Reviews+

Each book in this series briefly introduces the basics of the cuisine and culture and highlights three regional specialties. While the glossy, full-page photographs are enticing, the information is general to the point of misleading. Three "recipes" purport to represent typical foods: e.g, pizza (using English muffins and canned sauce) and couscous (boxed instant). There are three other spring 2015 books in this series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Cooking School titles: Italian Food, Mexican Food, and Middle Eastern Food.

Factual statements about the solar system and outlying bodies in the universe are accompanied by diagrams and high-quality images of planets, stars, moons, and spacecraft. The series' coverage is uneven. For example, each planet receives just two pages in a book, while the moon and sun are treated more in-depth in full volumes. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Space titles: Asteroids and Comets, Galaxies and Stars, Our Moon, Our Sun, Planets Far From Earth, and Planets Near Earth.

Double-page spreads with enticing, large color photos explain healthy food choices and amounts. A great deal of boilerplate information is repeated in each volume. Dairy and Fruits reference the five food groups in text confusingly placed next to photos of foods in four distinct groups. Each book concludes with a simple, no-cooking-required "recipe." Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Healthy Plates titles: Dairy, Eating Healthy, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, and Vegetables.

These volumes point to the role humans have played in endangering Earth's resources. The information is presented in four chapters; each book's final chapter focuses on what government and individuals can do now before it's too late. The choppy texts are accessible and supported by photos, diagrams, and related fact boxes. Common Core–related questions are appended. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Fact Finders: Endangered Earth titles: Endangered Energy and Endangered Rivers.

For seeds to grow, pollen needs to reach a flower's carpel. In simple language (with potentially difficult words in bold print), this series teaches early readers about the various ways this happens; information is often repeated from book to book. Close-up photos (inconsistently labeled and captioned) of flower structures and yellow pollen dust on fuzzy bees and bats help readers visualize the process. Glos., ind. Review covers the following First Step Nonfiction: Pollination titles: Animal Pollinators, Cross-Pollination, Insect Pollinators, Self-Pollination, and Parts of a Flower.