Reviews
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Your Piggy Bank: A Guide to Spending & Saving for Kids! – School Library Journal
Salzmann successfully deposits practical math into the hands of young consumers with a winning combination of fun graphics, sassy dialogue, and easily understood information. Charts and nuggets of text in bold colors explain how to organize money to count it more efficiently; to buy… View →
Thor, Son of Asgard - School Library Journal
Originally published by Marvel in 2004, Akira Yoshida and Greg Tocchini’s “Thor, Son of Asgard” series (Gr 6 Up) focuses on the great warrior’s teenage years, long before he had the wherewithal to wield the mighty hammer Mjolnir. Spotlight has published the View →
Technology Pioneers Set 1 – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
Written in a clear, linear fashion, this series offers vivid, well-researched details about the development of technological advancements considered essential in today’s society. The books provide a profile of the person or persons behind each innovation, including their background and… View →
Google: Company and Its Founders (Technology Pioneers) – Booklist
You know you’ve arrived once you’ve become a verb. Googling Google produces billions of results to read through, but this more analog, print resource provides a compact, direct, well-researched, and relevant explanation of how Sergey Brin, Larry Page, and their brand have changed the… View →
Super Simple Science – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
Each of these approachable volumes begins with an explanation of the scientific method to get young scientists started out on the right foot. Experiments include an opening question to consider, a list of materials, safety symbols, step-by-step instructions illustrated with clear… View →
Troubled Treasures – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
Representing just the tip of the iceberg—there are currently more than 900 official World Heritage Sites—these quick introductions convey a sense of the vast range of places that have been designated by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre as being significant to our world and its cultures,… View →
Thor (Short Tales Norse Myths) - School Library Journal
Part of the Short Tales: Norse Myths series, Shannon Eric Denton’s Thor (Gr 2-5) presents a straightforward retelling of the exploits of the God of Thunder from boyhood to manhood, including the destruction of Ragnarok, and Thor’s lasting legacy.… View →
Professional Tools – School Library Journal
Fast facts offer interesting bits of information without being overwhelming. The length of the text is ideal for emerging readers. . . . Labeled photographs show the different parts of the featured tools and brief texts explain how and why people in the different professions use them.… View →
Meteorologist's Tools (Professional Tools) – Booklist
This entry in the Professional Tools series does a nice job taking the meteorologist’s corner of the TV studio and dividing it into digestible chunks. An opening spread shows all the key tools in a single shot, with a label to identify each. Each tool then gets its own short… View →
Legendary Athletes Set 1 – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
These highly detailed works go beyond merely discussing the accomplishments of the athletes profiled—they also explore the social and political influences the figures had on society as a whole. In addition, they introduce historical events in the context of the subjects’ lives. For… View →
Food Dudes Set 1 – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
Divided into easily digestible chapter spreads, these books explore the lives of noteworthy food-industry pioneers and how famous franchises and products, such as Gatorade and McDonald’s, were invented and/or developed. A “Fun Bites” section at the end of each book highlights interesting View →
Mars Family: M&M Mars Candy Makers (Food Dudes) – Booklist
Filled with photos, this small, square entry in the Food Dudes series gives a concise look at how a candy empire was created. In short, simple sentences, Mattern writes frankly about the complicated family dynamics among the Mars clan as she creates a compelling portrait of a… View →
Cool World Cooking – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
[“Cool”] will no doubt be the reaction from children after they whip up these tasty dishes. Each book begins with basic cooking terms and techniques, a picture list of ingredients (in their original packaging so that people will know what to look for at the grocery store),… View →
Body Systems – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
Succinct and to the point, these titles introduce the system, its location and operation; transition with a “Brain Food” spread with additional facts; present some related health issues; and conclude with “Healthy Body Files” that offer suggestions to keep the system working optimally.… View →
African American History – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
Although Humanity covers human origins and the European slave trade in Africa, the series focus is on the African-American experience in the United States, describing the most important events of the centuries-long struggle for freedom and civil rights. The two-to four-page… View →
Sonia Sotomayor, J.K. Rowling (Essential Lives) – School Library Journal
The writing is accessible, the format is open, and full-color photos appear throughout. Good choices for readers who are simply curious about these women and their accomplishments, or for those who are looking for report sources. View →
Man in the Iron Mask (Calico Illustrated Classics) – School Library Journal
The language, sentence structure, and limited vocabulary make this appropriate for the middle grades and will introduce children to this literary classic. View →
Phantom of the Opera (Calico Illustrated Classics) – School Library Journal
Mullarkey uses simple vocabulary and sentence structure without losing Leroux’s drama, horror, and suspense. View →
David Copperfield (Calico Illustrated Classics) - School Library Journal
Fields has taken the original story and made it more approachable to younger and reluctant readers, losing none of the Dickensian drama. The characters are true to the original tale as are the plot and its development. McWilliam’s whimsical cartoon artwork illustrates the key moments in… View →
Cool Kid Jobs – School Library Journal
These books combine bright graphics with a clear layout to suggest work opportunities for children too young for traditional employment. Each of the three selections focuses on skills utilized in various environments. Succinct sentences examine the necessity of adult influence when… View →