Alaska
Grade 4–7—This book blends poetry, factual paragraphs, and silly "Cheechako [outsider] tips" ("Stay upwind from whales: they exhale what Alaskans call 'fish farts'") to cover Alaska's history, economy, and nature. The writing is clear and informative, and the author's love of Alaska is infectious. She writes in an inviting, informal way that is never dry even when listing facts and numbers. She talks about bears on one page and an oil spill on the next without losing that tone. Topics are covered over single spreads, and there is no index or table of contents. On each spread, one photo fills both sides, with smaller insets and text placed over it. The subjects of the photographs are stunning, but the material overlaid on them can be distracting, and though they are generally of high quality, some are grainy. Overall, while the content is worthy, the book suffers from a poor layout.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AKCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.