(3) YA Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition series. Each of these biographies details a well-known figure's rise from adversity to national and/or international recognition. The books go beyond the typical personal information to provide some social history relevant to the subject's time. Captioned photographs and boxed inserts enhance the conversational texts, most of which have been completely revised. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition, titles: Maya Angelou, Jimi Hendrix, Scott Joplin, Bob Marley, Oprah Winfrey, Josephine Baker, and Chris Rock.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 Masters of Music series. Well-researched and clear, these books in five or six chapters relate biographical details of the composers' lives, emphasizing the circumstances surrounding their musical education and compositions. Photographs and reproductions illustrate chapters, which are interrupted by "FYInfo" pages that supply further cultural details of varying relevance. There are four other fall 2004 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Masters of Music titles: The Life and Times of Scott Joplin, The Life and Times of Hector Berlioz, The Life and Times of Igor Stravinsky, and The Life and Times of Richard Wagner.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian