The English mastiff is the heaviest dog in the world. An adult mastiff tips the scales at more than 250 pounds (113 kg)'as much as a refrigerator! For thousands of years, English mastiffs have lived alongside people. These massive dogs were used to guard castles and help English soldiers in battle. Children will be surprised to learn that despite their huge size and booming bark, mastiffs are calm, friendly, and make devoted family pets. In English Mastiff: The World's Heaviest Dog, eye-popping color photos paired with simple, grade-appropriate text will engage children as they learn about the physical characteristics, diet, life cycle, and behavior of this supersized animal. A comparison diagram is also included to show readers the animal in relation to a familiar object. "Browsers and report writers alike will enjoy this series about giant animals. Readers will learn about the featured animals' diets, defenses, habitats (all titles include a map), physical characteristics, and life cycles. The size of the creatures is compared to objects young children would know, such as soccer balls, pencils, or refrigerators. Each spread features large, vibrant, color photos that emphasize the magnitude of the animals, a few sentences of text, and text boxes outlined in coordinating borders, such as dog collars or feathers, that offer additional facts (e.g., "One bite from a king cobra has enough poison to kill an elephant or 50 people"). Environmental issues and pet care are addressed in some titles. Just as in Bearport's SuperSized! (2007) and More SuperSized! (2010), each book concludes with a list of related animals and a picture glossary, which will help students discover visually the meaning of new words." School Library Journal.

Book Reviews: "English returns to Carver Elementary, the setting of her Nikka and Deja books, in this strong kickoff to her Carver Chronicles series. Freeman's upbeat spot illustrations and English's accessible storytelling target the book to emerging independent readers." ~ Publishers Weekly. "Black-and-white spot illustrations break up the text and make this an accessible book for emerging chapter-book readers." ~ Booklist. "Chapter book readers have few options if they want to read about urban boys of color; here's hoping for more about Gavin and his friends." Book List. A Junior LIbrary Guild Selection. It's tough being the new kid at Carver Elementary. Gavin had lots of friends at his old school, but the kids here don't even know that he's pretty good at skateboarding, or how awesome he is at soccer. And when his classmate Richard comes over and the boys end up in trouble, not only does Gavin risk losing his one new friend, he has to take care of his great aunt Myrtle's horrible little dog as punishment. To make matters worse, Gavin seems to have attracted the attention of the school bully. Will he be able to avoid getting pounded at the skate park? And how is he ever going to prove he's cool with a yappy little Pomeranian wearing a pink bow at his side?