Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many children have had to adapt to distance learning and changes to their everyday life. In this ­season’s Series Made Simple, selectors will find books to help young ­readers articulate their feelings, as well as titles that examine the virus and the effort to create a vaccine. We cover perennial subjects, too, including animals big and small, fascinating natural wonders of the world, timely biographies, and a bevy of sports.

This season’s animal series include countless facts about everything from ticks to Tyrannosaurus rex. There’s plenty of information, and also some varied approaches to how it is presented.

With opportunities for creativity and the chance to gain new skills, this season's arts and craft series include projects and ideas that are foolproof, field-tested, created with on-hand materials, and sufficiently explained using clear text and photos. 

Important people both famous and less well known appear in this season’s biographies. Figures in recent news such as Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are featured, as are pop culture figures and perennial favorites from the past.

This season offers a variety of topics for budding scientists and their teachers. Whether it covers rocks and minerals, food webs, or the science and inventions of Leonardo da Vinci, each book is designed to be as attractive as possible to readers.

The U.S. military branches and governments of the world’s countries are explored in these series. Military enthusiasts will appreciate the colorful volumes about the U.S. armed forces, and those with an interest in the political situations of other countries will find books of interest, too.

The topic of heath and the human body has controlled so much of our lives over the past year because of the spread of COVID-19. Due to the speed with which the pandemic overtook society, books published for kids about it were not readily available. Luckily, a few more quality series have arrived. 

This season’s beginning readers and hi-lo series feature engaging texts that use intentional strategies to meet and support readers where they are. The series feature well-honed approaches to support beginning readers, as well as readable hi-lo texts with topics ranging from pop culture to hands-on explorations.

In years past, history taught to children was dry, punishing, boring, whitewashed, and incorrect. Happily, publishers and educators now realize it’s worth their while to make stories of the past more engaging, taking on unique features, telling truths, and dismissing ingrained half-truths.