(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Brendan Kearney. This attractive oversize book is all about Earth: "how it was formed, what shaped it, and how it came to be full of living things." Organized into sections of earth, air, fire, and water, each topic gets one jam-packed spread with cartoony illustrations (and occasionally photos). Although inevitably rather scattershot, the volume's accessible text and interesting content should please browsers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Livi Gosling & Tom Woolley. This attractive oversize book focuses on quirky facts and historical information about cities all over the world. Featuring a graphically pleasing layout with both color photographs and digital illustrations, each city gets its own double-page spread (sometimes two). The accessible text, interesting content, and browsable format are sure to inspire many young travel enthusiasts. Ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Inquisitive kids who aspire to join the world of espionage are given step-by-step instructions, from recruit to secret agent. The history of spies worldwide, types of spies, secret codes, encryption, disguises, tracking, surveillance, and cybersecurity are all touched on in the fascinating, dynamically designed volume. Illustrations and photos expand the lucid and informative text. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Maggie Li. Arranged by region, this browsable compendium is chock-full of interesting facts and pictures, featuring both well-known and lesser-known sights, festivals, customs, animals, foods, and other examples of culture. Each page has a packed but attractive layout including a fact card (with the country's flag and a small map) and a mixture of humorously captioned contemporary color photos and spot illustrations. World map. Ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Emma Laura Jones. This quirky, thought-provoking book encourages young readers to go through all of the necessary steps to create and run their own country. Location, kinds of leadership and government, infrastructure, currency and economics, and applying to the United Nations are just some of the many topics covered. An engaging layout features digital illustrations, photographs, quizzes, and fact-filled sidebars. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) 4-6 Jam-packed facts about topics such as space travel, the solar system, and the question of extraterrestrial planetary life are arranged as a training manual for potential explorers. Presented in dizzying layouts with multiple texts, lists, and illustrations, the content jumps around--from descriptions of rockets and astronaut training to bodies in the solar system to geological features on planets. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Not-for-Parents series. Readers who enjoy trivia will delight in this fact-filled study of the superlative--from the coldest and the deepest to the kookiest and the yuckiest. Bold color photographs, digital images, maps, and diagrams are paired with simple text to fill each double-page spread. The random order and selection of headings heightens the drama and begs for repeated browsing sessions. Ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Not-for-Parents series. Illustrated by James Gulliver Hancock. Levy gives advice on how to handle the challenges (thirst, bears, avalanches, etc.) of various habitats, from jungles and deserts to oceans and the skies. Readers learn how to use their own smarts and the riches each environment offers to live in them. Though loosely organized, the text is substantial and instructive; the narrative and Hancock's drawings are both infused with humor. Ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman