Reviews
A noteworthy review of Tall Tales from Booklist on October 1, 2021
Appropriately, this entry in the Tall Tales series (8 titles) paints a larger-than-life picture of Martha Jane Cannary, aka Calamity Jane, putting fact aside in favor of an engaging story. Pages are composed primarily of text, with the occasional full-page illustration adding some… View →
A noteworthy review of College Football Teams from Booklist on October 1, 2021
This book in the College Football Teams series (12 titles) highlights the Army and Navy football teams and their legendary rivalry. It describes the glory years of both teams as well as their traditions, like the fact that the whole student body of West Point marches onto the field… View →
A noteworthy review of The Black American Journey from Booklist on September 1, 2021
The Black American Journey is the latest generation of the publisher’s Journey to Freedom: The African American Library series (circa 2000) and The African American Journey series (a decade later). Some of the recent books are entirely new, while others are revised editions. The… View →
A noteworthy review of Fascinating Facts from Booklist on May 15, 2021
These new books in the Fascinating Facts series bring together high-interest facts and anecdotes about the title topic. The material is grouped into several loosely related categories or chapters. In Dogs, author Pearson ably guides readers through the dog’s body, domestication,… View →
A noteworthy review of Blast Off to Space from School Library Journal on April 1, 2021
This eight-book series incorporates a broad range of subjects related to astronomy. Each book contains three or four chapters with many vibrant, full-page photographs. The length of the text and amount of data included in each title make it a good choice for first book reports or as a… View →
A noteworthy review of The Black American Journey from Booklist on April 1, 2021
Starred Review. This volume in The Black American Journey series (12 titles) chronicles the rise of Greenwood, Oklahoma—later annexed by Tulsa—known as Black Wall Street for the wealth its Black population built, and the bloody massacre that was its downfall in 1921. In six… View →
A noteworthy review of True Spy Stories from School Library Journal on April 1, 2021
Each title starts off with a ‘Fast Facts’ section, giving brief background information on the particular era. It also includes spies and their tools. The writing is serious. Mini biographies of spies and their actions are included. Anna Smith Strong, a spy during the… View →
A noteworthy review of Learning Sight Words from School Library Journal on April 1, 2021
Sight words, or words that developing readers can identify by memory without decoding them, are introduced through different scenarios in this series. Books take a set of two or three sight words and highlight them by repeating them in different sentences throughout the text… View →
A noteworthy review of The Black American Journey from School Library Journal on April 1, 2021
To say ‘Lincoln freed the slaves’ is too simplistic to be real history. Students should learn the actual reasons for his actions. Black Americans have withstood horrific conditions throughout American history and these books speak to their heartbreaking struggles and… View →
A noteworthy review of Blast Off to Space from Booklist on April 1, 2021
Kids curious about the universe of space objects beyond our eight local planets and sun will appreciate this title in the Blast Off to Space series (8 titles). The book opens with the discovery of the dwarf planet Eris, which led scientists to establish new criteria for classifying… View →
A noteworthy review of Affecting Lives: Drugs and Addiction from School Library Journal on April 1, 2021
This series tells the stories of people with addictions and how they recover. These books are not focused on statistics or the science behind the drugs. Instead, they serve as examples for readers about how people start using drugs, become addicted, and find the help to quit. The people… View →
A noteworthy review of Science Showdowns from School Library Journal on April 1, 2021
Written to introduce basic science concepts through comparing and contrasting, each book in this series features a pair of opposites, such as light and dark or renewable and nonrenewable energy. Large, clear photos support the text and have labels to reinforce important details. There… View →
A noteworthy review of True Spy Stories from Booklist on April 1, 2021
This entry in the True Spy Stories series (6 titles) begins with a bullet-pointed list of ‘fast facts,’ setting readers up with background information on WWII and spying that gives necessary context to the coming stories. From there, five chapters… View →
A noteworthy review of Affecting Lives: Drugs and Addiction from Booklist on March 1, 2021
The Affecting Lives series uses sample scenarios to show young readers what can happen when people become dependent on controlled substances. Each book starts with a one-page introduction on what the substance looks like, what it’s made of, how it’s used, and typical physical View →
A noteworthy review of How America Works from School Library Connection on January 1, 2021
It is important to have a good set or two of books on American government and democracy in the library, especially in an election year. These four titles are the latest installments in How America Works series published by The Child’s World. Written for an upper elementary… View →
A noteworthy review of The United States Presidents from Children's Bookwatch on December 1, 2020
‘The United States Presidents’ is a new forty-four volume series from The Child’s World that individually showcases each American president from George Washinton to Donald J. Trump. This impressively informative series for young readers ages 8-12 chronicles the lives of View →
A noteworthy review of Pandemics and COVID-19 from School Library Journal on November 1, 2020
Upper elementary students may have many questions about COVID-19. From a discussion of pandemics in general to a reflection on how the virus has changed our world, this series addresses many of those questions. Large images with captions help to support the… View →
A noteworthy review of The United States Presidents from School Library Journal on November 1, 2020
Young readers learn about each president’s childhood, their introduction to politics, and time in office. Significant world events that occurred during the president’s tenure are highlighted in boldface to facilitate comprehension and provide historical context. Each title… View →
A noteworthy review of How America Works from School Library Journal on November 1, 2020
This fact-filled series provides straightforward information. In Democracy, Weber explains the history of the concept and includes facts about the Athenian democracy of Socrates and Plato. Our Founding Fathers profiles some early American statesmen, including George Washington, John… View →
A noteworthy review of Social and Emotional Learning from School Library Journal on November 1, 2020
This series explains the core skills at the heart of social and emotional learning. Each title presents three short stories that depict children developing skills, such as teamwork, recognizing boundaries, conflict resolution, and self-awareness. The layout features plenty of white space View →
A noteworthy review of Pandemics and COVID-19 from Children's Bookwatch on October 1, 2020
An absolutely essential and critically timely addition to elementary school, middle school, and community library collections for young readers, ‘Pandemics and COVID-19’ is a new six volume series ($191.70 List/$119.70 S&L) from the people at The View →
A noteworthy review of Pandemics and COVID-19 from Booklist on October 1, 2020
Leading with Mr. Rogers’ advice to ‘look for the helpers’ when things feel scary, this book in the Pandemics and COVID-19 series (6 titles) adopts a friendly, comforting tone as it introduces essential workers striving to keep everyone safe and View →
A noteworthy review of The United States Presidents from Booklist on October 1, 2020
The United States Presidents series (44 titles) reviews the lives of those who held America’s highest office. The first half of this biography follows young Barry from his upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia through decades of education and his meteoric rise in politics, with the… View →
A noteworthy review of Simple Coding from Children's Bookwatch on August 1, 2020
As children grow up surrounded by technology, more and more are learning computer coding at younger and younger ages. With the ‘Simple Coding’ series for children ages 7-10, computer coding has never been simpler. Each 24 page book in this seven volume series introduces young View →