Picturing the World: Informational Picture Books for Children

Isaacs draws on her considerable experience as a teacher and librarian to produce this useful tool. She begins by clarifying the terminology, followed by a chapter outlining solid criteria for making choices. The remainder of the book consists of seven chapters with such broad titles as "The Natural World Around Us" and "Ourselves and Our World at Home and School," with critical, informative annotations for close to 300 titles, all published within the last 10 years. An appendix provides a list of awards and Best-of-the-Year book lists mentioned in the annotations. Title, author, illustrator, and subject indexes are included. Considering the emphasis on nonfiction in the new Common Core Standards, elementary librarians wishing to flesh out their collections will find this a valuable resource.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ