Gr 4–7—Although all people need to eat, not all of us tend to think about where our food comes from and what goes into producing it. Providing pros and cons related to the issues, this series outlines ways in which people can become well-informed, responsible, and safe food consumers. Each book begins with a chapter that addresses readers in the second person, making the topic relevant to the audience. Socially responsible food matters are discussed, such as genetically modified organisms and animal rights, as well as topics related to health, including serving sizes, nutrition, and exercise, in order to guide readers into making healthful and ethical choices. Appealing captioned color photos, charts, and sidebars provide additional information that supplements the main text. A "What's the Big Idea?" feature urges students to do a close reading and answer text-based questions, and a "Consider Your Audience" feature prompts them to adapt text and write a blog post.
VERDICT A well-rounded, engaging series.
These accessibly designed titles provide information about different aspects of food, from ethical consideration in production and growing to nutrition and safety. While their focus on Common Core standards encourages worthy skills such as comparing sources or finding textual evidence backing a point, few students will appreciate the built-in assignments (e.g., "write a short essay..."). Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Food Matters titles: Eating Ethically, Food Safety Basics, Gluten-Free and Other Special Diets, Nutrition Basics, Eating Organic, Genetically Modified Food, and Processed Foods.
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