Zion

Transporting readers to places of great natural beauty, each volume in the new A True Book: National Parks series showcases one of America's most frequently visited parks. Clear, colorful photos offer armchair travelers enticing views of the parks and their wildlife. The books individually introduce the history of a particular locale and describe how it became part of the national park system. Other topics discussed are unusual landforms, common animals and plants, varied ecosystems found there, and means of protecting the park from various threats. In Zion, rangers deal with the park's flash floods and heavily traveled trails, while, looking forward, climate change is a concern. Besides the back-matter basics, each book includes a guide to animal tracks in the park and a Map Mystery, which challenges readers to follow the five-step directions to find a destination on a double-page map of the park. Useful for school reports, these accessible books offer information as well as eye-catching photos of natural wonders.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2018 Booklist

Gr 3-6-The national parks receive the popular "True Book" format. Each title provides a bit about each park's history, physical geography, plants and animals, and the role of conservationists and the National Park Service. Many of the topics covered are timely, including climate change in Zion. However, the brief mentions of American Indians are often in the past tense and lack nuance ("They called themselves the Ahwahneechee. The Ahwahneechee were known as fierce warriors.") The included photos capture much of the majesty of these outdoor retreats, and the numerous nonfiction text features (paw print guides, interactive maps, etc.) are also likely to capture readers' attention. VERDICT A slightly above average series; however, librarians will need to supplement these books with more comprehensive texts on Native American history. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.