Animal Kingdom

Gr 4–6—Though brief, each volume in this standout series is packed from cover to cover with valuable facts and fascinating images not found in most other books for this age group. Students will discover "Key Facts" about each topic as well as "General Information" in sidebars that complement the dense primary text. That being said, each subject is broken down into smaller subtopics (for instance, Life Science consists of six categories: "Science of Life," "Human Body," "Senses and Organs," "Simple Creatures," "Plant Life," and "Ecology"), making the material easier to navigate and understand. Following each of these subcategories is a question-and-answer segment in which five to seven queries are asked and explained. The breathtaking photos of the natural world provide further information and are at times fun additions, too, such as the image of a woman reading a book while floating in the Dead Sea.