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Cover: Famous Shipwrecks

SLJ Review of Famous Shipwrecks

After an opening spread that includes a simple map and information about the ocean, each book briefly describes four or five historical shipwrecks in chronological order. Readers learn why each ship was traveling, why it sunk, and in most cases, the number of survivors and fatalities.… View →

 
Cover: Women in STEM

SLJ Review of Women in STEM

These profiles of female scientists include basic biographical information and identify key achievements. Opening chapters touch on their early lives, and the following chapters shift to focus on their accomplishments. Complex concepts, like Chien-Shiung Wu’s work on the atomic bomb and… View →

 
Cover: The Power of Positivity

SLJ Review of The Power of Positivity

Well-organized texts supported by photographs of children provide solid introductions to aspects of positivity. Opening chapters offer a few examples of the featured behavior. Middle chapters then tie the emotional benefits of the practices to science. General statements about how… View →

 
Cover: Forest Feelings

SLJ Review of Forest Feelings

Short, illustrated stories introduce animal characters struggling with emotions in these leveled readers. They work through their problems, though the conclusions usually lack clear, practical guidance. Sally the Skunk is scared of an approaching thunderstorm. Her friend explains that… View →

 
Cover: Women in STEM

Booklist Review of Women in STEM

These intriguing titles in the Women in STEM series off an inside look into the lives of determined and intelligent women in STEM. The compelling photos, infographics, and fact boxes contribute further insight into and additional… View →

 
Cover: Earth Basics

Booklist Review of Earth Basics

The Earth’s Basics series, indeed, offers very basic introductions to important substances on Earth. To be readable for beginning readers, the books use very short sentences set in a large font, present-tense naration, and only a small amount of text on each… Although th View →

 
Cover: My Senses

PSLA Review of My Senses

This reviewer had the opportunity to read Hear. Bright photographs accompany sparse text in this nonfiction series. Simple sentences like “I hear a dog bark.” introduce readers to the ways we hear sounds around us. Teachers can use this series for a science lesson on the five senses.… View →

 
Cover: Brainpower

PSLA Review of Brainpower

he Brainpower series discusses what happens to the brain when an individual experiences strong emotions, such as anger, happiness, sadness, and fear (being scared). The reviewer read the book Your Brain When You’re Sad. Your Brain When You’re Sad discusses what happens in your brain when View →

 
Cover: All About Ants

Booklist Review of All About Insects

The All about Insects series introduces common backyard critters, utilizing vibrant, closeup photos (often labeled) and clear text. The books provide general overviews that include basic information on the insects’ bodies and life cycles, while concrete details about each kind of… View →

 
Cover: Earth Basics

SLJ Review of Earth Basics

These introductory earth science concepts foster in readers an understanding of the world around them and how they fit in it. Beginning with dialogic assistance and post-reading options, these titles provide a nice option to not only learn about important building blocks of our planet,… View →

 
Cover: My First Animal Books

SLJ Review of My First Animal Books

Aimed at pre-readers and the youngest learners, these titles offer a small handful of basic facts along with highly engaging photographs. Most images fill two pages, usually accompanied by a single sentence of four words or less. Three photos fill each spread and perfectly highlight the… View →

 
Cover: SEL Careers

SLJ Review of SEL Careers

This series profiles the work lives of people in helping professions, such as therapists, school counselors, social ­workers, occupational therapists, and yoga teachers. Readers are empowered to explore diverse vocational avenues within the realm of mental well-being and social-emotional View →

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