(3) YA Civil Rights Movement series. Black-and-white archival photographs, boxed quotes, and excerpts from notable speeches enhance this series documenting pivotal laws and incidents of the civil rights movement. Each title builds up to the featured event, though Brown more successfully sets the stage with historical context and what follows. Both are well researched additions to library collections. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these The Civil Rights Movement titles: Brown v. Board of Education and Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1963 March on Washington.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) YA Civil Rights Leaders series. Beginning with one of Malcolm X's more notable speeches, this well-researched biography presents his troubled childhood, prison education, rise and fall within the Nation of Islam, and assassination. Black-and-white archival photographs, boxed quotes, and sidebars enhance the readable text, successfully capturing the historical setting, key figures, and rising fervor of the civil rights movement. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) YA Civil Rights Movement series. Black-and-white archival photographs, boxed quotes, and excerpts from notable speeches enhance this series documenting pivotal laws and incidents of the civil rights movement. Each title builds up to the featured event, though Brown more successfully sets the stage with historical context and what follows. Both are well researched additions to library collections. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these The Civil Rights Movement titles: Brown v. Board of Education and Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1963 March on Washington.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) K-3 Scholastic Discover More series. Beginning with a clear definition of reptiles and their unique characteristics, subsequent chapters focus on three subgroups (tuataras excluded). Well-captioned bold photographs, insets, and diagrams combine with a sparse text, allowing each busy double-page spread to provide a detail-rich exploration. A concluding interview with a wildlife explorer enhances this inviting book. A free digital companion book provides additional enhancement. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA In Controversy series. After introducing the growing concern regarding drug testing in student and professional athletics, subsequent chapters address five key issues from differing perspectives. Captioned stock photographs add little to the straightforward text; text boxes provide supplementary information, and pull quotes highlight salient points. The text-heavy pages may be off-putting to some readers. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA With a foreword by the subject's son, Bossert shares personal stories and those of others who worked with Roy Disney. Chapters highlight Disney's character; passion for animation, sailing, and flying; and his unwavering loyalty to the company his uncle Walt envisioned. More tribute than biography, fans will enjoy the insider perspectives, but limited grainy photos and omitted back matter diminish the appeal.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) K-3 Displaying Information series. Bold color photographs and easy-to-understand texts explain how diagrams and timelines are used to impart information. The books cover the different types of and uses for these visual tools, from charting classroom birth order to sorting buttons. The photos feature friendly looking children engaged in familiar activities. These are useful classroom resources. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Displaying Information titles: Diagrams, Diagrams, Diagrams! and Timelines, Timelines, Timelines!.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) K-3 Displaying Information series. Bold color photographs and easy-to-understand texts explain how diagrams and timelines are used to impart information. The books cover the different types of and uses for these visual tools, from charting classroom birth order to sorting buttons. The photos feature friendly looking children engaged in familiar activities. These are useful classroom resources. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Displaying Information titles: Diagrams, Diagrams, Diagrams! and Timelines, Timelines, Timelines!.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA Essential Library of Social Change series. Beginning with a landmark event, these well-organized, thorough social histories explore key figures and incidents that helped to change laws and attitudes about race, disabilities, and homosexuality. Stock photographs combine with dry texts to present the challenges, successes, and future of each movement, while sidebars and a "Voices of the Movement" feature add context. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Library of Social Change titles: Civil Rights Movement, Disability Rights Movement, and Gay Rights Movement.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) K-3 Angus and Lucy's family don't own a television, car, or house, but their trailer is teeming with books. When the books overtake the home, they must go. The newly uncluttered space means "a lot more space between them all," until a library book lovingly reunites them. Quiet illustrations with generous white space complement this gentle tribute to family reading and libraries.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Swan. A trip to the pumpkin patch turns into a harvesting of another sort as a father and his children invite readers to look for shapes along the way. The rhyming text, though sometimes forced, is celebratory, and the (busy-looking) digitally enhanced collages burst with autumn colors and rich texture. A festive addition to a seasonal collection.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Who Was...? series. Illustrated by Ted Hammond. A simple narrative introduces Gates and conveys the curiosity and competitive temperament that motivated an active little boy to become a billionaire computer genius and global philanthropist. Unsophisticated black-and-white illustrations substitute for photographs and fail to enhance the information. The full- and double-page text boxes, however, successfully illuminate places, concepts, and people in this accessible biography. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Pop Culture Bios: Action Movie Stars series. Color photographs presented in a scrapbook-like format combine with accessible texts to present chronological biographies of six actors. Early roots, professional challenges and successes, and the breakout popularity from their roles in book-based movie blockbusters provide little new information, but young fans will pore over the well-captioned pictures and abundant trivia facts. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Pop Culture Bio titles: Zoe Kravitz, Jennifer Lawrence, Taylor Lautner, Booboo Stewart, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA Thinking Critically series. Diagrams and sidebars (and one photo per volume) support these well-organized models for classroom discourse. First chapters provide an overview of the debates surrounding medical marijuana and stem cell research; subsequent chapters present pro and con responses to four key questions. Despite lots of graphic elements, the text-heavy pages may be off-putting. Two pages of facts and lists of related organizations are appended. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Thinking Critically titles: Stem Cell Research and Medical Marijuana.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? series. Stock color photographs, maps, and diagrams combine with simple, choppy texts to introduce the concept of food webs. Beginning with a brief explanation of the featured environment, subsequent chapters in each book differentiate the producers, consumers, and decomposers while emphasizing their interdependency. A final chapter discusses human impact and the need for environmental protection and conservation. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? titles: Desert Food Webs in Action, Forest Food Webs in Action, Ocean Food Webs in Action, Grassland Food Webs in Action, Lake and Pond Food Webs in Action, and Tundra Food Webs in Action.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? series. Stock color photographs, maps, and diagrams combine with simple, choppy texts to introduce the concept of food webs. Beginning with a brief explanation of the featured environment, subsequent chapters in each book differentiate the producers, consumers, and decomposers while emphasizing their interdependency. A final chapter discusses human impact and the need for environmental protection and conservation. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? titles: Desert Food Webs in Action, Forest Food Webs in Action, Ocean Food Webs in Action, Grassland Food Webs in Action, Lake and Pond Food Webs in Action, and Tundra Food Webs in Action.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? series. Stock color photographs, maps, and diagrams combine with simple, choppy texts to introduce the concept of food webs. Beginning with a brief explanation of the featured environment, subsequent chapters in each book differentiate the producers, consumers, and decomposers while emphasizing their interdependency. A final chapter discusses human impact and the need for environmental protection and conservation. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? titles: Desert Food Webs in Action, Forest Food Webs in Action, Ocean Food Webs in Action, Grassland Food Webs in Action, Lake and Pond Food Webs in Action, and Tundra Food Webs in Action.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? series. Stock color photographs, maps, and diagrams combine with simple, choppy texts to introduce the concept of food webs. Beginning with a brief explanation of the featured environment, subsequent chapters in each book differentiate the producers, consumers, and decomposers while emphasizing their interdependency. A final chapter discusses human impact and the need for environmental protection and conservation. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? titles: Desert Food Webs in Action, Forest Food Webs in Action, Ocean Food Webs in Action, Grassland Food Webs in Action, Lake and Pond Food Webs in Action, and Tundra Food Webs in Action.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? series. Stock color photographs, maps, and diagrams combine with simple, choppy texts to introduce the concept of food webs. Beginning with a brief explanation of the featured environment, subsequent chapters in each book differentiate the producers, consumers, and decomposers while emphasizing their interdependency. A final chapter discusses human impact and the need for environmental protection and conservation. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? titles: Desert Food Webs in Action, Forest Food Webs in Action, Ocean Food Webs in Action, Grassland Food Webs in Action, Lake and Pond Food Webs in Action, and Tundra Food Webs in Action.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? series. Stock color photographs, maps, and diagrams combine with simple, choppy texts to introduce the concept of food webs. Beginning with a brief explanation of the featured environment, subsequent chapters in each book differentiate the producers, consumers, and decomposers while emphasizing their interdependency. A final chapter discusses human impact and the need for environmental protection and conservation. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Searchlight Books: What Is a Food Web? titles: Desert Food Webs in Action, Forest Food Webs in Action, Ocean Food Webs in Action, Grassland Food Webs in Action, Lake and Pond Food Webs in Action, and Tundra Food Webs in Action.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale