(3) 4-6 Starting with Nature series. Illustrated by Heather Collins. Designed to turn a mild interest in bird watching into an avid hobby, this book contains information on basic bird identification, life cycles, nests, songs, and migration, as well as ideas for constructing feeders and birdhouses from common household items. Carefully rendered birds in the realistic watercolors swoop, hover, swim, and feed on nearly every page. Ind.

Reviewer: Amy Timberlake

(3) YA Pages from History series. Describing the cultural clash that occurred after Columbus's discovery of the Americas, this book presents primary source material--diaries, letters, maps, illustrations--and combines it with solid, in-depth examinations. Lepore provides essential background information and helps readers understand the context surrounding each document. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Amy Timberlake

(4) PS Illustrated by Suse MacDonald. "Every bird loves a tree / Every flower loves a bee / Every lock loves a key." Each stanza in this simple rhyming poem describes the affectionate relationship between two things, ending with "And I love you." The rebus is easy to guess and is helped along by the rhyme. Sheep, pigs, sand pails, socks and shoes, among other common images, populate the saccharine illustrations.

Reviewer: Amy Timberlake

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Henrik Drescher. Nordine explores the tribulations of colors: "Azure is bored with just being blue," magenta "has her own gossip column," and "flesh, as a color, is an awful mess." The poems were originally written to be heard on radio, but even on the page, the words mesmerize. Drescher's bold, freewheeling collage art is a perfect complement.

Reviewer: Amy Timberlake

(4) K-3 Carolrhoda On My Own Books series. Illustrated by Larry Johnson. Though the prose in this easy-to-read biography is uninspired, Rudolph's story isn't. Nearly crippled by polio, Rudolph grew up with her leg in a brace. Through hard work and exercise, she became an Olympic gold-medal-winning runner. Full-color paintings capture the split-second movement of "the fastest woman in the world." An afterword briefly discusses Rudolph's post-running life, and a time line is included.

Reviewer: Amy Timberlake

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John Sill. A minimal text distills very basic insect facts for young readers. Detailed, full-page color plates feature eighteen different insects in their natural environments, including Dogbane Leaf Beetles, Virginia Ctenuchid Moths, and Gladiator Katydids. Additional information about the illustrated insects is provided in an afterword that seems geared toward older readers.

Reviewer: Amy Timberlake