(3) K-3 First Facts: U.S. National Parks Field Guides series. These image-heavy volumes introduce young readers to major features of each national park, functioning as accessible travel guides. Engaging photographs accompany brief information about landmarks including geysers, canyons, and suspension bridges, along with brief overviews of wildlife and weather. Maps included. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these First Facts: U.S. National Parks Field Guides titles: Grand Canyon National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(1) K-3 Vacationing in the Grand Canyon provides a father and daughter--and readers--numerous opportunities to explore this national park's geology and ecology. Travel guide–like narration presents accurate scientific information, as do page perimeters filled with delicate sketches and diagrams. Detailed, scenic watercolors portraying actual sites cleverly feature selected objects through subtle die-cuts that transport the girl back to ancient geologic environments. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(4) K-3 National Parks series. Each series volume provides basic facts on weather, natural landmarks, animals, and ecosystems along with some superficial history of the focal park. On each spread, a few simple, large-type sentences aimed at beginning readers appear beside an impressive, gutter-spanning nature photograph. Information is minimal but age-appropriate. A list of four "fun activities" to do in each locale is appended. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Yosemite National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Mallory series. Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. It's the summer before fifth grade, and Mallory's family is taking a road trip to the Grand Canyon. But Mallory is less than thrilled about her know-it-all cousin, Kate, tagging along, plus Mallory's big brother Max seems to be hiding something. The illustrated-travel-journal format includes facts about local landmarks and offers a nice change of pace for this amiable long-running series.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 National Park Explorers series. Two-page chapters highlight the most basic facts about national parks in this simplistic, succinctly written series for beginning readers. Many high-quality photographs enhance the superficial content ("Sunset at the Grand Canyon is a special time. Watch the sun sink below the beautiful rocks!"). While adequate as introductions, young nature lovers will want more information. An activity is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following National Park Explorers titles: Death Valley, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, and Yosemite.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 National Parks series. Each volume in this series provides an in-depth look at the cultural, geological, and biological history of a national park. In refreshingly thoughtful detail, this series avoids the usual series cookie-cutting by examining the topics relevant to each place, including wildlife, Native American populations, and conservation plans. Participatory sidebars and thought-provoking questions are included throughout. Park map appended. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Yellowstone National Park, Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Erik Brooks. Tortoise Tino and his friend Rudi, a long-eared jerboa, travel through the Grand Canyon by various modes to find Penny the Kaibab squirrel. Though the specifics of their quest are silly, the story delves into the geography, geology, and animal diversity of the region; unfortunately, the good-quality information gets lost in the wordiness. Watercolor illustrations capture the colors of this natural wonder.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ashley Wolff. Colorful and often beautiful illustrations, in vibrant orange and pink, accompany occasionally awkward rhyming text that strives to capture the wonder of a trek down the Grand Canyon. Several birds are identified but not much other wildlife. The fragmented narrative, told by a little girl, is more impressionistic than informative.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) K-3 The book opens with postman Anthony at the top of the Grand Canyon loading mules with letters and packages. The landscape's yellows, browns, and rust colors radiate heat; the palette changes to whites and blues to convey the danger of driving rain and sleet. An author's note provides detail about the process and of Brown's own expedition with Supai letter carriers.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2009

(4) YA America's National Parks series. Readers interested in touring national parks will find these books useful. Information about the history of each park is provided plus ways to get there, sights to see, etc. Report writers may consider the publisher's enhanced website a welcome shortcut to doing their own Internet research. Contemporary and archival photographs and web screen shots accompany the texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these America's National Parks titles: Denali National Park and Preserve, Yosemite National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) 4-6 After realizing that a missing computer chip can be used for evil, Brenton and his friends (The Homework Machine) go looking for it. Their search takes them to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, hunting for an ancient Egyptian treasure. The text, first-person interviews with police, gives the children personality, but the form can be confusing and the story tends to meander.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(2) 4-6 In 1869 Powell led the first recorded expedition down the Green and Colorado rivers, mapping the Grand Canyon. Ray emphasizes Powell's accomplishments in text and art: primarily full-page illustrations, spacious watercolors in natural colors of the West. The book's pacing allows readers, like Powell, to experience the natural beauty around them. A helpful map and author's note complete the book. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2008

(3) 4-6 National Parks series. In this informative series, each book is set up a little differently to highlight what is most significant about a particular park, but all contain excellent photos and a section on future challenges to the preservation of each park. Written for upper-elementary students, these books will be useful for reports. Glos., ind. Review covers these National Parks titles: Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Yosemite National Park.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. A little boy (from the original That's Good! That's Bad! by the same team) experiences some harrowing ("that's bad") adventures ("that's good") in the Grand Canyon and lives to tell the tale after his grandmother welcomes him back to safety. This book, featuring hilarious caricatures of humans and animals, might well have kids eager for more information about the canyon.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) YA In 2028, a mutant strain of influenza decimates the world's population, leaving small communities of the uninfected and an even smaller number of Survivors. When his uncle and sister disappear, sixteen-year-old Ceej finds them being held captive by the Kinka, a group of flu survivors who view the disease as "the Judgment of the Divine." Readers will appreciate the novel's intense action and fascinating premise.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2001

(3) 4-6 In My Own Words series. Illustrated by Laszlo Kubinyi. Derived directly from the diaries of their subjects, these volumes offer compelling insight into their adventures, from Jemison's acceptance of her adoptive culture, to Martin's focus on surviving terrible cold and hunger, to Leeper's abandoning the search for gold to log redwoods, to Powell's daring exploration of the Colorado River. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Naturalist's Apprentice series. Illustrated by Wendy Smith. In a somewhat dense narrative, this book introduces readers to the work of ichthyologist Eugenie Clark, who has spent her life researching fish. Boxed sections of text offer related activities for budding naturalists and provide basic facts about several fish species. Adequate color drawings and occasionally grainy photographs accompany the text. A time line is included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) YA Dated entries (based on participants' diaries) give immediacy to this account from Dellenbaugh's point of view of the sixteen-month daredevil expedition over treacherous rapids and uncharted territory to map and photograph the Colorado River and Grand Canyon. The use of fictionalized dialogue, however, is unfortunate. Archival photos and Dellenbaugh's sketches illustrate the book. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) K-3 The artist-author documents his stay in the Grand Canyon in watercolor illustrations and text that reads like a journal. These impressions of the natural beauty of the national park include reverent accounts of a variety of wildlife, rock formations, and weather, as well as historical information about the area. While Minor clearly admires the landscapes, his illustrations do not quite convey the vast grandeur of the canyon.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford