction value. Ind.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(3) 4-6 With laudable understanding and style, Platt documents moments of insight that led to several dozen well-selected inventions relating to everyday life and health, transportation, electricity, and other technologies. Each section features an inventor and invention; captioned illustrations such as photos, diagrams, paintings; and short paragraphs noteworthy for their succinctness and ability to capture interest. A chronology of inventors is appended. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) YA Twentieth-Century History Makers series. These books profile six influential figures of the last century and their accomplishments. Little attention is paid to their personal lives, but the authors adequately detail the history of the times and their subjects' particular influences on it. Captioned black-and-white and color photos illustrate the books. There are six other spring 2003 books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Twentieth-Century History Makers titles: Winston Churchill; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Sigmund Freud; Anne Frank; Albert Einstein; and Fidel Castro.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) K-3 DK Readers series. A black widow, a water spider, and a house spider are among the six arachnids introduced in this brief volume. Although the first-person text, in which each spider describes itself, can be silly ("I'm big and hairy. So what? Spiders cannot shave," says the tarantula), the book does provide a fair amount of factual material and is accompanied by clear photographs. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Chris Riddell. In a profusely illustrated oversize volume, Jake joins the crew of the Greyhound in 1716; the ship is later overtaken by pirates. As the vessel sails from North Carolina to the Indies, Jake records experiences ranging from assisting in an amputation to riding out a storm. The color artwork teems with action and Dickensian sea characters. A lengthy historical note concludes the volume. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Dorling Kindersley Discoveries series. Illustrated by John James & Jim Robins. Various topics are covered on two- or three-page spreads, with brief introductory text and detailed captions for each of the numerous maps, pictures, and photographs. The book design is crowded, but the information will fascinate young readers. One noteworthy feature is the small scroll on each page containing a primary source quote related to the topic. Ind.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang