This series covers a variety of science topics such as matter, energy, and the weather. For example, Earth’s Place in Space teaches readers about the solar system, the Milky Way, space exploration, the Goldilocks Zone, meteor showers, black holes, and the Mars rovers. Chunks of text are accompanied by photos or diagrams, making the content easy to digest. Captions help to link the images to the main text, and the images themselves range from archival photos to the latest portrait of a black hole from the Event Horizon Telescope. Directions for a related activity are included in each book, along...

After a general introduction to the featured biome, including a location map, numerous animals from the environment are pictured and described. Different varieties of each biome are neatly grouped into separate chapters. Freshwater Pond Animals, for example, looks at animals that live on the bottom of a pond, in the middle, on the surface, and at the edges. Each book highlights at least 10 creatures, providing a few selected facts. In some cases just a single attribute is noted, such as the caribou’s migration pattern. Other profiles examine multiple attributes; a spread on argali sheep, for instance, mentions herds, diet,...

Deep-sea fishing, logging, smokejumping, and more are profiled in these books. Each title features full-page color photographs that show workers in action, with text on only some of the pages. Short sentences make this an ideal series for younger readers, but some of the fonts may be difficult for them to decode. Gender diversity is not represented in this series, as men are mostly shown in these risky roles. Content primarily focuses on the mostly dangerous aspects of these jobs and might dissuade readers from seriously pursuing them. These books could hold the attention of striving readers who also love...

An underwhelming study of emotional body language. Each title covers an emotion: angry, happy, sad, scared, and surprised. Full-spread images of babies moping, crying, or laughing are accompanied by a declarative sentence: “I mope,” ”I cry,” or “I laugh.” Each spread also includes the emotion being examined. The text is provided in English and Spanish, and the images portray a diverse range of races and ethnicities. However, some of the facial expressions are too nuanced. Surprised includes the actions of looking and staring as indicators of surprise, but they appear identical. VERDICT Consider this as a language learning resource rather...

Free speech and its limits are complicated subjects, sometimes even for courts. So hats off to this book for its explanations and examples that make the topic not only understandable but also thought-provoking. The book begins with freedom of speech surrounding the flag, but then it moves into the history of the First Amendment and the controversies around it, including deference to the anthem, the Red Scare of the 1950s, free speech in schools, and the new notion that corporations are entitled to free speech. There is also information about life in countries where free speech is devalued or not...