Reviews
Surviving Natural Disasters
“This high-interest series provides fast-paced stories of survival in different scenarios and also offers solutions for readers if they ever find themselves facing dangerous situations. . . . Though this entertaining, informative series does not discourage adventure, it reminds… View →
Can People Count on Me?: A Book about Responsibility
“Real-life topics, ranging from the specific (‘How can I make sure I don’t forget my band instrument?‘) to the general (’Why does everyone need a turn?’), are presented in a clear question-and-answer format that is instructive but not overly didactic.… View →
Edgy Fashion
“These books, nominally about exploring fashion identities, will fly off library shelves due to the superabundance of celebrity photos. . . . Pictured celebs seem to be chosen in part for their durability—Taylor Swift and Solange Knowles are likely to be well known for a… View →
How I Do My Homework
“The first-person narratives draw in readers and make the very simple texts (about one sentence per page) clear and relatable. Full-color photographs that directly match the action assist in reading comprehension. . . . A solid way to start kids out on the road to personal… View →
Flickr Cofounder and Web Community Creator Caterina Fake
“Fact boxes of additional information, quotations, and well-produced and clearly captioned, full-color photographs are interspersed throughout the attractive layout.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
Rock Crawling: Tearing It Up
“There’s a surprising amount of detail in the simply written text, supplemented by excellent graphics and photos. . . . These well-written books will appeal to a wide audience.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
Move Your Body!: My Exercise Tips
“Though the first-person narratives, which flow easily and contain clear, direct language, are not conventional nonfiction in format, they still convey useful information. Eye-catching full-color illustrations match the text and aid comprehension, while red text boxes emphasize… View →
Dance Is Fun!
“Clean, crisp design supports the easy-reader format of this set, as does the repetitive, simple texts….Color photos of diverse children (including a girl in Football) illustrate each point and enhance the basic information.” —School Library Journal, Series… View →
Energy and Waves through Infographics
“Each title does offer sheaves of basic information in particularly concentrated form…and the resources lists are above average.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
Fun Food Inventions
“This set is a browsers’ delight as well as a rich resource for science or pop-history report writers.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
The Brain-Boosting Benefits of Gaming
“Young gamers who wonder what’s inside their Xboxes or how those dramatic graphics are created will come away from these satisfying volumes with plenty of facts.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
Can You Tell a Stegosaurus from an Ankylosaurus?
“By encouraging readers to notice similarities and differences, the set engages them with age-appropriate critical thinking, making this set a natural choice for Common Core use.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
Army Delta Force: Elite Operations
“These eye-catching titles, each written in five short chapters, will be attractive to reluctant readers….The risks and destructive nature of the jobs aren’t sugarcoated, but the texts are not graphic.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
Ski Superpipe
“Overall, this set uses a positive tone and conveys enthusiasm for these athletics, emphasizing that readers can practice them while keeping as safe as possible. Thumbnail sketches of innovators and youthful superstars will keep young readers engaged.” —School Library… View →
How Do Helicopters Work?
“These introductions combine plenty of big, bright color photos with explanatory texts that, for all their brevity, will give new readers healthy doses of specific information.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
Tasty Sandwiches
“These recipes manage to hit a sweet spot in kid cookery: they require little in the way of expertise, yet are complex enough to be interesting….The instructions are detailed and thoroughly illustrated with clear color drawings; photos show the enticing final products.” View →
Yummy Soup and Salad Recipes
“These recipes manage to hit a sweet spot in kid cookery: they require little in the way of expertise, yet are complex enough to be interesting….The instructions are detailed and thoroughly illustrated with clear color drawings; photos show the enticing final products.” View →
Sparrow, Eagle, Penguin, and Seagull: What Is a Bird?
“The energetic rhyming text and zany cartoon illustrations will captivate students and make it fun to learn about what makes each group distinctive. Goneau’s cartoon creatures nicely complement the facts that Cleary imparts in his rhythmic narrative… Solid additions to… View →
Your Circulatory System
“This series will be useful in any collection needing updated texts about the human body… These titles will appeal to browsers, and the strong back matter makes them useful for reports as well.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
What Does a Screwdriver Do?
“Using very simple language and only a few sentences per page, these titles introduce common tools. Each book shows the parts of the subject (which are easy to identify in close-up photos) and explains how the item is used and by whom. All the volumes include a list of safety tips… View →
Let's Make a Circle Graph
“The instructions are clearly written and the illustrations that support the creation of the graphs are helpful…. Overall, these books provide strong simple instructions and will give teachers solid supplemental material when teaching graphing.” —School… View →
Put on Your Thinking Cap: And Other Expressions about School
“The pages are well designed, and the texts are lively. Since many of the idioms have mathematical, historical, or scientific connections, this series may be used across curriculums, with plenty of opportunities for writing activities.” —School Library Journal, View →
Being a DJ
“Good selections for browsing and for students who might be considering out-of-the-box careers.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →
Upland Bird Hunting: Wild Turkey, Pheasant, Grouse, Quail, and More
“[T]hese profiles of North American game hunting and fishing are valuable for their breadth of coverage.” —School Library Journal, Series Made Simple View →