Reviews+

Gr 2—3—Though not particularly helpful for quick identification—"Most butterflies fly during the day," while "Most moths fly at night," is a characteristic distinction—these dual profiles of common creatures should give budding naturalists an increased understanding of how scientists use appearance and behavior to classify sometimes-similar living things, along with introducing important terms like "cephalothorax" and "chrysalis...

K-Gr 1—In these easy readers, each spread includes one or two sentences and a clear, attractive photograph that works well with the text...

Gr 2—3—More suited to browsing than to assignment use, these quick surveys prize visual appeal over factual content...

Gr 4—7—In this examination of a mix of characters from pop-culture, folklore, and history, vague phrasing allows for misinterpretation...

Gr 1—2—Written in shorter sentences than the publisher's 2010 "Let's Visit" series but comparable in reading level, this random gathering of country profiles offers information such as "The French eat bread with their meals" and "Cooking varies from one area of Spain to another...

K-Gr 3—Each of these approachable volumes begins with an explanation of the scientific method to get young scientists started out on the right foot...

Gr 4—6—This series features sports banter centered on a mathematic theme...

Gr 5—8—Though these books provide more information about their subjects than the other celebrity biography series on this list (there is a discussion of each star's childhood, rise to fame, and accomplishments), the information is not always conveyed clearly, and can sometimes be too casual—a discussion of pop music in Miley Cyrus, for example, statesj , "…when it's hot, it's HOT!" Also, quotes from sources such as the Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal are used and there is a bibliography, but citations are not given...

Gr 5—8—Those who choose to mix epoxy instead of watercolors and feel more comfortable in a hardware store than an art store are the target audience for this series...