Reviews

Use It! Reuse It!

“Nonfiction author Dana Meachen Rau has written another notable series, this one for Bookworms Chapter Books.” 
Library Media Connection, May/June, 2012

 Spending Money

“Dana Meachen Rau's Spending Money is a smart choice for early readers....This is a fun and simple read, especially for transitioning readers who are new to nonfiction." 
Provo City Library Children's Book Review, 
Dec., 2010 

  Nature's Cycles Series: Food Chains, Seasons, Water

“With a graceful simplicity that conveys respect for beginning readers, these books explain the transference of energy among living things through the food chain, the shifts in weather and growth of plants and animals through four seasons, and the process of how water becomes vapor and returns to the earth as rain or snow.”
School Library Journal,
April, 2010

Boats, Cars, Trains, Trucks

“Preschool and kindergarten teachers will find the volumes useful for transportation units. Good choices for libraries looking for very basic books on a beginner-reader level.”
School Library Journal,
April, 2010

  Fire Safety

“More than the typically distant fire-engine drama, this small, square early reader in the Bookworms: Safe Kids series speaks directly to young kids about the danger to them in daily life....By showing a family running over a fire plan, this scary stuff is framed in a reassuring way. The final scene of a boy blowing out his birthday candles with his dad right there reiterates this message while not playing down the danger. The exciting scenarios are sure to hook early readers.”
Booklist,
October 1, 2009

Guess Who Stings

“In a smaller format that's perfect for little hands, Dana Meachen Rau's Guess Who Stings (Marshall Cavendish, 2009) is a winning entry from the publisher's playful "Guess Who" series which piques readers' interest with a guessing-game approach.”
School Library Journal, Curriculum Connections
October 6, 2009

Wonders of Nature

“These simply written overviews have large, bold, easy-to-read texts that highlight child-friendly aspects of the topics.”
School Library Journal,
January 2008

Shape of the World

“Early success in reading hinges on pairing the learner with appropriate books. This series offers just that, a high success, a high interest nonfiction text, for the earliest readers.”
Children’s Literature, 2007

“From the more complicated hexagon to the simplest circle this series of early readers will have youngsters scrambling to find shapes in their own environment.”
Children’s Literature, 2007

“... color, clarity, small size and few words make for a nice package.”
Booklist,
November 1, 2006

The Inside Story

“… Often fascinated by what lies beneath the surface of things, young readers will discover a satisfying amount of information within the pages of these picture books. … All these features make this series useful for introducing children to nonfiction text. These books will be very popular with the younger crowd.”
Library Media Connection,
March 2007

Verbs in Action

“All are highly recommended: they stand out from the crowd.”
Children’s Bookwatch, February 2006

“These fluent readers…explore multiple uses of the word in commonly used phrases, providing children with a new perspective on language and stimulating critical thinking.”
iParenting Media Awards, 2006

What’s Inside Me?

“Dana Meachen Rau uses attention-grabbing language appropriate for the early elementary learner…The superb language brings each system to life.”
Kay Pedretti,
The American Biology Teacher,
October 2005

Jobs In Town

“…These books are just the right size for little hands and short and colorful enough to appeal to the minimal attention spans of young children.”
Melinda Piehler, Sawgrass Elementary School, Sunrise, FL, School Library Journal, December 2007

Nature

“...their use of rebuses and attractive, uncluttered formats will appeal to beginning readers”
School Library Journal,
December 2006

On the Move

“This is a high-interest series of books to be enjoyed by toddlers, preschoolers, and early readers, and used by teachers and parents who wish to help their children explore more about the world around them.”
Childrens Literature, 2007

The Statue of Liberty

“…This series would grace the shelves of any library serving the primary grades.”
Judith Beavers, Library Talk,
January 2002

A Star in My Orange

“Through one-sentence descriptions and full-color, uncluttered photographs, readers are taken on a journey of discovery in the natural world.”
School Library Journal, May 2002

“Rau goes beyond basic geometric shapes to introduce children to more sophisticated forms in nature, from star shapes in snowflakes to the spirals of a ram’s horn. A book that will encourage children to look more closely at their world, think about it, and admire the beauty and symmetry of its design.”
Booklist, December 1, 2002

“This incredibly innovative book celebrates art in nature in a truly clever manner... A wonderful resource for art teachers to show the art in the everyday world and to connect students to art more closely... A true gem of a book that children will want to look at over and over!”
Kristin Pedemonti, Upper Perkiomen Valley Library, PA, February 2002

Mount Rushmore

“This book ties social studies, fine arts and science together with problem solving. It would be a good support for a cross-curricular unit for 2nd grade.”
Instructional Media Center, San Diego City Schools,
March 2002

The Solar System

“The Solar System is a wonderfully written, highly informational treatment about our galaxy…I can hardly wait to use it with my science classes.”
Susan Iasuiolo, Clark County School District, December 2000

“…these science primers contain enough specific information to challenge young readers’ understanding without overwhelming them….”
John Peters, New York Public Library, School Library Journal, February 2001

Robin at
Hickory Street

“…Robin’s life cycle is delightfully told so that the young reader can appreciate another of nature’s creatures.”
Donna Bergen, Round Rock Independent School District, Austin, TX