(4) K-3 Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez. After the narrator and her mother move into a filthy, ramshackle house, the girl appeals to fellow church members for support. This is fertile storytelling ground, but help arrives (whether because mother and daughter looked "through eyes of faith" or because people are generally kind) implausibly quickly. Gonzalez has a talent for capturing human expressions and proportions.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Walker. Lyrical prose describes the journey of bus #2857, from the assembly line in Michigan, to service in Montgomery, Alabama (before, during, and after Rosa Parks's famous stand), to the vehicle's final destination, Detroit's Ford Museum. Expansive oil illustrations consistently reflect the bus as the book's central focus; it's an interesting and well-presented perspective. Reading list, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 First Book series. An introductory chapter presents the different types of fossils, explains how they form, and describes how paleontologists find and study them. The remaining chapters trace the fossil history of life on earth, from trilobites to dinosaurs and mastodons. Color photos and drawings illustrate the text, which is clear and well written if somewhat dry. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Howard

(3) 4-6 First Book series. Kittinger begins with a thorough description of mineral classification and identification, with liberal use of proper scientific terminology and good discussion of crystal structure. Subsequent chapters cover metals, nonmetals, and gemstones, with color photographs of both common minerals, and the rarer minerals prized as gems and birthstones. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford