With eye-catching color schemes and a bright, bubbly layout, the Rookie Star: Fact Finder series introduces younger readers to nonfiction through bite-size factoids. Ten two-page chapters provide cursory, trivia-style information about a number of common and household objects. Sneakers examines the different names for this popular shoe and discusses the ways in which the technology behind them is still being developed. There's not always a lot of cohesion between chapters, but this is a fun, easy way for younger students to explore the basics of research. In addition to frequent photos, each volume includes a time line that tracks the history of each object. Ending activities and quizzes serve to help increase retention d they'll add some extra fun, too.