Elaine Landau (1948–2013)

I thought this was a great informational text. I liked this book because of the writing and language of the information given. The information on volcanoes was provided in a clear and concise way. Readers left this book with a good understanding of what volcanoes were. I also liked this book because of the good pictures that went along with the text. I thought that the pictures enhanced the text and help demonstrate and clarify facts within the book. I think readers will also enjoy looking show more at the beautiful images of the volcanoes. The big message of this book is information about volcanoes. show less

POPCORN is chock-full of tidbits about one of America's favorite snack foods. Learn what makes popcorn pop, how Native Americans liked their popcorn, and how television almost wiped out popcorn's future. Cooking tips, recipes, and resources included. Each topic is covered in 2-3 pages with large illustrations. This is a fun book that tickles curiosity.

The photographs and format of this book are very compelling- my three-year-old can't put it down! Divided into mini chapters addressing different aspects of crocodiles and alligators, this little book is informative, sophisticated, and yet also child-friendly in its approach. The focus of this book is how the reptiles hunt-- there is less comparing and contrasting alligators and crocodiles here than in Gail Gibbons' book. A short, age-appropriate bibliography and index appears in the back. I show more am very impressed by this series ("Animals After Dark") and would gladly order it for any library. show less

Landau has selected excerpts from four published narratives by slaves who experience life as slaves in the American South in the 19th Century. As these examples were prepared for reading by young adults, they do not contain instances of the extreme violence that are usually present in such narratives. These stories do illustrated the perseverance of some of these people who were driven to take great risks in order become free and the callowness of many slave owners and dealers.

This is a good show more introduction to the literature on this subject. A good followup would be reading some of the slave narratives collected during the Great Depression by unemployed writers who were tasked with getting these stories from former slaves before they died. show less