Reviews
Booklist Review of Earth Basics
The Earth’s Basics series, indeed, offers very basic introductions to important substances on Earth. To be readable for beginning readers, the books use very short sentences set in a large font, present-tense naration, and only a small amount of text on each… Although th View →
PSLA Review of My Senses
This reviewer had the opportunity to read Hear. Bright photographs accompany sparse text in this nonfiction series. Simple sentences like “I hear a dog bark.” introduce readers to the ways we hear sounds around us. Teachers can use this series for a science lesson on the five senses.… View →
PSLA Review of Brainpower
he Brainpower series discusses what happens to the brain when an individual experiences strong emotions, such as anger, happiness, sadness, and fear (being scared). The reviewer read the book Your Brain When You’re Sad. Your Brain When You’re Sad discusses what happens in your brain when View →
Booklist Review of All About Insects
The All about Insects series introduces common backyard critters, utilizing vibrant, closeup photos (often labeled) and clear text. The books provide general overviews that include basic information on the insects’ bodies and life cycles, while concrete details about each kind of… View →
SLJ Review of Earth Basics
These introductory earth science concepts foster in readers an understanding of the world around them and how they fit in it. Beginning with dialogic assistance and post-reading options, these titles provide a nice option to not only learn about important building blocks of our planet,… View →
SLJ Review of SEL Careers
This series profiles the work lives of people in helping professions, such as therapists, school counselors, social workers, occupational therapists, and yoga teachers. Readers are empowered to explore diverse vocational avenues within the realm of mental well-being and social-emotional View →
SLJ Review of My First Animal Books
Aimed at pre-readers and the youngest learners, these titles offer a small handful of basic facts along with highly engaging photographs. Most images fill two pages, usually accompanied by a single sentence of four words or less. Three photos fill each spread and perfectly highlight the… View →
Booklist Review of History of Pets
The History of Pets series offers a fresh take on a perennially popular topic while introducing beginning readers to basic nonfiction-text features. Brief chapters use simple declarative sentences reinforced by labeled or captioned photos and data models, including charts and maps. All… View →
Booklist Advance Review of Science Questions
It is a challenge to convey any nonfiction concept at a beginning-reading level, but author Pettiford succeeds at this in the Science Questions series. Each book focuses on one very basic answer to its title question. The brief text, aimed at early readers, is strongly supported by… View →
Booklist Review of Giraffe Calves in the Wild
Preschoolers and early readers will benefit from the large photographs and simple, repetitive text in this adorable entry in the Baby Animals in the Wild! series (8 titles). The book accompanies a giraffe calf as it is cared for by its mother, grows, runs, eats, and finds protection from View →
SLJ Series Made Simple Review of Science Questions
For young readers who often ask “why?” and “how?”, these subjects are explained in an easy-to-comprehend way, with simple sentences and visual references. There are real pictures of familiarly questioned concepts, such as blue skies or rainbows, paired with their scientific counterparts, View →
Booklist Review of Your Brain When You're Sad
Mental health is an important topic to understand, and the Brainpower series (4 titles) helps readers navigate their emotions. Here, three reassuring chapters walk readers through what it means to feel sad and how it affects our brain, differentiating between sadness and… < View →