Reviews
Series Made Simple
This simplified series explains how the digital world works. How Does Social Media Work? discusses the positives (like instant connection) as well as the safety concerns in sharing personal information online. How Does the Internet Work? provides a very basic overview of how the internet View →
Series Made Simple
This series makes crucial events in U.S. history accessible to younger readers. Through clear writing and organization, the books describe the causes, the outcomes, and the conclusion of each turning point. Photographs, sidebars (which often contain facts and critical thinking… View →
Each title in this series describes animal groupings and explores how the members benefit. For example, kangaroo mobs facilitate safety, child rearing, and grooming. One short paragraph per page explains a different key aspect of the social construct, accompanied by a large photo that… View →
California Gold Rush
This graphic-rich introduction to the 1849 California gold rush walks readers through the basics, from the discovery of the first nuggets to the mass migration of hopeful prospectors to the sudden appearance of boomtowns to San Francisco’s transformation into a teeming metropolis.… View →
Mindfulness in Digital Devices
Jump!’s new Blue Owl imprint focuses on health, wellness, and social-emotional learning for children in the primary grades. This volume in the Mindful Me series (6 titles) presents relatable examples of practicing mindfulness and limiting screen time, without casting digital devices in a View →
Garland Independent School District Review of Peru (Spanish)
Introduces readers to the land, cities, history, and food of Peru. This attractive volume in kid friendly, easy to read, and inviting. Beautiful and bright color photographs are included on every page, and although the text is simply written, it is interesting and does not overwhelm… View →
Series Made Simple
Children with disabilities deserve to be positively represented in the books they read. This excellent series in Spanish introduces readers to ability diversity in a compassionate and practical way. Readers will be drawn in by the book’s full-page color photographs of children from all… View →
Series Made Simple
This series in Spanish introduces beginning readers to all the colors of the rainbow and where to find them in nature, at home, and more. Examples of everyday objects in every color are shown in detailed, vibrant full-color photographs. Each page is limited to one line of text or a short View →
Series Made Simple
Vivid photographs and minimal text work together in this set for younger readers. Basic descriptions of shark attributes include questions and answers, along with occasional interjections: “What is this? A mako shark! Wow!” Though occasionally awkwardly worded, the loose, simple… View →
Series Made Simple
Having a hard time convincing sports lovers that STEM includes them? Then look no further—these titles cover bikes, boats, balls, and balance beams. The text asks questions to draw readers in and provides details about the science behind the equipment, uniforms, View →
The All Kinds of Friends series (6 titles) does an excellent job of educating readers about differently abled individuals while presenting them as perfectly normal. This book, aimed at beginning readers, showcases how deaf children can communicate (through sign language and speech… View →
Booklist Review of Snake Cake
What do you get when you mix a green tree python with a red velvet layer cake? A recipe for some silly rhymes. This entry in the Read and Rhyme: Level 2 series (8 titles) takes on the –ake word family by crafting a short narrative about Jake, who bakes a cake that gets eaten by his pet… View →