Reviews

Gr 2—3—Though not particularly helpful for quick identification—"Most butterflies fly during the day," while "Most moths fly at night," is a characteristic distinction—these dual profiles of common creatures should give budding naturalists an increased understanding of how scientists use appearance and behavior to classify sometimes-similar living things, along with introducing important terms like "cephalothorax" and "chrysalis...

K-Gr 4—In this fractured version of two classic tales, reset in the Northern Piney Woods of Maine, Punzel, "with long, long goldie hair," is locked in a tower by a witch to keep her hair from dragging on the dirty ground and getting muck in it...

K-Gr 1—In these easy readers, each spread includes one or two sentences and a clear, attractive photograph that works well with the text...

Gr 2—3—More suited to browsing than to assignment use, these quick surveys prize visual appeal over factual content...

Gr 5—8—In 210 BC, the Black Dragon killed the Emperor and his court in revenge for the Empress destroying a precious piece of jade...

Gr 1—4—A sweet little old lady lives in a house in the woods...

Gr 4—7—In this examination of a mix of characters from pop-culture, folklore, and history, vague phrasing allows for misinterpretation...

K-Gr 4—The bright cartoon Get Along Monsters and a female host teach children about the pain that name-calling can cause...

PreS-Gr 1—Macdonald asks readers to consider the ins and outs of hugging, including whom to hug (porcupines are too prickly, for instance), how, and when...