I guess it’s fine for what it is, but what it is isn’t much.  It’s a little weak on substance, which makes sense, given that it’s a biography about a couple of little girls who just happen to have a famous dad.  It reads a little like it was put out by a press agent, trying to plug his client, even though there’s not much to say.

It’s an interesting little book, introducing young readers to the variety of jobs involved in creating and maintaining a museum.  The font is large, the photos are engaging, and lots of non-fiction text features are included.  My chief criticism is that the title is a bit mis-leading, as only 2 pages actually refer to those who clean dinosaur bones: the subtitle should have been the title.

It’s fine.  It includes all the most popular folk tales: Little Red Riding Hood, Three Pigs, Billy Goats Gruff, Three Bears, Gingerbread Man, Henny Penny, etc.  but there are better versions of all these tales out there.  The chief advantage (perhaps) is that they’re all included in one volume

It’s neither interesting, nor particularly useful — the concepts it is trying to convey can be better taught using other tools.  But it does have a sturdy binding.

The text describes the effects of the black widow’s venom on humans as causing stomach cramps and nausea, but just reading this book was enough to give those symptoms to this arachniphobe.  The information is very detailed, as are the up-close, full-color photos that illustrate the text.  I figure if it made me squirm this much, it’s going to delight those who are interested in the topic, and it certainly works as a solid research tool.

It’s just like one long math story problem (complete with answer key in the back), and it’s not a particularly interesting story at that.  No student is going to have any interest in picking this up, and even as a teacher, there are better resources available.

The information is sound and well-organized, but I wish the visuals did a better job of supporting the text.  The same graphic organizer is used again and again, even when the text is discussing different animals than were originally included.

This is Greek Mythology we’re talking about here, so references to sex and violence are of course unavoidable.  Much of the illustration is provided in the form of historical art pieces, so be prepared for shocked responses and giggles over the bare breasts included.  Greek/Roman mythology is so often confusing.  This volume does a good job of clearly and concisely outlining a variety of instances where the characters of The Furies turn up, and sorting through the roles they played at various times, right up to where they are mentioned in modern pop culture.

The basic outline of the book is sound, covering a solid range of information around the topic of public art, but there are not nearly enough photographs of the examples of public art discussed.  Children are visual learners (and after all, this is art we’re talking about), and they are not likely to be familiar with most of the famous works mentioned, yet only a select few are actually pictured.  Big problem.

If you are looking for a book on hurricanes for you weather section, this is an adequate choice.  The information is current, and fairly thorough, addressing many aspects of hurricanes, including how and where they develop, how people prepare for and clean up after them, and some historical information regarding the most significant hurricanes to hit land in the U.S.  The design layout and graphics are intended to give the information some pizzaz to attract the target audience, but it’s really just distracting.