(4) 4-6 What in the World? series. The story behind the Beatles' groundbreaking Sgt. Pepper album is touched on in the final third of the book, which begins with a political history of the 1960s and an overview of the band's early years. The many glossy photographs and sidebars (some unrelated) round out the time period but also distract from the main subject. Small font is off-putting. Timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 What in the World? series. The story of the first mammal cloned from DNA, biographical sketches of the scientists involved, and a general examination of cloning are covered in this volume. Some extraneous sidebars and photographs (e.g., a giant Dolly Parton publicity picture) attempt to place the topic within the context of its place in history but instead look like filler. Small font is off-putting. Timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 What in the World? series. This book sets the scene during World War II, then focuses on atomic bomb developer Robert Oppenheimer. The many photographs and sidebars include tangential material that, intended to provide historical perspective, often diffuses focus (e.g., a full-page illustration explaining how the creators of Curious George escaped Europe during the war, but not its relevance). Small type is difficult to read. Timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 What in the World? series. What's unclear from the title is that this is primarily a historical overview of the British postage stamp. Though its depiction of colonialism tends toward the romantic, the book provides an unusual look at the importance of correspondence to the British Empire. This visually arresting title includes numerous period reproductions and sidebars, though the small type is hard to read. Timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 What in the World? series. This book details not only Beethoven's process composing his Fifth Symphony but also the historical context of nineteenth-century Vienna and the rest of the world (most notably, Africa and the Americas). Sidebar text also gives specific details about worldwide events, inventions, and discoveries. Although the small type may frustrate readers, the illustrations (mostly reproductions of period artwork) help tell the story. Timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 What in the World? series. For this crosscultural series, Fandel demonstrates both the egalitarianism that spurred the metric system's completion in 1799 and the painstaking surveys that astronomers Delambre and Méchain did. Events--both related and unrelated--in countries including the U.S., Benin, Japan, and Russia appear in both the text (though the small type may be troublesome to some) and compelling art reproductions. Timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 What in the World? series. This book discusses Edison's most famous invention culturally and chronologically. Carefully selected reproductions and the small-type text cover the nineteenth century in general, then narrow to Edison's life, work, and contemporaries. Fandel pays particular attention to what Edison accomplished with the light bulb and a system to distribute electricity. Timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 What in the World? series. This book contextualizes da Vinci's most famous painting culturally as well as artistically. Carefully selected artwork and text elucidates the European Renaissance, along with parallel movements elsewhere in the world, then narrows to focus on da Vinci's life, works, and contemporaries, concluding with specifics about such artistic techniques as sfumato and chiaroscuro. Timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian