Nice quality binding, always appreciated in the priced non-fiction selection of books.  This science book explains how a solar and lunar eclipse occurs.  There is a section in the book which instructs the reader how to make their own model of an eclipse with a flashlight and ball and string.  Included is a glossary, other book recommendations, and a facthound website.  This reviewer explored all three sites and they were kid appropriate and had valuable information.  Recommended.

Well done!  This nonfiction book has enough visual appeal for the reader to scan and enjoy, and enough “meat” to it to hold your attention.  There is a nice balance and  selection of real black and white photographs, color photographs, maps, captions, and illustrations.  This includes a pull out map at the back, of the Antarctic, which includes Scott’s route to the pole.  Also in the back, an Index, further reading, glossary, timeline, and website.  The website is The American Museum of Natural History and has as much information as any student could desire.  The website was easy enough to navigate and from my one viewing, appropriate for all ages.

The only suggestion that I would have for this well-bound book, would be an improvement with the timeline.  It would be helpful to have it visual, instead of a vertical list.  Have it spaced with approximate proportions to time, maybe include an icon or inset map to show where.

The formatting of this book brings visual appeal and interest.  Differentiated fonts and brightly colored graphics give the reader not only “curb appeal”, but also interested faces about record setting football games.  It is basically a record book on football stattistics.

The back of the book has a further reading section, glossary and a Fact Hound website.  I followed both suggested sites and was relieved to find that they were geared towards children and not adults.  This would be an OK site to let a child explore.

This book would make a nice addition to a library collection.

Great photography gives this book a real boost, along with eye catching graphics.  This may entice reluctant readers who are interested in sporting facts to stick with this read.  Included are career statistics, team player, college play, and awards given to Tim Duncan.  Appreciated is an address located at the end of the book, that a child could use to write to this basketball star!

The usual further reading, glossary, and internet address are included.  The websites aren’t children’s sites, but would certainly contain some kid-appropriate material.  Depending upon age, the reader may need an adult to accompany them on the internet sites suggested.

This reviewer appreciates this large sized, non-fiction book!  Great photos of Baboons in the natural habitat with simplistic text: 3 sentences per page.  Each two pages taking a different topic: food, family, bodytype, etc.

This is a fact Hound books with suggested websites to further learning. All were appropriate.  Included were more books to read and a glossary of terms.

Recommended.

This is a nonfiction book with different theories about the Bermuda Triangle.  Great layout and visual with pictures and captions. Visually appealing.This is also a Fact Hound book, with internet sites to support further learning.  This reviewer visited the three websites suggested and found one that was truly kid-friendly.  The other were nice additions, at a reading level above where most children would be in a First Facts book series.

Recommended!

This shark book stands out from the others because of the sharp photography.  Many different species of shark are shown, as well as very close-up shots of denticles (skin and scales) and other interesting features.  The captions for these photos are filled with interesting factoids different from other shark books.  For instance, another shark book I reviewed showed their teeth and stated that sharks have just over 300 teeth.  This book, however, goes a step further and explains that when a shark’s tooth wears out, a new tooth moves in to replace it and that some sharks go through as many as 30,000 teeth in their lifetimes.  Wow!  That’s a lot of teeth!  The info seems fresher and more interesting.  Kids will love it!

Fire and Fury is the fourth and final installment of The Chronicles of Avantia series.  The story is of an evil warlord trying to reclaim the pieces of the Mask of Death which will enable to have total control over the land’ beasts and people.  Four young people are called ‘chosen riders’ and each has a special beast with whom they have telepathic communication and can travel quickly.  In each book a new ‘chosen rider’ is introduced until all four are working together to overpower the warlord and his evil army.  In this book, one of the chosen riders is actually a traitor, a boy who is under the villain’s spell.  In each of the previous books, there has been good characterization and lots of action.  However, in this fourth book, much of the book is spent explaining what had happened earlier.  I wanted to skip over the repetition and get to the end to see how it turns out (although it was pretty obvious).  Reluctant readers, mainly boys, will enjoy the action and fighting.

This beginning reader chapter book is a treat!  Beautiful illustrations and formatting.  The story is charming and integrated throughout are real Japanese words!   My only complaint is the big, loopy binding.  Perhaps this is temporary because it’s a new book?

Highly recommended for primary readers at the elementary level!

They’re called ‘freaks’ because they’re unusual and look unusual.  The main character is Sheba, who doesn’t have any family and grew up in a shanty on a rambleshack pier not far from London in the 1850’s.  She is sold to Mr. Plumpscutte, the proprietor of a traveling carny or freak show.  Sheba’s unusualness is that she has hair all over her body, including hands and face.  The older she gets the more she looks like a wolf-girl and is able to channel the snarling and gnashing teeth of a real wolf.  Other freaks in the show include Monkeyboy, self explanatory, Mama Rat and her trained rats, Gigantus, again self explanatory, and Sister Moon, an Asian girl with awesome Ninja skills.  This is the first ‘family’ that Sheba has known.  She is only required to sit and have paying customers come and stare at her.  One such customer was a small eight-year-old girl, stinky and filthy, who was fascinated but not frightened by Sheba.  The girl, Till, gave Sheba a broken marble, but it was the first thing anyone had ever given her and she was touched by the friendship.  Shortly afterwards, Sheba learns that Till has disappeared, as have other poor children who work along the riverfront.  Sheba and her ‘family’ set out to find her and the others, even as it becomes apparent that the people responsible for the missing children are willing to kill to keep their secret.  Larwood does an excellent job with characterization as well as the setting.  I actually thought I was beginning to smell the river’s waste.  The action is exciting as Sheba and her friends close in on the villains.  A well-rounded debut novel.