Many career paths and job opportunities are shifting, presenting a need for books that rise to the occasion. This season’s series about jobs and careers feature exciting and up-to-date information about a range of traditional and nontraditional vocations and professional career paths that will appeal to a range of grade and reading levels. Each of these series offers something new and different, blending information about traditional roles in well-known fields with facts about trends in lesser-known or emerging career paths. National Highlights/Mason Crest’s “Careers With Earning Potential” presents practical information about careers with high earning potential that don’t require a college degree, while Crabtree’s “What Can I Bee?” features a friendly bee who trains to become a chef, a firefighter, and a bus driver. There are choices that offer value and variety for collections, and inspiration for readers with big dreams.

Elementary

Anderson, AnnMarie. Meet a Dentist! ISBN 9781338769005.
––––. Meet a Veterinarian! ISBN 9781338768886.
Herrick, Becky. Meet a Grocer! ISBN 9781338769869.
Shepherd, Jodie. Meet a Bus Driver! ISBN 9781338768794.
––––. Meet a Sanitation Worker! ISBN 9781338768855.
Unwin, Cynthia. Meet a Coach! ISBN 9781338768824.
ea vol: illus. by Lisa Hunt. 32p. (In Our Neighborhood). Scholastic/Children’s Press. Sept. 2021. Tr. $25.
Gr 2-4 –Keeping consistent with last season’s books, this series presents information about different jobs as if children were interacting with each worker themselves. This season, Theo and Emma explore their community through the lives of a grocer, veterinarian, bus driver, dentist, sanitation worker, and soccer coach. In Meet a Coach!, Theo and Emma learn what it takes to be supportive to each other as teammates, as well as what it means to be a good sport. In Meet a Veterinarian!, the pair learn about the daily life of a veterinarian when their class pet, a rabbit named Freddy, gets sick and needs to go to the vet clinic. Each book includes a mock interview with each professional, different tools used in each of the featured professions, and a visual glossary. This series shines in every way: diversity is reflected in illustrations; text, captions, and detailed photos provide visual interest while also adding fast facts; and varying abilities and identities are positively featured. VERDICT This series is versatile and fun to read, uplifts diverse experiences, and is an all-around slam dunk for any collection.

Bender, Douglas. Delivery Person. ISBN 9781427141125.
––––. Doctor. ISBN 9781427141132.
––––. Firefighter. ISBN 9781427141149.
––––. Police Officer. ISBN 9781427141156.
––––. Teacher. ISBN 9781427141163.
––––. Vet. ISBN 9781427141170.
ea vol: 16p. (People I Meet). Crabtree. Jul. 2021. Tr. $22.60.
PreS-K –These books designed for very early readers feature profiles of workers that children will recognize from everyday life, including doctors, veterinarians, delivery workers, firefighters, police officers, and teachers. Designed to help readers develop early comprehension skills, these books include questions for before, during, and after reading that will help even the most elementary readers remember what they read. Most sentences are no more than five to seven words, and full-page color photographs correlate with what’s presented in pictures. Words that may be unfamiliar to some readers are bolded and included in a visual glossary at the end of each book. Plenty of white space around words makes this series a great choice for readers who are learning to read on their own for the first time, or who may need more support in reading for comprehension. VERDICT These books would make a great addition to preschool and kindergarten classrooms as well as larger public and school library collections.

Culliford, Amy. I Could Bee a Chef! ISBN 9781427153746.
––––. I Could Bee a Teacher! ISBN 9781427153753.
––––. I Wannabee a Firefighter! ISBN 9781427153760.
––––. Maybe I’ll Bee a Doctor! ISBN 9781427153777.
––––. Someday I Could Bee a Pilot! ISBN 9781427153784.
––––. Today I’ll Bee a Bus Driver! ISBN 9781427153791.
ea vol: 16p. (What Can I Bee?). Crabtree. Jul. 2021. Tr. $19.99.
Toddler-K –Early emergent readers will learn they can “bee” anything in these whimsical books that feature a friendly bee in a variety of jobs: pilot, chef, doctor, firefighter, bus driver, and teacher. Each book inspires readers to imagine all the things they could do and places they could go in each job. As a cook, bee learns to make stew and bake cakes, and as a pilot, bee uses a radio and flies high in the sky. Bee is never alone and has many bee and human friends who are along for new job adventures. Easy-to-read print, simple sight words, short phrases, and plenty of spacing between words make this illustrated series perfect for school and public libraries of any size. VERDICT The illustrations make this series shine while sharing basic facts about jobs kids dream about.

Tornito, Maria. A Day with a Doctor. ISBN 9781636902104.
––––. A Day with a Firefighter. ISBN 9781636902135.
––––. A Day with a Librarian. ISBN 9781636902166.
––––. A Day with a Mail Carrier. ISBN 9781636902197.
ea vol: illus. by Dean Gray. 24p. (Meet the Community Helpers!). Jump!. Aug. 2021. Tr. $27.99.
K-Gr 2 –Beginning readers can learn what it’s like to work as a doctor, librarian, firefighter, and mail carrier in this simple series that’s ideal for the early elementary grades. Each book features a real-life situation between a child and their family as they visit the library, doctor’s office, firehouse, and post office. Repetitive text and sight words make this series ideal for readers who are eager to begin reading independently, but the books are also ideal for one-on-one reading between caregiver and child. Unique to this series is its conversational text, which introduces the concept to young readers in an accessible way. Illustrations feature appropriate representation of diverse identities. VERDICT This four-part series would make a great addition to ECE classroom libraries or daycare centers.

Upper Elementary to Middle School

Coleman, Ted. Great Careers in Sports. ISBN 9781644938485.
Gaertner, Meg. Great Careers in Engineering. ISBN 9781644938430.
––––. Great Careers in Health Care. ISBN 9781644938447.
––––. Great Careers in Science. ISBN 9781644938478.
Moon, Derek. Great Careers Working with Animals. ISBN 9781644938515.
Rossiter, Brienna. Great Careers in Education. ISBN 9781644938423.
––––. Great Careers in Music. ISBN 9781644938454.
––––. Great Careers in Writing. ISBN 9781644938508.
Stratton, Connor. Great Careers in Nature. ISBN 9781644938461.
––––. Great Careers in Technology. ISBN 9781644938492.
ea vol: 32p. (Great Careers). North Star Editions/Focus Readers. Aug. 2021. Tr. $28.50.
Gr 4-8 –Career options in a variety of fields are rapidly changing, and this series highlights some of the new possibilities that are available in areas like healthcare, education, technology, music, sports, engineering, animal sciences, natural resources, and writing. This up-to-date series includes three or four job options or sub-careers in each field, including a job spotlight section, which highlights recent trends or new career paths in emerging fields. For example, Great Careers in Science offers information about both traditional and emerging options in physical and life sciences, as well as exciting information on recent trends in paths like vaccine development. Each book in this series provides a wealth of information about how to enter the career path, the skills and education required for each, and practical strategies for getting more information. Infographics, checklists, glossaries, comprehension quizzes, a table of contents, and an index are included in each volume. VERDICT A comprehensive update for elementary school and public libraries.

Upper Middle School to High School

Albright-Jenkins, Melissa. Pharmacy Technician. ISBN 9781422244784.
Heuer, Mike. Machinery Maintenance and Repair. ISBN 9781422244777.
Lawson, Carlie. Web Developer. ISBN 9781422244760.
Morkes, Andrew. Become Invaluable in the Workplace: Set Yourself Apart. ISBN 9781422243213.
––––. Police Officer and Detective. ISBN 9781422244746.
––––. Welder. ISBN 9781422244753.
ea vol: 80p. (Careers with Earning Potential). National Highlights/Mason Crest. Sept. 2021. Tr. $34.60.
Gr 6 Up –This series focuses on several career profiles that don’t require a bachelor’s degree, including pharmacy technician, machinery maintenance and repair, web developer, police officer and detective, and welder. Readers will benefit from learning about each career path and different ways of entering and being successful in each. The series also includes a general volume devoted exclusively to practical strategies for setting oneself apart in a job search, how to craft an effective and persuasive application package, and common expectations present in different types of work environments. Visual elements are representative of diversity in the workplace, and long sections of text are complemented by engaging graphics and fast facts that provide practical but lesser-known information about how to build a successful career in any field. Actionable steps and practical suggestions for further exploration are provided in each book. VERDICT This series provides alternatives for students who want to explore their educational alternatives beyond traditional college studies and would be an ideal addition to high school and vocational school libraries.

Morkes, Andrew. Women in Anthropology. ISBN 9781422245002.
––––. Women in Chemistry. ISBN 9781422245019.
––––. Women in Engineering. ISBN 9781422245026.
––––. Women in Environmental Sciences. ISBN 9781422245071.
––––. Women in Information Technology. ISBN 9781422245033.
––––. Women in Medicine. ISBN 9781422245040.
––––. Women in Physics. ISBN 9781422245057.
––––. Women in Space Exploration. ISBN 9781422245064.
––––. Women Inventors. ISBN 9781422245088.
ea vol: 96p. (Women in STEM Careers). National Highlights/Mason Crest. Sept. 2021. Tr. $34.60.
Gr 5 Up –Inspiration abounds in this series that highlights career opportunities for women in fields like anthropology, information technology, physics, environmental science, chemistry, and medicine. Each book provides the history of each field or industry and an introduction to the career opportunities available. Books devote each chapter to specific job roles held by notable women, both past and present, such as Jane Goodall, Margaret Chan, Mae Jemison, Sally Ride, and many others. Chapters include a mix of bullet points, longer paragraphs, and fast facts to create an engaging reading experience that will keep pages turning. Women of many different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds are represented in this series. Using an interdisciplinary approach, these books do an excellent job relating science and technology careers to other fields, like education, the arts, and history, that will inspire readers to design career paths as unique as they are. VERDICT A standout series for virtually any collection.