Reviews
SLJ Review - Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Colombia
The latest titles in this continuing series visit countries of the Caribbean Basin. The strongest element of the set is the appealing format; large, colorful captioned photos arranged in clean layouts with two to three sentences of simple text. Books begin with a locator map and… View →
Series Made Simple
This set is dedicated to introducing young readers to the concept of biomes. Opening chapters describe each biome in general terms, followed by brief examples of plants and animals and their respective roles within the chain, with closer looks at specific steps from producer to… View →
SLJ Review - Weird But Cute
This attractive set definitely leans more on the cute side than the weird. Each opening spread uses a variety of font styles to introduce the notable physical characteristics of the subject. Size, appearance, enemies, diet, and babies are covered. Angora, Gecko, and Tarsier make use of… View →
SLJ Review - Nature's Neighborhoods
These thoughtful overviews provide selected examples of the roles of plants and animals within an ecosystem. Basic facts about the habitat are followed by simple profiles of the creatures that live there. Each spread ends with a boxed question that is answered with the subsequent page… View →
SLJ Review - A First Look at America's Presidents
Notable for their respectful, fair-minded tone, this series emphasizes four 20th century presidents’ virtues and how each impacted the United States. Texts provide broad overviews of the presidents’ childhoods, early years, and terms in office—helping students discover these leaders’… View →
Series Made Simple
These “day in the life” snapshots of wild animals are designed to entertain children while teaching basic animal traits. The content highlights key physical characteristics, behaviors, diets, and nesting spaces. Bald Eagles and Opossums, the only titles using feminine pronouns, also… View →
Booklist Review for Highway Patrol Officers
This entry in the Police: Search and Rescue series focuses on the rescuing side of things. It intersperses brief looks at police academy training and specialized vehicles and equipment, such as the Stokes basket, with accounts of actual rescues performed by named patrol officers. These… View →
SLC Review for They Don't Belong: Tracking Invasive Species
Invasive species can do an amazing amount of damage, and readers will learn exactly what this amounts to in this series. Each species is charged with a long list of crimes that includes destroying flora and fauna, ravaging crops, and seriously injuring local residents. The crisp,… View →
Series Made Simple
These introductions to animal defense behaviors feature brief examples from a variety of species. Typically six to eight creatures are shown in each title, though Electric Animals examines only three. Descriptions of defense behaviors generally stick to how animals use them, rather than… View →
SLJ Review - A First Look at America's Presidents
Notable for their respectful, fair-minded tone, this series emphasizes four 20th century presidents’ virtues and how each impacted the United States. Texts provide broad overviews of the presidents’ childhoods, early years, and terms in office—helping students discover these leaders’… View →
Series Made Simple
These “day in the life” snapshots of wild animals are designed to entertain children while teaching basic animal traits. The content highlights key physical characteristics, behaviors, diets, and nesting spaces. Bald Eagles and Opossums, the only titles using feminine pronouns, also… View →
Booklist Review for The Water beneath Your Feet
This wide-format book from the Drip, Drip, Drop: Earth’s Water series focuses on groundwater. Presenting topics such as the movement of water underground, geysers, and pollution, each two-page spread follows the same basic layout, with several large-print sentences, one or two small text View →