Reviews+

K-Gr 1—Though possibly useful for extending ideas of what constitutes a "family," in other respects these volumes are of uneven quality at best...

Gr 9 Up—Aside from new introductions and (possibly) new material in the closing bibliographical essays, these independent surveys rearrange content from Britannica Online Encyclopedia to present broad pictures of the Middle East's varied physical and cultural landscapes, cultural highlights, and history (through early 2010, so the chapters on modern history in Egypt and Yemen are out of date)...

Gr 6—8—Quick overviews about produce, packaged foods, organics, and kitchen and food safety set the tone for the rest of the content, which encourages kids to hit the kitchen and helps them to make good nutritional choices...

Gr 3—5—Though the word "cool" is overused in these books, it will no doubt be the reaction from children after they whip up these tasty dishes...

PreS-Gr 2—The seven crafts in these books (one craft per spread) are sandwiched between brief advice on getting started and a short list of holiday-related activities toward the end...

Gr 3—5—These books offer a variety of games that will keep kids occupied and engaged...

Gr 3—4—Despite the skimpy page counts, these volumes offer useful introductions to the idea of endangered species by introducing either five or six rare animals on every continent...

Gr 2—4—These titles use stories to explain how to create different poetic forms...

Gr 8 Up—These small-print, compact volumes, which assume a solid grasp of basic scientific knowledge, are jam-packed with information...