Shel Silverstein

November 1, 2015

K-Gr 3-Children's book authors both classic and current are covered in this set. While the writing is spare and can be frustratingly vague at times, the books here also contain interesting and often valuable facts about their subjects (for instance, after college, Schulz worked as a golf caddy and delivery boy) and make useful historical connections. Photographs are well placed and illustrate the full range of the authors' lives. "Fun Fact" sidebars contain generally useful tidbits, such as that J.K. Rowling's initials stand for Joanne Kathleen or that Shel Silverstein wrote more than 800 songs. There are no source notes, though a few books are suggested for additional reading. Each book refers readers to factsurfer.com, a search engine of sorts that restricts results to a few selected sites. VERDICT Worthwhile selections for younger readers who are interested in writing or who want to find out more about a favorite writer.

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.