These books introduce the excitement of an extreme sport, but they aren't instruction guides for beginners. Both begin with a brief history and necessary equipment for the sport and quickly move into describing adventurous jumps and competitions. Safety warnings are posted throughout the pages. The frenetic pages contain a surfeit of captions, sidebars, text boxes, and action photographs. Bib., glos., ind.

MASON, Paul . Snowboarding . ISBN 978-1-4109-5453-4 ; ISBN 978-1-4109-5459-6 . LC 2012042740. SIEMASZ, Greg . Hockey . ISBN 978-1-4109-5451-0 ; ISBN 978-1-4109-5457-2 . LC 2012042736. THROP, Claire . Curling . ISBN 978-1-4109-5449-7 ; ISBN 978-1-4109-5455-8 . LC 2012042734. THROP, Claire . Figure Skating . ISBN 978-1-4109-5450-3 ; ISBN 978-1-4109-5456-5 . LC 2012042735. ea vol: 48p. (Winter Sports Series). chart. diag. further reading. glossary. index. photos. reprods. websites. Raintree . 2013. lib. ed. $32; pap. $8.99. Gr 4-6 The colorful, appealing design will draw students to these fact-filled titles about popular winter sports. (Actually, curling's still gaining fans: though enjoyed by 1.2 million Canadians, only 16,000 people in the U.S. play). The books' tiny font is offset by attractive design elements, including the use of captions, highlighted information, and sidebars in bright colors. Dramatic color photos and a readable text cover important athletes, rules and gear, and instructions for both watching and/or participating in these sports. One noteworthy feature is mention of differently abled athletes and the ways in which they may participate in athletics such as sled hockey and the Paralympic games. All the volumes include a quiz, and Curling and Figure Skating offer topics for further research. Fact-filled and readable, these titles will be a hit with both sports browsers and research writers.