Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  A little girl addresses water as she experiences it in many different forms: “Hey, water, I know you!  You’re all around. You spray up. And down,” she says, as the illustrations show a faucet, sprinkler, and shower.  Each page has a single word on it, as well as the picture and line(s) of text. Although the text is spare, the book explores different states of matter, bodies of water like lakes and rivers, properties of water, and its importance in our everyday lives.  “Hey, water, thank you!” the narrator concludes; the pages following that have information on water forms, the water cycle, and conserving water, as well as additional resources. 48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  For such a short and entertaining read, this book packs a pretty good educational punch, providing an excellent and engaging introduction to many aspects of water.

Cons:  While the section on conserving water emphasizes the importance of doing so, it doesn’t give any practical tips.

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Published by National Geographic Children’s Books

Summary:  Shortly after his birth, Little Larry was injured in an accident and rescued by humans.  His caregivers taught him some rudimentary chimpanzee skills, but he didn’t hang out with other chimps until he was eight months old.  He got along well with his playmates, but seemed to be afraid to climb trees. After months of watching the others climb, Larry slowly started to explore, first on vines close to the ground, then eventually high into the trees.  After graduating from his forest school, Larry was released into a chimpanzee sanctuary in Cameroon where he still lives today. Includes tips on speaking chimpanzee, sources of more information, additional facts; and an author’s note about the endangered status of chimpanzees.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Larry’s story is short and simple, but the photographs of him and his playmates are irresistible.  Facts about chimps’ diet, behavior, and communication are woven into the narrative, and the information at the end provides lots of other places to go for more research.

Cons:  There was very little information on Larry’s caregivers or the sanctuary where he lived.

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Published by Scholastic Press

Summary:  When an Argentinian gaucho told museum staff that he had found a dinosaur bone much larger than the one they had on display, paleontologists Jose Luis Carballido and Diego Pol wanted to investigate.  They visited the ranch and found out the gaucho was right–he had discovered a dinosaur bone bigger than any previously discovered. The two paleontologists assembled a team and began excavating the fossils.  They eventually were able to estimate the size of the dinosaur, which would have weighed in at seventy tons. Over 100 bones were found, belonging to several dinosaurs.  The team had to work around the clock to uncover them all before cold weather set in, which could damage the fossils. When the titanosaur’s skeleton was finally assembled, it was 122 feet long and almost 26.5 feet tall, making it the largest ever found…for now.  40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  Dinosaur enthusiasts will be blown away by this gigantic dinosaur, and the work it took to dig up and assemble.  The illustrations and photographs add a lot of information, and make a paleontology career look like a very fun adventure.

Cons:  Some back matter would have added a lot; for instance, I couldn’t find any dates for when the expedition took place or the name of the museum where the skeleton is now on display.

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Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Similar in format to Steve Jenkins’ The Beetle Book, this book provides information on frogs’ diets, habitats, defenses, and reproduction.  There’s a page about extreme frogs (smallest, largest, most poisonous, etc.), and another on the endangered status of frogs around the world.  You can also learn the differences between a frog and a toad and a little bit about other amphibians. The last two pages have a table showing all the frogs in the book, with their body lengths, diets, and where in the world they can be found.  Includes lists of books and websites for further information. 40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  There’s a wealth of information that would come in handy for any kind of frog research or report-writing.  The format is inviting, with beautiful cut paper illustrations, and small sections of text with the kinds of interesting facts kids love.

Cons:  I wasn’t a huge fan of the tiny font.  Also, a table of contents or list of the sections in the book would have been helpful.

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