Miss Mallard and her companions face many dangers on their trek to the lost city of Kimbu Tacka.  Disasters follow them from a collapsing bridge to a leaky canoe.  The greatest danger is the headless demon that protects the ancient site.  The frightened expedition members are willing to turn back without exploring Kimbu Tacka until Miss Mallard discovers that the headless demon is one of their party disguised to frighten everyone so he can steal the Kimbu Tacka treasures.

Large type and short simple sentences make this a readable choice for students transitioning to chapter books.  The start of the story is rather abrupt and hard to follow.  Bold text throughout the story is used either to identify vocabulary found in the glossary or to show emphasis.  Sometimes both purposes are found on the same page.

Written by J. Patrick Lewis, the Children’s Poet Laureate of the United States, this is a cute collection of Halloween poems.  The poems are each 4 lines celebrating an aspect of the holiday; from parties to costumes and pumpkins to trick-or-treating.  Each poem has a 2 page spread with the poem on the left and a digitally modified photo on the right.  Each spread includes an interesting fact about Halloween that supports the poem topic.

End papers include spooky celebrations around the world featuring fall holidays in 6 different countries; a brief description and history of the holiday of Halloween; and a glossary and index.

I found the use of lowercase text for the Table of Contents and poem titles to be a potential distraction for young readers and writers who are just beginning to recognize and use proper capitalization.

These are designed for younger readers, with an animated Ranger Red Fox as a guide.  The book covers geology, history, flora and fauna, activities for visitors and even basic map reading.  Large font text uses simple sentences and vocabulary making it accessible for young readers.  Colorful photographs, with inserts and captions supports the text. Great introduction for kids

This is a very detailed look on the subject of animal rehabilitation.  The book provides some basic background, including the beginning of the Audubon Society, and increased environmental awareness in the 60’s.  Additionally, it describes how rehab facilities work, including admitting, care, and return to the wild.  The pros and cons of animal rehabilitation are discussed at length.  Guidance is given for what to do when you find an injured animal as well as suggestions on how to become an animal advocate.

Recommended title for studies of human impact on the environment.

A Hi-Lo comic book style story told with text and pictures.  Significant words are enlarged and colored with an interesting font.  A possible next step up for graphic novel fans. Obstructed is the second in series of 4.  The story imagines that superheroes and villains have united, and follows adventures of Mateo (a villain) at Superhero High School.  Nice balance with boys and girls and different races as both hero and villain.  Nothing new, but sure to please.

This nonfiction book covers a wide range of systems – circulatory and respiratory systems in your body, transportation and communication systems in your town, plumbing and heating systems, our solar system, and ecosystems.  The focus of each system description is different.  Origin of the system, significance of the system to humans, human role in the system, and the impact if part of the system is removed are addressed with discussions of a specific system.  Text is supported by color photographs.  Animated Space Cat narrates “Did You Know?” and “Try It!” inserts on each 2 page spread.  Interesting approach.

With large font and short simple sentences, this book describes the basics of construction workers – what they are, what they do, and characteristics of a good construction worker.  Colorful photographs support the text.  Good mix of people in pictures.

This provides the basics on purpose and features of an ambulance.  The book also includes different types of ambulances such as boat and helicopter.  Details of the inside, and outside of the ambulance including equipment is explained in both text and labeled photographs.  Future medics will be able to imagine themselves at work.

Lack of attention to detail is evident in the flipped photo on the cover making the word AMBULANCE on the vehicle appear backwards. Additionally, there is little diversity in the people portrayed in the photographs.

This describes the 4 subfamilies of falcons, their habitat, prey, physical characteristics, and highlights a few notable birds.  Also included is information on their nests, how they eat, and even how they have influenced modern aircraft design.  A focus is put on both the common characteristics of all falcons and the unique characteristics of specific species.  Contains a lot of interesting information in a reader friendly format. Includes amazing photographs including various birds in flight.

Brief introduction on what the Colosseum was used for, followed by very thorough history of its construction.  Describes materials used, including information on the ‘new’ Roman concrete and how it was made and why it was better.  Details on how it was built, including why they used arches and how careful they were with the foundation.  Which is why it is still standing!  Ends with description of how it fell into disrepair, and restoration plans.  Great details. Text is supported by colorful photographs, diagrams, illustrations and primary sources.  A great combination of history and STEM concepts.

Includes Table of Contents, Stop and Think, Glossary, Learn More, and Index.