(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: You Should Meet series. Illustrated by Alexandra Badiu. The Japanese artist, fashion designer, and writer Yayoi Kusama "never stopped following her dreams." Readers learn about Kusama's childhood and career, from Japan to New York City and back; the focus is on her creativity and determination in the face of obstacles (for example, plagiarism of her work by male peers, including Andy Warhol). The cleanly designed early reader features illustrations bursting with color, many pages featuring Kusama's signature polka dots. Some loosely related facts about Japan, art, and artists, along with a comprehension quiz, are included.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) 4-6 Fact Finders: People You Should Know series. These biographies focus on individuals who've had a significant impact on American culture and history. Ginsburg highlights important decisions the Justice has been outspoken about and describes her place in pop culture. Bridges takes a broader look at the integration of Ruby's school and the reactions of her community. Sidebars, "Did You Know?" text boxes, well-chosen photographs, and word definitions accompany the readable texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Fact Finders: People You Should Know titles: Ruby Bridges and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Fact Finders: People You Should Know series. These biographies focus on individuals who've had a significant impact on American culture and history. Ginsburg highlights important decisions the Justice has been outspoken about and describes her place in pop culture. Bridges takes a broader look at the integration of Ruby's school and the reactions of her community. Sidebars, "Did You Know?" text boxes, well-chosen photographs, and word definitions accompany the readable texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Fact Finders: People You Should Know titles: Ruby Bridges and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: You Should Meet series. Illustrated by Alyssa Petersen. Emerging readers meet Broadway phenomenon Lin-Manuel Miranda in this accessible level-three easy reader. Accompanied by straightforward cartoon illustrations, chapters explore the role of influences such as hip-hop and Latino culture in Miranda's work while also emphasizing the support of his friends and family and his own hard work. Back matter includes facts about Puerto Rico and Broadway and a screenwriting activity.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) 4-6 Be What You Want series. Bedell is realistic about job requirements and helps readers understand pluses and minuses of veterinary animal care as well as many other careers involving domestic and wild animals, including farming, conservation, training, and research. A dynamic narrative is peppered with "Spotlights" on real professionals, interviews, quizzes, and more, but the layout would benefit from photos instead of dull clip art. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) 4-6 You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales series. Illustrated by Alan Brown. Fairy tales told as choose-your-path adventures may be an ideal match of form and genre. Readers addressed as "you" first select one of three scenarios (including fantasy, wacky humor, and sci-fi) and make narrative choices until reaching a happy, sad, or neutral ending. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations support the texts. Background about the source tale and critical thinking questions are included. Reading list. Review covers these You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales titles: Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) 4-6 You Choose Stories: Field Trip Mysteries series. Illustrated by Marcos Calo. Readers get to co-construct each story and help solve thin mysteries in this interactive spinoff of Brezenoff's Field Trip Mysteries. Sixth-grade detectives Sam, Egg, Gum, and Cat investigate a missing rare fruit from a botanical garden (Fruit) and stolen electronic tickets from a carnival (Caper). Each case offers twelve possible endings for readers to pursue. Full-bleed color illustrations bring important scenes to life. Glos. Review covers these You Choose Stories: Field Trip Mysteries titles: The Carnival Caper and The Disappearing Fruit.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) 4-6 You Choose Stories: Field Trip Mysteries series. Illustrated by Marcos Calo. Readers get to co-construct each story and help solve thin mysteries in this interactive spinoff of Brezenoff's Field Trip Mysteries. Sixth-grade detectives Sam, Egg, Gum, and Cat investigate a missing rare fruit from a botanical garden (Fruit) and stolen electronic tickets from a carnival (Caper). Each case offers twelve possible endings for readers to pursue. Full-bleed color illustrations bring important scenes to life. Glos. Review covers these You Choose Stories: Field Trip Mysteries titles: The Carnival Caper and The Disappearing Fruit.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: You Should Meet series. Illustrated by Stevie Lewis. Calkhoven introduces "the father of surfing" in this easy-reader biography. She focuses on Kahanamoku's unique swimming and surfing abilities, and his success in four Olympics in the early 1900s. The appealing design features a large font and Lewis's engaging cartoonlike illustrations. The book concludes with a mini Hawaiian glossary and short history and culture sections.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) 4-6 You Choose: Haunted Places series. On guided tours of a historic hotel and a long-abandoned tuberculosis sanatorium, readers are given a choice of numerous scenarios and endings that portray the supposedly ghostly haunting of each. The slight Choose Your Own Adventure–style speculative narratives offer dozens of entertaining choices and multiple endings accompanied by archival photographs of the locales. An epilogue provides limited historical background. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these You Choose: Haunted Places titles: The Haunted Sanatorium and [cf]2Stanley Hotel.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) K-3 Did You Know? series. Illustrated by Aaron Spurgeon & Mauricio Abril. As this wide-ranging, humorous book filled with cartoonish animals makes clear, robots actually can dance but, as of now, only if humans program them that way. The book discusses other amazing things that robots can do (e.g., perform surgery, play chess) and how computers have changed modes of communication (phone, radio, TV, movies, GPS) and transportation (cars, airplanes). Random "Fun Facts" are appended.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: You Should Meet series. Illustrated by Alyssa Petersen. In this easy-reader biography, Feldman introduces Katherine Johnson, an African American mathematical prodigy. She began her career at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (later NASA) as a human computer and advanced up the ranks. Back matter includes information on stars, careers in engineering and astronomy, and space facts. Petersen's full-color cartoonlike illustrations have kid-appeal.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) 4-6 You Choose: Ancient Greek Myths series. Illustrated by Carolyn Arcabascio. These two decent adaptations of Greek myths rely on a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure format, which encourages multiple read-throughs to follow the different story paths. This makes for some abrupt transitions, though, as you skip past parts of each myth. Both books include serviceable sepia-toned illustrations. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these You Choose: Ancient Greek Myths titles: Olympians vs. Titans and Hades and the Underworld.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 You Choose: Ancient Greek Myths series. Illustrated by Nadine Takvorian. These two decent adaptations of Greek myths rely on a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure format, which encourages multiple read-throughs to follow the different story paths. This makes for some abrupt transitions, though, as you skip past parts of each myth. Both books include serviceable sepia-toned illustrations. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these You Choose: Ancient Greek Myths titles: Olympians vs. Titans and Hades and the Underworld.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 You Choose: Surviving Extreme Sports series. Snow, bitter cold, wild animals, and other physical dangers are omnipresent in these pick-your-path wilderness-survival stories. Readers' choices determine whether the adventure ends successfully or in failure. The narratives highlight the exhilaration and danger of both extreme sports; color photographs sprinkled throughout illustrate the majestic yet harsh environments. An epilogue provides limited contextual background. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these You Choose: Surviving Extreme Sports titles: Surviving Mount Everest and Surviving the Iditarod.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 You Choose: Surviving Extreme Sports series. Snow, bitter cold, wild animals, and other physical dangers are omnipresent in these pick-your-path wilderness-survival stories. Readers' choices determine whether the adventure ends successfully or in failure. The narratives highlight the exhilaration and danger of both extreme sports; color photographs sprinkled throughout illustrate the majestic yet harsh environments. An epilogue provides limited contextual background. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these You Choose: Surviving Extreme Sports titles: Surviving Mount Everest and Surviving the Iditarod.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales series. Illustrated by Federica Frenna. Fairy tales told as choose-your-path adventures may be an ideal match of form and genre. Readers addressed as "you" first select one of three scenarios (including fantasy, wacky humor, and sci-fi) and make narrative choices until reaching a happy, sad, or neutral ending. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations support the texts. Background about the source tale and critical thinking questions are included. Reading list. Review covers these You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales titles: Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) 4-6 You Choose: Haunted Places series. On guided tours of a historic hotel and a long-abandoned tuberculosis sanatorium, readers are given a choice of numerous scenarios and endings that portray the supposedly ghostly haunting of each. The slight Choose Your Own Adventure–style speculative narratives offer dozens of entertaining choices and multiple endings accompanied by archival photographs of the locales. An epilogue provides limited historical background. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these You Choose: Haunted Places titles: The Haunted Sanatorium and [cf]2Stanley Hotel.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) K-3 Do You Really Want to Meet a Dinosaur? series. Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. In each science picture book, a child in a natural history museum time-travels to prehistoric sites to see dinosaur species in action. The child (and readers, via immediacy-adding second-person text) examine the habitats and learn about the animals: what they ate, what ate them, how they raised their young, and more. Stylized illustrations convey details about dino appearances and behaviors. Reading list, websites. Glos. Review covers these Do You Really Want to Meet a Dinosaur? titles: Do You Really Want to Meet a Pterosaur?, Do You Really Want to Meet Apatosaurus?, Do You Really Want to Meet Stegosaurus?, Do You Really Want to Meet Triceratops? , Do You Really Want to Meet Tyrannosaurus Rex?, and Do You Really Want to Meet Velociraptor?.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Do You Really Want to Meet a Dinosaur? series. Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. In each science picture book, a child in a natural history museum time-travels to prehistoric sites to see dinosaur species in action. The child (and readers, via immediacy-adding second-person text) examine the habitats and learn about the animals: what they ate, what ate them, how they raised their young, and more. Stylized illustrations convey details about dino appearances and behaviors. Reading list, websites. Glos. Review covers these Do You Really Want to Meet a Dinosaur? titles: Do You Really Want to Meet a Pterosaur?, Do You Really Want to Meet Apatosaurus?, Do You Really Want to Meet Stegosaurus?, Do You Really Want to Meet Triceratops? , Do You Really Want to Meet Tyrannosaurus Rex?, and Do You Really Want to Meet Velociraptor?.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford