Reviews
I read and reviewed the Disaster Zone series, which included separate books for hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards. droughts, earthquakes, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed all of these books, probably most of all because of the incredible photography and illustrations/infographics. Each book in… View →
The Horn Book Guide Review for Out of This World
Limited facts about objects in the solar system are presented in simple sentences for beginning readers. The two-page illustrations feature images of the planets, the sun, and occasionally spacecraft on eye-catching starry black backgrounds. A chart comparing the featured body to earth’s View →
The Horn Book Guide Review for Abandoned! Towns Without People
Despite a rather sensationalized title, this series is genuinely fascinating. Each book traces the history of a now-deserted town, explaining its population boom, possible reasons for decline, and what each abandoned place is like today. With interesting historical and contemporary… View →
The Horn Book Guide Review for Rocks and Minerals
Concepts such as rock composition, formation, and erosion are investigated through a series of activities that, while popular classics, are at time weak analogies for geological concepts. The structure of the activities, however, encourages observation, data collection, and analysis.… View →
The Horn Book Guide Review for Air
This collection of activities features physical science concepts that at times are above the indented audience. Each activity uses household times to explore properties of air, with directions provided through step-by-step instructions and photographs. Young experimenters are encouraged… View →
Booklist Review for Franklin D. Roosevelt: The 32nd President
This brief biography condenses the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt into 24 pages of facts and full-color photos. The first double-page spread summarizes the “tough times” America experienced while FDR was president. From there, each successive two-page topic takes View →
Booklist Review for Welcome to the Forest
In this entry in the Nature’s Neighborhoods: All about Ecosystems series, close-up photographs of fly larvae, acorns in the midst of sprouting, curious raccoons, and pine cones greet readers. Keeping the focus solidly on a deciduous, temperate forest, the splashy page layouts help young… View →
Wretched Ruins
The topics of the Scary Places series may seem familiar—castles, cemeteries, haunted houses—but the format elicits a surprisingly expansive reach. Each book is divided into 11 two-page spreads, and while this doesn’t allow for a lot of depth, it does inspire the authors to cycle… View →
Mars
The Out of this World series offers books on significant objects in the solar system, including the sun, the planets, and dwarf planet Pluto. A subset of the publisher’s Little Bits! First Readers series, the books have short main texts with a relatively simple vocabulary and a formulaic View →
Saturn
The Out of this World series offers books on significant objects in the solar system, including the sun, the planets, and dwarf planet Pluto. A subset of the publisher’s Little Bits! First Readers series, the books have short main texts with a relatively simple vocabulary and a formulaic View →
School Library Journal Review for ¡Que Desastre!
Floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, blizzards, and hurricanes are covered in these brief, informative books. Clear texts and appropriate pictures explain how these natural disasters begin, the damage they leave behind, and how to best prepare for them. Many of the facts presented… View →
Mars
The Out of this World series offers books on significant objects in the solar system, including the sun, the planets, and dwarf planet Pluto. A subset of the publisher’s Little Bits! First Readers series, the books have short main texts with a relatively simple vocabulary and a formulaic View →