(4) K-3 Explorers! series. These simple, basic biographies explain the origins, drives, and discoveries of the three featured explorers, as well as their violent (or in the case of Cabot, mysterious) ends. Although the books don't contain a lot of information, they will prove useful to report writers, especially those who struggle with reading. Photos, maps, and (sometimes blurry) reproductions appear throughout. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Explorers! titles: John Cabot, La Salle, and Vasco Núñez.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 Great Explorations series. Six explorers--including three Spanish conquistadors--are profiled alongside the lands and peoples they discovered and subjugated. Written in a colloquial style, several of the titles skate over the effects the Europeans' conquests had on the native populations, but for the most part these books are thorough. All six titles contain good-quality reproductions. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Great Explorations titles: Vasco da Gama, Zebulon Pike, Samuel de Champlain, Francisco Pizarro, Juan Ponce de León, and Vasco Nuñez de Balboa.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman