Reviews
Celebrating All Abilities - Reviewed by Booklist
In this aptly titled entry in the Celebrating Our Communities series (6 titles), Colich discusses the strengths of differently abled children. Frustrations and disabilities appear, but only abilities define people. Sometimes this focus and upbeat tone feels a little forced, but its… View →
Rainbow - Reviewed by Booklist
From the Amazing Sights in the Sky series (6 books), this brightly illustrated volume clearly explains the science behind rainbows. It encourages readers to experiment with the two necessary elements for the phenomenon, light and water, and includes a useful diagram demonstrating light… View →
Booklist Review of Danger Below!
The Danger Below! series is not for the faint of heart. Each of these high-interest volumes introduces basic facts by way of an intense fiction comic, divided into three brief chapters, about people being “attacked” by specific deep-sea creatures (it’s made clear that the animals… View →
Booklist Review of Alien Graveyard
This entry in the Haunted History series (6 titles) recreates the dramatic events of a purported UFO crash in 1897 Aurora, Texas, using a graphic novel format. Although the illustrations are not spectacular, the riveting, lesser-known story will captivate its… View →
Cutting-edge Technology
… STARRED REVIEW ** These well-crafted books take a deep dive into innovative technologies such as nanotechnology, self-driving cars, virtual reality, and drones, exploring how they work and their histories and future uses 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 →
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 →
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
Colors, letters, shapes, and counting are introduced in this series, which uses bright colors and simple text to entice beginning readers. These slim volumes take a concept and present examples in a real-life setting, such as showing shapes as different street signs and a variety of… 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 →
Series Made Simple
This colorful series introduces young readers to different types of yoga. There is also a book on breathing and meditation. Each title begins with helpful tips for caregivers (such as reflection questions and how yoga will help improve the lives of children) and closes with practice… View →
Series Made Simple
This series provides a visual tour of the seven land masses. Each continent gets its own book, featuring information on its climate, native animals, population, and unusual features. In Explore Africa, readers will learn about the Sahara desert, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the many animals in View →