This season’s section delivers a panoramic view of jobs and careers in many fields and industries. As the world of work continues to change, readers at all levels deserve access to the most current information about all the career options available to them. Highlights from this season’s selections include choices that are high interest, low-level (hi-lo), giving reluctant readers the opportunity to learn and dream about the bright futures ahead of them. Not only are a variety of career options presented in these series, but readers will be inspired to learn more about personal leadership, entrepreneurship, community service, management, and plenty of suggestions for career planning through community service, internships, and apprenticeships. These excellent choices offer the best to readers at all levels and will inspire creative and critical thinking and personal development while imparting essential information.

Elementary

Culliford, Amy. I Could Bee a Delivery Person! ISBN 9781039660717.
––––. Maybe I’ll Bee a Vet! ISBN 9781039660724.
ea vol: 16p. (What Can I Bee?). Crabtree/Crabtree Blossoms. Sept. 2022. Tr. $24.67.
K-Gr 2 –These high-interest books are a continuation of the spring 2022 series and provide basic job information about two additional topics: delivery people and veterinarians. Short, simple sentences and about 16 pages per book make these titles approachable for beginning and emergent readers as they develop literacy skills. Whimsical, colorful illustrations will play to readers’ imaginations, while plenty of white space around words and letters makes these books accessible to struggling readers. VERDICT School libraries and early learning classrooms should consider.

Gobin, Shantel. Careers in the Outdoors. ISBN 9781731652850.
––––. Careers in the Studio. ISBN 9781731652867.
––––. Careers to Help Others. ISBN 9781731652843.
ea vol: 32p. (Design Your Future). Rourke/High Tide. Sept. 2022. Tr. $27.50.
Gr 1-3 –Creative and curious learners who dream of a career in the arts, outdoor industry, or community services will benefit from reading about the myriad options available for their future thanks to this three-part series. Lots of different jobs, like lyricist, fashion designer, groundskeeper, outdoor adventure guide, flight attendant, and more are presented through a practical lens with information about educational requirements, what daily routines look like in each job, and new terms and concepts to help readers build strong vocabulary and interest. VERDICT A relevant, versatile, and timely series that’s ideal for school libraries.

Kaiser, Brianna. All about Bus Drivers. ISBN 9781728456140.
––––. All about Garbage Collectors. ISBN 9781728456133.
––––. All about Librarians. ISBN 9781728456102.
––––. All about Nurses. ISBN 9781728456119.
Katz, Susan B. All about Grocery Store Workers. ISBN 9781728456157.
––––. All about Veterinarians. ISBN 9781728456126.
ea vol: 32p. (Sesame Street ® Loves Community Helpers). Lerner. Aug. 2022. Tr. $29.32.
PreS-Gr 1 –Familiar characters address new topics related to six different job categories. One to two short sentences are included on each page and feature both new and familiar words that will help early learners expand their vocabulary. These books cover basic information like the daily duties associated with each job and how workers in each field are connected to their community. A picture glossary, index and suggestions for further reading are included, along with suggested activities (for example, in the book about garbage collectors, readers will find a sample thank-you letter from Oscar the Grouch that thanks all garbage collectors and suggests that readers write their own.) VERDICT This series will appeal to beginning readers and is an ideal purchase for public library collections.

Mihaly, Christy. Be an Entrepreneur. ISBN 9781731652898.
––––. Organize and Volunteer. ISBN 9781731652881.
––––. Run for Office. ISBN 9781731652713.
ea vol: 32p. (Raise Your Hand). Rourke/High Tide. Sept. 2022. Tr. $27.50.
Gr 1-3 –These books are a perfect fit for dreamers and doers who want a career that will make a difference in their community. These books cover entrepreneurship, community organizing, government, civics, law, volunteerism, and running for public office as potential career paths for those who want to excel and innovate in public and community service. In addition to providing essential job information like earning potential, educational requirements, and definitions for unfamiliar concepts, these books also help readers better understand the basic tenets of leadership, management, overcoming career obstacles, and serving diverse communities. This thoughtful series gives practical, step-by-step information about how to get involved in student politics and other community leadership positions. The text is accessible to readers at many levels while remaining a richly informative resource. VERDICT This winning series positively represents diversity and is a slam dunk purchase for both school and public library collections.

Upper Elementary to Middle School

Bearce, Stephanie. Disgusting Animal Care Jobs. ISBN 9781623106805.
––––. Disgusting Food Jobs. ISBN 9781623106812.
Bleckwehl, Mary E. Disgusting Garbage Jobs. ISBN 9781623106829.
––––. Disgusting Medical Jobs. ISBN 9781623106836.
––––. Disgusting Science Jobs. ISBN 9781623106843.
ea vol: 24p. (Awesome, Disgusting Careers). Black Rabbit Books/Hi Jinx. Jul. 2022. Tr. $34.25.
Gr 3-6 –This hi-lo series will delight and disgust readers who are curious about the smelliest and most dangerous jobs on the planet. Using a combination of color photographs, humorous illustrations, and quirky graphics, this series provides essential information about disgusting jobs involving food, animals, water, sewers, garbage, and more. The hi-lo format of these books will appeal to reluctant readers and anyone who has ever wondered how roadkill is collected, how sewers work, or where garbage goes after it’s collected. Not only will readers be amused by this series, they’ll also learn how essential jobs help keep the world on track. VERDICT This series is great for libraries and classrooms serving middle school students.

Upper Middle School to High School

Colson, Rob. Jobs in Art. ISBN 9781725339118.
––––. Jobs in Engineering. ISBN 9781725339149.
––––. Jobs in Math. ISBN 9781725339170.
Mason, Paul. Jobs in Science. ISBN 9781725339200.
––––. Jobs in Technology. ISBN 9781725339231.
ea vol: 48p. (The Best Ever Jobs). Rosen/PowerKids Press. Aug. 2022. Tr. $31.25.
Gr 6 Up –This standout hi-lo series is an excellent choice for readers in middle and high school who want to learn about career options in their favorite STEAM subjects. Organized by topical area, readers will learn about jobs like scenic artist, set designer, makeup artist, interior design, dam engineer, metallurgist, computer engineer, opinion pollster, urban planner, sports analyst, and many others. Mimicking some of readers favorite graphic ­novels, these books feature text boxes that are interspersed with photographs and ­other ­media, which will appeal to reluctant readers. VERDICT STEM/STEAM school libraries should consider ­purchasing this versatile series.

Edwards, Sue Bradford. Become a Construction Equipment Operator. ISBN 9781678204143.
Lanier, Wendy Hinote. Become a Physical ­Therapy Assistant. ISBN 9781678204204.
Murray, Tamika M. Become a Dental Hygienist. ISBN 9781678204167.
Normandeau, Sheryl. Become a Web Developer. ISBN 9781678204228.
––––. Become an IT Support Technician. ISBN 9781678204181.
ea vol: 80p. (Skilled and Vocational Trades). ReferencePoint/BrightPoint Press. Sept. 2022. Tr. $32.95.
Gr 4 Up –These books share essential information about careers in five skilled and vocational trades. Each of these well-organized books begins by introducing the history of each job, as well as the education, skills, personality, working conditions, common work schedules, and average starting pay for a variety of roles. Readers will learn what a typical workday looks like for web developers, construction equipment operators, and dental hygienists. What makes this series stand out is its hi-lo (hi interest, low reading level) format and its specialized information on popular topics within each field. VERDICT An excellent series that high school guidance counselors should consider for their collections.

Morkes, Andrew. Advanced Manufacturing Technicians. ISBN 9781422247303.
––––. Aircraft Mechanics. ISBN 9781422247310.
––––. Civil Engineering Technicians. ISBN 9781422246672.
––––. Electricians. ISBN 9781422246689.
––––. Environmental Engineering Technicians. ISBN 9781422246696.
––––. Logisticians. ISBN 9781422246702.
––––. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters. ISBN 9781422246719.
––––. Solar Power Technicians. ISBN 9781422246726.
––––. Truck and Transportation Drivers. ISBN 9781422246733.
Pidcock-Reed, Heather. Wind Turbine Technicians. ISBN 9781422246740.
ea vol: 80p. (Careers in Infrastructure). National Highlights/Mason Crest. Aug. 2022. Tr. $26.95.
Gr 7 Up –This series offers updated information about a variety of careers in popular and lucrative fields like renewable energy, engineering, transportation and infrastructure, and mechanics. Each book includes interviews with professionals in each career field, updated educational and certification requirements, full-color photographs, diagrams and captions. These books provide suggestions for how readers can become more involved in each field to better position themselves for career success, exciting suggestions for research topics, and embedded QR codes that refer readers to reliable multimedia sources on related career topics. VERDICT This outstanding series delivers essential information on exciting career options that will appeal to students; school libraries and career counseling centers should consider.

“Raise Your Hand” (Rourke) is a standout series this season for its holistic perspective on several important community-focused careers and the importance of personal development and leadership in service to others. Another highlight this season is the series “Skilled and Vocational Trades” (ReferencePoint) on the skilled and vocational trades. These career paths so often don’t get the attention they deserve, and this comprehensive series does them justice.