Beagles
(Seedlings)

K-Gr 2--The highlight of these short and simple books are the crisp and engaging photographs. Dog lovers will be particularly pleased to pore over the "aww-inducing" pups featured in Beagles, Bulldogs, Retrievers, and Terriers. Each canine book follows the same pattern: the opening line greets the breed ("Hello, Retrievers!") and is followed by one or two sentences on each page that offers basic facts ("Retrievers are large dogs"; Chesapeake Bay retrievers can weigh 80 pounds!"). The military vehicle entries feature a similarly straightforward and appealing design and format, though the content is markedly less cuddly ("Soldiers inside the vehicle can fire weapons.," "It drives over rough ground. It tries to keep people safe.") The simple nonfiction elements are a nice plus; each title includes a table of contents, a labeled diagram, a glossary, a "Read More" and "Websites" section, and an index. Solid offerings to introduce young learners to nonfiction.