Full Text Review(s)
[Space Group 2] -"I liked every book and photo in this series. NASA is the common denominator here; the exploration of space made possible by NASA leads to greater understanding of natural and man-made satellites, galaxies, and our own sun. Each of the four titles includes a historical perspective. Kepler named satellites in the 17th century; in ancient Egypt the Sun God was Ra; and in ancient times scientists believed the sun revolved around the earth as part of the single galaxy. In NASA, the history space race continues through the recent development of private ventures to enable space tourism. But for my money, Sun has the best stories, the best photos, and the most compelling historical view of its subject. I checked out the accompanying Web site recommendations to discover more, and I found lots more. I found an apparent error confusing a "radiative zone" with a "radioactive zone" in a photo caption. Bibliography. Glossary. Web sites. Index. Recommended. Anne Hanson, Media Specialist, Hoover Elementary, North Mankato, Minnesota"

[Natural Disasters, Group 1] -"These four titles give a thorough and diverse look at their subjects. Text and photos show how these natural disasters begin and develop, the force of the phenomenon, and the consequences to the affected communities. For example, photos in Hurricanes show the effects of wind and flooding on the ground, cloud formations in the sky, including an image of a hurricane’s eye from the space shuttle Discovery, and radar of the storms’ intensity. A historical perspective is included; the hurricane book describes the Spanish Armada, partially destroyed by a hurricane in 1588. Safety and preparation are critical to survival in natural disasters, clear and specific instructions are included. These titles will offer young researches and browsers enough information to satisfy their curiosity. Bibliography. Glossary. Web sites. Index. Recommended. Anne Hanson, Media Specialist, Hoover Elementary, North Mankato, Minnesota"

[The Ears, The Eyes, Teeth] -"A clear and workmanlike trio of titles for reports. Each one has a page of text and caption opposite a full-page color photo or diagram. Scientific names and terminology are highlighted in bold and explained in the texts and again in the glossaries. Information and illustrations are understandable and direct, and will support curriculum units on the human body. However, the Web sites listed are neither child-friendly nor helpful for research. Ears cites a URL for buying hearing aids; one of the sites in Eyes was created to inform the public about contact lenses; and one in Teeth was last updated in 1995 and is neither informative nor attractive. Most are linked to some commercial venture. Another caveat: while written at a third-grade level, the photos are mostly of much younger children."

[Congress, The Constitution] -"The first book details the activities of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and describes how a piece of legislation becomes law. The second book begins with the Preamble and then gives an overview of the writing of the Constitution, the three branches of the U.S. government, the Bill of Rights, and the way amendments are made. The format of both titles, text on one side and an accompanying illustration on the other, makes these subjects accessible to students just beginning to study government. While David Heath's The Congress of the United States (Capstone, 1999) and Linda Carlson Johnson's Our Constitution (Millbrook, 1992) cover much of the same ground, the full-color photographs of current members of Congress and their activities make these titles up-to-date additions. Both complement Jean Fritz's Shh! We're Writing the Constitution (Putnam, 1987)."

[The Pony Express, The Transcontinental Railroad] -"Using simple language and uncomplicated descriptions, Dolan distills these historical developments into short, easily understood chapters. The oversized type and abundant white space add to the readability of the texts. Each spread features a page of narrative opposite a well-captioned historical engraving, some tinted, or an excellent-quality photograph (mostly in color in Pony Express). The suggested Web sites listed in Transcontinental Railroad are particularly interesting. These books will be useful to report writers as well as to children interested in the subjects or time periods."

[The Boston Tea Party, The Salem Witch Trials, The Winter at Valley Forge, The Lost Colony of Roanoke] -"Each book in this large-print series focuses on one of the most intriguing incidents in United States history. The events are either puzzling, as in The Lost Colony of Roanoke or The Salem Witch Trials, or centered on people who stand in defiance against hardships that are imposed on them, as in The Winter at Valley Forge and The Boston Tea Party. The Lost Colony of Roanoke focuses on Sir Walter Raleigh and his inability to solve the mystery of what happened to the colonists he brought to Roanoke Island. The daily life and hardships of the soldiers is the focus in The Winter at Valley Forge. Engravings, paintings, and woodcuts of the era illustrate each book. These brief volumes use a more sophisticated vocabulary than the print size might suggest. Difficult words are defined in the text, but not in the captions for the illustrations. A good series for the beginning history student. Index, time line, and bibliography with Web sites. Recommended."

[Minerals, Water] -"Basic introductions to their respective topics. Minerals covers what they are, where they come from, how they are formed, and their physical properties. The second book discusses how water is created, how it exists in three different states, how the water cycle affects our world, and the importance of water to life on earth. The large-print texts are easy to read, and the explanations are clear and concise. Outstanding full-page, full-color photographs appear throughout. Minerals concludes with directions for growing crystals."

[Earth Science] - "This series, with its large margins and color photographs on nearly every two-page spread, is superb for intermediate grades. Gallant has a talent for simplifying science, yet keeping it interesting. Water describes the water cycle and our increasing needs for it, and provides facts such as, 80% of fresh water is underground. Fossils explains that the dinosaur bones we find are actually minerals that have replaced the original bones. The book includes a full-page picture of a dinosaur skin cast and a useful diagram showing how levels of sedimentary rock can be dated by the fossils they contain. Minerals describes the structure of crystals and how to grow a crystal inexpensively with common, safe ingredients. Rocks explains how the major kinds of rock are formed and even explores the rock cycle, which is illustrated and described on facing pages. These titles are an excellent introduction to science, and sure to prompt readers to visit the Web sites and read the bibliographic selections for more information. Glossary; index; bibliography; list of Web sites. Recommended."

[Computers, Robots, Computer Animation, The Internet] -"It's extremely difficult to write a series of books on technology in such a way that the information doesn't become dated in the blink of an eye. Lockman, however, steers clear of heavy emphasis on such things as specific computer applications, types and brands of computers, and computer manufacturing companies. For this and other reasons, these technology titles would be a solid addition to any school library. Computer Animation features wonderful pictures of popular animated movies along with interesting text. Chapters on the history of computer animation, on the pre-production, production, and post-production steps of making an animated movie, and on the advantages of using computer animation are well and clearly written. The Internet describes the wonderful things this technology can do, yet warns readers about online dangers. Computers gives readers solid factual information about the history, types, uses, and the hardware/software of these ubiquitous machines. Robots will be a popular title, because it illustrates some really neat-looking robots, such as androids (human-looking robots), fish robots, and dog robots. This series would help to fill gaps in the nonfiction technology section of any library. Recommended."

[Fossils, Rocks] -"Fine introductory titles. In the first book, the easy-to-read text offers clear explanations about the ways fossils are formed and information on reading the record they leave behind. It also includes brief descriptions of a paleontologist's work and how museum exhibits are created. In Rocks, the basic formations (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic) are introduced. A 'Did You Know?' section provides some additional facts. In both titles, not all scientific words are given phonetic pronunciations. Well-selected, beautifully reproduced photographs and computer graphics illustrate these volumes."

[Fossils, Minerals] -"These volumes in the Kaleidoscope-Earth Sciences series look at elements in the natural world-minerals, fossils, water, and rocks-using photographs, drawings, and graphics to enhance the simple text. Minerals begins with the question, "Have you ever tasted a mineral?" Fossils uses a series of drawings to show how a dying fish can become a fossil. After some basics, the books delve deeper into their subjects, covering some fairly complex topics, such as mineral replacement. Good support material for children studying the earth sciences, with enough photos to attract the interest of browsers.

[Planets, Space Stations] -"Each book in the Kaleidoscope series features some aspect of science or technology. The text appears on pages with plenty of white space and in fairly large type facing a colorful illustration: a photograph, a radar or satellite image, or a painting of the subject. Planets introduces each planet in the solar system with a rather brief, basic text and one or two pictures. Space Stations briefly discusses the Salyet, Skylab, and Mir space stations as historical background for the ISS, or International Space Station, which began construction in space in 2000 and will be increasingly in the news as it approaches completion in 2003. With few other books available on the subject, this one will serves as a good introduction for young students. Check the Series Roundup, this issue, for more titles."