(3) 4-6 Sickening History of Medicine series. Illustrated by Venitia Dean. The emphasis here is on the gross and bizarre in the history of medicine and diseases. In each book, an introduction is followed by twelve sections covering the goriest details of past epidemics, unhygienic practices, ancient medicines (e.g., poisonous hemlock) and treatments (bloodletting), "quacks," and more. Cartoon characters with horrified and disgusted expressions illustrate the brief, engaging texts. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Sickening History of Medicine titles: Plague!, Quacks and Con Artists, Strange Medicine, and Tiny Killers.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 Sickening History of Medicine series. Illustrated by Venitia Dean. The emphasis here is on the gross and bizarre in the history of medicine and diseases. In each book, an introduction is followed by twelve sections covering the goriest details of past epidemics, unhygienic practices, ancient medicines (e.g., poisonous hemlock) and treatments (bloodletting), "quacks," and more. Cartoon characters with horrified and disgusted expressions illustrate the brief, engaging texts. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Sickening History of Medicine titles: Plague!, Quacks and Con Artists, Strange Medicine, and Tiny Killers.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 Sickening History of Medicine series. Illustrated by Venitia Dean. The emphasis here is on the gross and bizarre in the history of medicine and diseases. In each book, an introduction is followed by twelve sections covering the goriest details of past epidemics, unhygienic practices, ancient medicines (e.g., poisonous hemlock) and treatments (bloodletting), "quacks," and more. Cartoon characters with horrified and disgusted expressions illustrate the brief, engaging texts. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Sickening History of Medicine titles: Plague!, Quacks and Con Artists, Strange Medicine, and Tiny Killers.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 Sickening History of Medicine series. Illustrated by Venitia Dean. The emphasis here is on the gross and bizarre in the history of medicine and diseases. In each book, an introduction is followed by twelve sections covering the goriest details of past epidemics, unhygienic practices, ancient medicines (e.g., poisonous hemlock) and treatments (bloodletting), "quacks," and more. Cartoon characters with horrified and disgusted expressions illustrate the brief, engaging texts. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Sickening History of Medicine titles: Plague!, Quacks and Con Artists, Strange Medicine, and Tiny Killers.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Stickmen's Guides to Your Awesome Body series. Illustrated by Venitia Dean. These books introduce basic anatomy and the functions and dysfunctions of human body systems through text (in tiny font), illustrations, and schematics. Each volume concludes with a chronology illustrating historical beliefs and scientific discoveries as well as a spread of random facts. Scattered stick figures interacting with the medical illustrations provide the series' gimmick but little else. Ind. Review covers these Stickmen's Guides to Your Awesome Body titles: Stickmen's Guide to Your Beating Heart, Stickmen's Guide to Your Brilliant Brain, Stickmen's Guide to Your Gurgling Guts, and Stickmen's Guide to Your Mighty Muscles and Bones.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Stickmen's Guides to Your Awesome Body series. Illustrated by Venitia Dean. These books introduce basic anatomy and the functions and dysfunctions of human body systems through text (in tiny font), illustrations, and schematics. Each volume concludes with a chronology illustrating historical beliefs and scientific discoveries as well as a spread of random facts. Scattered stick figures interacting with the medical illustrations provide the series' gimmick but little else. Ind. Review covers these Stickmen's Guides to Your Awesome Body titles: Stickmen's Guide to Your Beating Heart, Stickmen's Guide to Your Brilliant Brain, Stickmen's Guide to Your Gurgling Guts, and Stickmen's Guide to Your Mighty Muscles and Bones.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Stickmen's Guides to Your Awesome Body series. Illustrated by Venitia Dean. These books introduce basic anatomy and the functions and dysfunctions of human body systems through text (in tiny font), illustrations, and schematics. Each volume concludes with a chronology illustrating historical beliefs and scientific discoveries as well as a spread of random facts. Scattered stick figures interacting with the medical illustrations provide the series' gimmick but little else. Ind. Review covers these Stickmen's Guides to Your Awesome Body titles: Stickmen's Guide to Your Beating Heart, Stickmen's Guide to Your Brilliant Brain, Stickmen's Guide to Your Gurgling Guts, and Stickmen's Guide to Your Mighty Muscles and Bones.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Stickmen's Guides to Your Awesome Body series. Illustrated by Venitia Dean. These books introduce basic anatomy and the functions and dysfunctions of human body systems through text (in tiny font), illustrations, and schematics. Each volume concludes with a chronology illustrating historical beliefs and scientific discoveries as well as a spread of random facts. Scattered stick figures interacting with the medical illustrations provide the series' gimmick but little else. Ind. Review covers these Stickmen's Guides to Your Awesome Body titles: Stickmen's Guide to Your Beating Heart, Stickmen's Guide to Your Brilliant Brain, Stickmen's Guide to Your Gurgling Guts, and Stickmen's Guide to Your Mighty Muscles and Bones.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Animal Bests series. Illustrated by Cristina Portolano. This wide-ranging survey offers a glimpse at the abilities of several insects and spiders, accompanied by colorful sketches and photographs. From building webs and hives to camouflage, hunting, and communication, the book explores how each creature survives through a variety of specialized skills and behaviors. There's a busy layout and lack of back matter, but the revealing text mostly compensates for these shortcomings. Ind.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Animal Bests series. Illustrated by Cristina Portolano. These ambitious overviews examine the abilities of various land and marine animals respectively, supplemented by colorful sketches and photographs. From heightened senses and physical strength to camouflage and problem-solving, these fact-filled books highlight various behaviors and skills that allow animals to thrive in their environments. Drawbacks include a cluttered design and dearth of back matter, but the informative text mostly compensates for these shortcomings. Ind. Review covers the following Animal Bests titles: Amazing Land Animals and Marine Superstars.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Animal Bests series. Illustrated by Cristina Portolano. These ambitious overviews examine the abilities of various land and marine animals respectively, supplemented by colorful sketches and photographs. From heightened senses and physical strength to camouflage and problem-solving, these fact-filled books highlight various behaviors and skills that allow animals to thrive in their environments. Drawbacks include a cluttered design and dearth of back matter, but the informative text mostly compensates for these shortcomings. Ind. Review covers the following Animal Bests titles: Amazing Land Animals and Marine Superstars.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Animal Bests series. Illustrated by Cristina Portolano. This broad look at the abilities of a diverse range of birds is enlivened by colorful sketches and photographs. From flight and migration to vocalizing, building, and using tools, this fact-filled book evaluates how birds' various behaviors and skills help them to thrive in the wild. There's a busy layout and lack of back matter, but the informative text mostly compensates for these shortcomings. Ind.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Megafast series. Illustrated by Mat Edwards & Jeremy Pyke. After an introduction to the kind of vehicle, each book features double-page-spread profiles highlighting stats, physical features, and mechanics of specific models. Color photos are superimposed (sometimes jarringly) on other photos and drawings on each spread, and there's very little transition between the profiles. Still, young middle graders will be attracted to the power and mobility of these cutting-edge "megafast" machines. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Megafast titles: Megafast Cars, Megafast Motorcycles, Megafast Planes, and Megafast Trucks.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Megafast series. Illustrated by Mat Edwards & Jeremy Pyke. After an introduction to the kind of vehicle, each book features double-page-spread profiles highlighting stats, physical features, and mechanics of specific models. Color photos are superimposed (sometimes jarringly) on other photos and drawings on each spread, and there's very little transition between the profiles. Still, young middle graders will be attracted to the power and mobility of these cutting-edge "megafast" machines. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Megafast titles: Megafast Cars, Megafast Motorcycles, Megafast Planes, and Megafast Trucks.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Megafast series. Illustrated by Mat Edwards & Jeremy Pyke. After an introduction to the kind of vehicle, each book features double-page-spread profiles highlighting stats, physical features, and mechanics of specific models. Color photos are superimposed (sometimes jarringly) on other photos and drawings on each spread, and there's very little transition between the profiles. Still, young middle graders will be attracted to the power and mobility of these cutting-edge "megafast" machines. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Megafast titles: Megafast Cars, Megafast Motorcycles, Megafast Planes, and Megafast Trucks.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Megafast series. Illustrated by Mat Edwards & Jeremy Pyke. After an introduction to the kind of vehicle, each book features double-page-spread profiles highlighting stats, physical features, and mechanics of specific models. Color photos are superimposed (sometimes jarringly) on other photos and drawings on each spread, and there's very little transition between the profiles. Still, young middle graders will be attracted to the power and mobility of these cutting-edge "megafast" machines. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Megafast titles: Megafast Cars, Megafast Motorcycles, Megafast Planes, and Megafast Trucks.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 How to Live Like... series. Illustrated by Tatio Viana. Each short chapter discusses one particular aspect of pirate life; while a wide variety of topics are touched on, none are covered in great detail. The presentation is colorful, with each page fully illustrated in a cartoony style. An easy-to-read text is narrated by a wise-guy youth, which adds levity but grows rather tiresome. Related facts are appended. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 How to Live Like... series. Illustrated by Amerigo Pinelli. These volumes are divided into short chapters, each of which discusses one particular aspect of life in the historical occupation, none in great detail. The presentation is colorful, with each page fully illustrated in a cartoony style; the easy-to-read texts are each narrated by a wise-guy youth from the era, which adds levity but grows rather tiresome. Related facts are appended. Glos., ind. Review covers the following How to Live Like... titles: How to Live like a Samurai Warrior, How to Live like an Aztec Priest, and How to Live like an Egyptian Mummy Maker.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 How to Live Like... series. Illustrated by Giuliano Aloisi. These volumes are divided into short chapters, each of which discusses one particular aspect of life in the historical occupation, none in great detail. The presentation is colorful, with each page fully illustrated in a cartoony style; the easy-to-read texts are each narrated by a wise-guy youth from the era, which adds levity but grows rather tiresome. Related facts are appended. Glos., ind. Review covers the following How to Live Like... titles: How to Live like a Samurai Warrior, How to Live like an Aztec Priest, and How to Live like an Egyptian Mummy Maker.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 How to Live Like... series. Illustrated by Maurizio Campidelli. These volumes are divided into short chapters, each of which discusses one particular aspect of life in the historical occupation, none in great detail. The presentation is colorful, with each page fully illustrated in a cartoony style; the easy-to-read texts are each narrated by a wise-guy youth from the era, which adds levity but grows rather tiresome. Related facts are appended. Glos., ind. Review covers the following How to Live Like... titles: How to Live like a Samurai Warrior, How to Live like an Aztec Priest, and How to Live like an Egyptian Mummy Maker.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo