(2) K-3 In this inviting very-first look at Gutenberg's transformative invention and the intricate craft of early printing, Rumford vivifies the ways and means of medieval innovation with intriguing details, focusing on highlights. An epilogue elucidates and extends the occasionally too-truncated information, as does handsome watercolor and gouache art that recalls illuminated manuscripts while revealing additional tasks, hazards, and sources of inspiration.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(2) K-3 Chin's text is a straightforward description of corals, their growth into reefs, and interesting inhabitants; his illustrations show a girl in the library pulling out this very book and embarking on an adventure where the contents come to life. Detailed pictures capture the dappled light of shallow water and the bright tropical colors and patterns in the featured flora and fauna.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Susan Pearson. This account foregrounds the scientist's personal history, covering his early, comfortable life as a curious child and as a college student interested in natural history, his travels on the Beagle, and marriage and family life. Eldredge emphasizes the role Darwin's observations played in the development of his theories. Text asides and historical illustrations contextualize nineteenth-century upper-class England. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Brian Floca. After choreographer Martha Graham asked composer Aaron Copland and sculptor/set designer Isamu Noguchi to collaborate with her on a new ballet, the iconic Appalachian Spring was born. Using spare, concise sentences, the authors echo Graham's approach to dance: nothing's wasted, and in such exactness lies beauty. Floca's fluid, energetic line and watercolor illustrations also reflect the plain boldness of Graham's choreography. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2010

(2) K-3 Robbins's picture book photo essay is a multilayered investigation of standard units of measurement--their definitions, purposes, origins, contexts, and histories. Clear and well-organized, the text is invitingly conversational and chock-full of interesting tidbits. Photographs go beyond informative to arresting: there's a photo of a stone that's so crisp you can almost feel its warmth and texture.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010

(1) K-3 In a fantastical visual narrative paired with a straightforward nonfiction text, a young boy waiting for a subway train finds an abandoned book about redwood trees. When he exits the subway, he finds himself in the middle of a redwood forest, learning all manner of things about them. Chin's watercolors capture both the majesty of the redwoods and the young boy's inquisitive personality.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2009

(3) 4-6 "Dogs bark / Banjos talk / Dinners boil in black pots." Rhythmic, impressionistic text tells of Django Reinhardt, Belgium-born Roma musician who overcame a hardscrabble childhood and a hand injury to become the "world's greatest jazz guitarist." Christensen's atmospheric oil paintings are sketchlike, smoky, and unfinished at the edges--recalling jazz music itself. Additional biographical information concludes the book. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 4-6 Sampling significant tales, social history, and factual oddments, Robbins implicitly suggests how much there is to know about nine foods we likely take for granted. The kind of information differs from topic to topic, which may limit reference use, but readers drawn by Robbins's attractive photographic portraits of these fruits and vegetables will get an intriguing taste of wide-ranging facts and lore.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2009