Geography instruction has a reputation of being all about memorizing the names of cities, rivers, and mountains, but this season’s new geography series include science, humor, culture, and even fun and games. Readers will learn the facts they need about landforms, climate, and biomes while also learning about the sport of climbing or about traditional recipes of an area. Readers can visit different countries, regions, and landforms in this spring’s geography titles.

Elementary

Davies, Monika. Madagascar. ISBN 9798893042290.
––––. Portugal. ISBN 9798893042320.
––––. Turkey. ISBN 9798893042351.
––––. Venezuela. ISBN 9798893042368.
Langdo, Bryan. The Netherlands. ISBN 9798893042306.
––––. Nigeria. ISBN 9798893042313.
––––. Saudi Arabia. ISBN 9798893042337.
––––. South Africa. ISBN 9798893042344.
ea vol: 24p. (Countries of the World). Bellwether/Blastoff! Jan. 2025. Tr $29.95.
Gr 1-3–Younger readers step into the wide world in these basic introductions to the location, climate, and culture of different countries. These books do not have historical or political information, concentrating instead on each country’s culture and traditions. For example, they each contain a pop-out of how to say “hello” in the primary language of the country, as well as popular foods, and what holidays are celebrated. Some concepts are oversimplified even for a younger audience. For example, in The Netherlands, the text states “many famous artists have called the country home,” with no examples of the artists or their art included in the photos. VERDICT Purchase where introductions to countries for young readers are needed.

Leatherland, Noah. Life in a City. ISBN 9781534549173.
––––. Life in the Countryside. ISBN 9781534549203.
––––. Life on the Coast. ISBN 9781534549234.
Twiddy, Robin. Life in a Town. ISBN 9781534549142.
ea vol: 24p. (Where People Live). Greenhaven/KidHaven. Jan. 2025. Tr $26.23.
K-Gr 3–A goofy introduction to the idea of different human communities. Each book in the series is introduced by the alien Morp from the planet Morpia. Morp is hosting a television show about human life on Earth and this series describes different places that humans live, types of settlements and geographical areas. Common vocabulary words about living on earth, like population,residential, industry, are explained with in-text definitions and in a glossary. The vocabulary has a large amount of overlap from book to book, and the gimmick could wear thin, so these titles are best used and read on an individual basis. VERDICT A funny addition to geography collections, but not a mandatory purchase.

London, Martha. Caves. ISBN 9798892326209.
––––. Dunes. ISBN 9798892326216.
––––. Glaciers. ISBN 9798892326223.
––––. Lakes. ISBN 9798892326230.
––––. Mountains. ISBN 9798892326247.
––––. Rivers. ISBN 9798892326254.
ea vol: 24p. (Earthforms). Bearport/Bearcub. Jan. 2025. Tr $29.95.
PreS-Gr 2–A read-aloud option for geography time. This series presents and describes different types of landforms in language that borders on free verse. Each book starts with tips for adults supporting young readers before, during, and after reading the book. This series is good for classroom sharing or early independent reading. There are about four sentences on each text page, with an accompanying photograph opposite. Each book includes the traditional parts of a nonfiction text in miniature. Even though the text is sparse, vocabulary is highlighted and covered in a glossary and index. Some diagrams, like how a sand dune is formed, are included. VERDICT A good introduction to landforms for early readers.

Mattern, Joanne. Midwest. ISBN 9798893042474.
––––. Northeast. ISBN 9798893042481.
––––. Southeast. ISBN 9798893042498.
––––. Southwest. ISBN 9798893042504.
––––. West. ISBN 9798893042511.
ea vol: 24p. (Regions of the United States). Bellwether/Blastoff! Jan. 2025. Tr $29.95.
Gr 1-3–How far west is the Midwest? This series introduces regional American cultures to lower elementary readers. Young readers learning about American geography but who are not ready for a full look at each of the 50 states may find these books useful. They discuss the weather, major landforms, and animals of each region. Famous faces, major sports teams, and the biggest cities are listed. Some historical information is touched upon, but very lightly. Occasionally, the groups of people who colonized the region and where they came from are included. The Indigenous populations that originally settled each region are not discussed, except to say that “many people today have Native American ancestors” in the west region. VERDICT An additional purchase.

Upper Elementary to Middle School

Bell, Samantha S. Australia. ISBN 9798889982173.
––––. Ethiopia. ISBN 9798889982210.
––––. France. ISBN 9798889982227.
––––. India. ISBN 9798889982241.
Kennedy Henzel, Cynthia. Guatemala. ISBN 9798889982234.
––––. Russia. ISBN 9798889982265.
Klepeis, Alicia Z. China. ISBN 9798889982197.
––––. Cuba. ISBN 9798889982203.
MacCarald, Clara. Brazil. ISBN 9798889982180.
Stratton, Connor. Iran. ISBN 9798889982258.
ea vol: 32p. (Countries). North Star/Focus. Jan. 2025. Tr $31.35.
Gr 4-7–Countries of the world are presented from an American perspective. Each text discusses the history, political systems, geography, and other basic facts about the country presented. These books may be a good fit for students completing a countries project who are not yet able to navigate resources like the CIA world factbook. The American perspective is most notable in Russia, where the author mentions that America made it to the moon first, when discussing the successes of Russia’s space program. These books do not only discuss the climate of countries, but also the effects of climate change in each location. They also mention the effects of outside influences on the political systems of countries like Brazil. VERDICT A good update for middle grade geography collections.

Bogarad, Leonard. Mount Kilimanjaro. ISBN 9798889892731.
Frantz, Jen. Mount Kosciuszko. ISBN 9798889892748.
Gilbert, Sara. Mount Vinson. ISBN 9798889892755.
Gish, Melissa. Mount Aconcagua. ISBN 9798889892694.
Musolf, Hank. Mount Everest. ISBN 9798889892724.
Spengler, Kremena. Mount Elbrus. ISBN 9798889892717.
Stallings, S.L. Mount Denali. ISBN 9798889892700.
ea vol: 48p. (Seven Summits). The Creative Company/Creative Education. Jan. 2025. Tr $44.25.
Gr 6 Up–Young climbers learn more about their sport. These titles discuss seven famous summits from the perspective of climbers. Each text begins with geography, climate, and animals on the mountain. They also discuss the culture of people living in the area around the mountain, even delving into the political climate. More of a sports series than a geography series, the main focus is the history of climbing and famous climbers who reached the summit of the mountain. Not shown through rose-colored glasses, these titles discuss the ecological impact of climbers like invasive species, human waste, and trash. Specific advice, even down to how much to tip in the region, is given, helping readers imagine climbing these summits themselves someday. VERDICT Purchase where there is interest in climbing.

Golkar, Golriz. Your Passport to Chile. ISBN 9781669087205.
––––. Your Passport to Greece. ISBN 9781669087281.
ea vol: 32p. (World Passport). Capstone. Jan. 2025. Tr $31.32.
Gr 4-8–A countries series with hands-on twists. Historical timelines and political histories are present, along with information about the climate, landforms, and animals of the country. In Chile, the Indigenous populations and colonization of the area is included. However, the big selling point of these titles is the hands-on activities. The section on culture has a local recipe that readers can try, and includes instructions on how to play a traditional game from that country. These additions make these books a wonderful option for classroom use, with tie-ins for presentations and projects. VERDICT A promising start to a new series, recommended especially for school libraries.

“Earthforms” (Bearport) works perfectly as a read-aloud introduction to the elements of a nonfiction book. “Countries” (North Star) discusses the climate of each country as well as the effects of climate change on that country. Each book in “World Passport” (Capstone) includes a recipe from the region that readers can try at home, and the instructions for a game they could play with their friends. “Seven Summits” (The Creative Company) focuses on the sport of mountain climbing and happens to sneak in mounds of geography information along the way.

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