PERRITANO, John Radical Republicans: The Struggle for Equality ISBN 978-0-7787-4187-9 ; ISBN 978-0-7787-4214-2 . LC 2008041853. PERRITANO, John The Revolution in Industry: Machines That Changed the World ISBN 978-0-7787-4189-3 ; ISBN 978-0-7787-4216-6 . LC 2008041855. ea vol: 32p. (Graphic America Series). illus. chron. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Crabtree 2008. PLB $29.27; pap. $9.95. Gr 3-6 These books seek to win over a tough crowd: reluctant readers with a phobia for history. Providing a jumping-off point for further exploration, these brief, comic-book-size graphic histories should have some appeal to that audience. However, occasionally awkward texts and illustrations hold these titles back. Rarely shifting perspective or zooming in, the large panels often lack visual interest. Movement and expression are subdued, often giving the characters a stiff appearance. Most of the texts are in the form of narrative caption boxes that are attached to panels, limiting the interaction between the words and images. Dialogue, appearing in word bubbles, is spare and used to help clue readers in to characters emotions. For most collections, these are additional purchases. Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI