11/01/2022
PreS-Gr 2—Teetering on the line of narrative nonfiction and pure nonfiction, this series features a cute illustrated astronaut named "Blastoff Jimmy" who leads readers through the books. The illustrations are adorable, filled with helpful labels that give readers an image to marry with the new vocabulary words they're picking up. The illustrations feature a beautifully diverse cast of workers who are all smiling and happy to be doing their jobs using their complex machines. Glossary terms are highlighted throughout the text and then defined at the end so as not to distract from the narrative. Libraries that purchase this series might find themselves debating where to place it: is it truly nonfiction or not? Regardless of that neverending debate, readers will happily scoop up the books and hungrily devour their content, so put them somewhere they'll find their match. VERDICT A first purchase series.
