Reviews+

Gr 3—5—Representing just the tip of the iceberg—there are currently more than 900 official World Heritage Sites—-these quick introductions convey a sense of the vast range of places that have been designated by UNESCO's World Heritage Centre as being significant to our world and its cultures, and the almost equally huge range of challenges conservationists face in preserving them...

Gr 8 Up—Well written and well researched, each title describes the characteristics of a monster: its origins in literature or lore, its physical appearance, instances in which people believe they interacted with it, and hoaxes...

Gr 5—8—Scientific theories and laws are thoroughly defined and put into context with plenty of background and historical knowledge...

Gr 1—3—This series covers some kid favorites and the pictures pop off its glossy pages, but it has no further appeal...

Gr 5—7—Markle follows her "Insect World" series (Lerner, 2008) with a similarly designed overview of spiders, ticks, and scorpions...

Gr 4—8—Keeping the tone light and upbeat, Jones explains in brief the origins, traits, and pop-culture presence of select monsters...

Gr 6—8—These highly detailed works go beyond merely discussing the accomplishments of the athletes profiled—they also explore the social and political influences the figures had on society as a whole...

Gr 3—5—Another series whose concept is better than its execution...

Gr 3—6—These hi/lo books offer basic information about the lives and careers of star basketball players...