Reviews
A noteworthy review of Magic Door to Learning from School Library Journal on February 1, 2007
While each title starts with a short poem that describes books as magic doors and suggests turning the page to begin the exploration, the format for the stories differs: Vet and Firefighter have straightforward narratives. Librarian uses repetition to build interest, and Doctor rhymes.… View →
A noteworthy review of Neighborhood Helpers from Children's Bookwatch on January 1, 2007
This series of twelve books are designed with an interest level spanning from kindergarten through the third grade, showcasing community workers that children will commonly encounter. Each title has a reinforced binding, table of contents, info sidebars, an introduction to the author,… View →
A noteworthy review of Inside the NFL from Children's Bookwatch on December 1, 2006
This series is very nicely illustrated, creating an interest level that spans across a second through ninth grade readership. Featuring full-color as well as historical photographs, each informative and thoroughly ‘kid friendly’ volume is provided with a table of contents,… View →
A noteworthy review of Reading Rocks! from Booklist on November 15, 2006
In this entry in the Girls Rock! series (a general-interest series in which only this title is actually about rock music), the challenges and rewards of belonging to a band are laid out documentary style. It’s an inviting theme, especially for reluctant readers, but there are some… View →
A noteworthy review of Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations from School Library Journal on October 1, 2006
These nicely formatted titles offer a paragraph or two of information per spread, plenty of colorful illustrations, and frequent sidebars. The texts are well written, although there seems to be an excess of exclamation marks sprinkled throughout. There are no photographs, which,… View →
A noteworthy review of Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations from School Library Journal on September 1, 2006
Each book describes the featured holiday’s history, customs, symbols, etc. Clear texts are presented on generous white space surrounded by wide, colorful borders (red in New Year, green in St. Patrick’s Day, orange in Thanksgiving). Each book is awash with colorful cartoon… View →
A noteworthy review of Our Living World from Booklist on September 1, 2006
Each volume is truly a visual and informational feast for the intermediate-grades researcher. Following a solid definition of the pertinent ecosystem, eight chapters of readable text describe the indigenous animals and plants. Chapters include discussions on the key species, predators,… View →
A noteworthy review of Our Living World from School Library Journal on August 1, 2006
Concern for the environment combined with excellent description. The first two chapters in each volume define a particular biome and its key species. The next five discuss predators, prey, flora, herbivores, and life cycle. The sixth chapter features a prime example of that type of… View →
A noteworthy review of Neighborhood Helpers from School Library Journal on August 1, 2006
While these books introduce the roles of community helpers, they are also perfect for children who want to find out about specific careers. All of them are narrated by youngsters who want to help their neighborhoods when they grow up. Each spread is headed by a statement-‘I Could… View →
A noteworthy review of The Timeline Library from School Library Journal on July 1, 2006
Each title opens with a spread that introduces the topic via a child’s or children’s involvement with it and then offers an overview of it. In Calendar, Chen Qi says that he was born in the year of the boar, 4693, while Rachel was born in 5755. The teacher then explains the… View →
A noteworthy review of Talking Hands from School Library Journal on June 1, 2006
These titles offer good, basic introductions to American Sign Language with accompanying text in both English and Spanish. Each volume takes on a specific concept or theme and is illustrated with simple line drawings and full-color photographs. The children used as models are students at View →
A noteworthy review of Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations from School Library Journal on May 1, 2006
Heinrichs briefly explains the history behind these traditionally Mexican celebrations and the sights to see in the country during the festivities. Both books contain eight two-page chapters with colorful, inviting illustrations. Spanish words and rhymes with pronunciation help are found View →