(3) YA Hip-Hop Insider series. These standalone series titles, ideal for student research, place facets of hip-hop culture in historical, political, and cultural context. The clean layouts employ a large font, wide margins, plentiful color photos, and informative sidebars. The series celebrates hip-hop as the voice of urban and marginalized populations while also objectively addressing concerns including commercialization and explicit lyrics. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Hip-Hop Insider titles: Hip-Hop Culture, The Men of Hip-Hop, The Women of Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop Music, and Hip-Hop Groups.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) 4-6 Checkerboard Biography Library: Food Dudes series. These corporate biographies chronicle the careers of four entrepreneurs who achieved extraordinary success in the food and beverage industry. Some information probably won't excite many readers (Monaghan created the "perfect pizza box" out of strong corrugated cardboard), but all can benefit from these examples of creativity, determination, and perseverance. Archival photographs accompany the readable texts. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Checkerboard Biography Library: Food Dudes titles: Caleb Davis Bradham, Ettore Boiardi, John Pemberton, and Tom Monaghan.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Checkerboard Biography Library: Food Dudes series. These corporate biographies chronicle the careers of four entrepreneurs who achieved extraordinary success in the food and beverage industry. Some information probably won't excite many readers (Monaghan created the "perfect pizza box" out of strong corrugated cardboard), but all can benefit from these examples of creativity, determination, and perseverance. Archival photographs accompany the readable texts. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Checkerboard Biography Library: Food Dudes titles: Caleb Davis Bradham, Ettore Boiardi, John Pemberton, and Tom Monaghan.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Checkerboard Biography Library: Food Dudes series. These corporate biographies chronicle the careers of four entrepreneurs who achieved extraordinary success in the food and beverage industry. Some information probably won't excite many readers (Monaghan created the "perfect pizza box" out of strong corrugated cardboard), but all can benefit from these examples of creativity, determination, and perseverance. Archival photographs accompany the readable texts. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Checkerboard Biography Library: Food Dudes titles: Caleb Davis Bradham, Ettore Boiardi, John Pemberton, and Tom Monaghan.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Checkerboard Biography Library: Food Dudes series. These corporate biographies chronicle the careers of four entrepreneurs who achieved extraordinary success in the food and beverage industry. Some information probably won't excite many readers (Monaghan created the "perfect pizza box" out of strong corrugated cardboard), but all can benefit from these examples of creativity, determination, and perseverance. Archival photographs accompany the readable texts. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Checkerboard Biography Library: Food Dudes titles: Caleb Davis Bradham, Ettore Boiardi, John Pemberton, and Tom Monaghan.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) YA Pure Poetry series. Each volume presents eight poems on its topic, with analysis, literary criticism, biographical information, and further study questions. The discussion is thorough enough to make students feel familiar with the poems and poets. The books suffer from a frothy design, but portraits of the poets and occasional sidebars and callouts break up the text visually. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Pure Poetry titles: Death Poetry, Love Poetry, Beauty Poetry, and Nature Poetry.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) YA Pure Poetry series. Each volume presents eight poems on its topic, with analysis, literary criticism, biographical information, and further study questions. The discussion is thorough enough to make students feel familiar with the poems and poets. The books suffer from a frothy design, but portraits of the poets and occasional sidebars and callouts break up the text visually. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Pure Poetry titles: Death Poetry, Love Poetry, Beauty Poetry, and Nature Poetry.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) YA Essential Lives series. Though sometimes repetitive (Estée) or awkwardly written (Malcolm X), these standard-issue biographies, illustrated with stock photographs, do offer balanced portraits of their subjects and will be useful for report writers. With fewer years to cover, Malala includes chapters on Pakistan, Islam, and the Taliban. The many sidebars are informative if somewhat distracting. Reading list, timelime. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Lives titles: Estée Lauder, Jonas Salk, Malcolm X, and Malala Yousafzai.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) 4-6 Checkerboard Animal Library: Animal Icons series. Color photographs combine with easy-to-read but choppy texts to introduce these animals. Each book traces the animal's rise to "iconic" status by providing historical context and cultural significance along with information about physical characteristics, habitat, behavior, and protection efforts. Sidebars and maps impart additional information (including a much-needed definition of icon). Glos., ind. Review covers these Animal Icons titles: Armadillos, Buffaloes, and Coyotes.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Checkerboard Animal Library: Animal Icons series. Color photographs combine with easy-to-read but choppy texts to introduce these animals. Each book traces the animal's rise to "iconic" status by providing historical context and cultural significance along with information about physical characteristics, habitat, behavior, and protection efforts. Sidebars and maps impart additional information (including a much-needed definition of icon). Glos., ind. Review covers these Animal Icons titles: Armadillos, Buffaloes, and Coyotes.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Checkerboard Animal Library: Animal Icons series. Color photographs combine with easy-to-read but choppy text to introduce the bald eagle. This book traces the animal's rise to "iconic" status by providing historical context and cultural significance along with information about physical characteristics, habitat, behavior, and protection efforts. Sidebars and a map impart additional information (including a much-needed definition of icon). Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Checkerboard Animal Library: Animal Icons series. Color photographs combine with easy-to-read but choppy texts to introduce these animals. Each book traces the animal's rise to "iconic" status by providing historical context and cultural significance along with information about physical characteristics, habitat, behavior, and protection efforts. Sidebars and maps impart additional information (including a much-needed definition of icon). Glos., ind. Review covers these Animal Icons titles: Armadillos, Buffaloes, and Coyotes.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) YA Essential Critiques series. These volumes introduce literary criticism, provide summaries of the authors' famous works, and offer lightly annotated essays modeling the application of criticism through different approaches. Each book leads readers through key steps of analysis and encourages readers' own critiques. Featuring the work of contemporarily popular Collins and beloved Lewis enlivens these suitable overviews of literary interpretation and essay construction. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Critiques titles: How to Analyze the Works of Suzanne Collins and How to Analyze the Works of C. S. Lewis.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Easy Cookbooks for Kids series. Each book features recipes in the title category from eleven different countries (one recipe per country with some overlap across volumes). With photos of children preparing and enjoying appetizing international foods, cuisine is presented as a way to understand world cultures and tastes. Capsule introductions to the countries, cook's tips, and added facts about food enrich the lively magazine-like presentation. Safety reminders are included. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Easy Cookbooks for Kids titles: Easy Desserts from Around the World, Easy Main Dishes from Around the World, Easy Snacks from Around the World, Easy Breakfasts from Around the World, Easy Lunches from Around the World, and Easy Vegetarian Foods from Around the World.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 Easy Cookbooks for Kids series. Each book features recipes in the title category from eleven different countries (one recipe per country with some overlap across volumes). With photos of children preparing and enjoying appetizing international foods, cuisine is presented as a way to understand world cultures and tastes. Capsule introductions to the countries, cook's tips, and added facts about food enrich the lively magazine-like presentation. Safety reminders are included. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Easy Cookbooks for Kids titles: Easy Desserts from Around the World, Easy Main Dishes from Around the World, Easy Snacks from Around the World, Easy Breakfasts from Around the World, Easy Lunches from Around the World, and Easy Vegetarian Foods from Around the World.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 Easy Cookbooks for Kids series. Each book features recipes in the title category from eleven different countries (one recipe per country with some overlap across volumes). With photos of children preparing and enjoying appetizing international foods, cuisine is presented as a way to understand world cultures and tastes. Capsule introductions to the countries, cook's tips, and added facts about food enrich the lively magazine-like presentation. Safety reminders are included. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Easy Cookbooks for Kids titles: Easy Desserts from Around the World, Easy Main Dishes from Around the World, Easy Snacks from Around the World, Easy Breakfasts from Around the World, Easy Lunches from Around the World, and Easy Vegetarian Foods from Around the World.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) YA Poetry Rocks! series. This series explores American, British, and world poetry, focusing on cultural traditions and major poets of the times. A biography of each poet, some of his or her notable pieces, and explanations of the poems' significance are offered. Clear, easily understandable analysis of the works continues to be an excellent feature of the series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Poetry Rocks! titles: Modern British Poetry, World Poetry, and Contemporary American Poetry.

Reviewer: Aishah Abdul-Musawwir

(3) YA Poetry Rocks! series. This series explores American and British poetry of different periods, focusing on major poets of the times. Short biographical sketches (including some photographs), notable works, and the significance of the poets' writings are explored. The texts are clear and informative. Analysis is particularly engaging, making the books useful for drawing high school students into the study of poetry. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Poetry Rocks! titles: Early American Poetry, Early British Poetry, and Modern American Poetry.

Reviewer: Aishah Abdul-Musawwir