Inventions

Gr 4-6 Originally published in England in 2004, these books marry vibrant photos and drawings to brief explanations of numerous broad topics and subtopics. Spreads include an introduction, fact boxes, and Web site suggestions. Entries are laid out on a background grid that has coordinates and include cross-references to the coordinates of other entries. The references are at times on a facing page or have a weak connection. The "Amazing Facts" running along the bottom of the pages usually lack closing punctuation and are easy to miss and difficult to read as they are set in black type on a dark background. "Discovering Science" discusses states of matter, elements, electricity, heat, sound, force and motion, time, and more. Actinium is missing from the periodic table. Ozone is "Oxone." The "Amazing Fact" that "Scientists recently discovered that they can make objects travel faster than light" is commonly understood to be impossible, including by the Web site to which readers are referred on the same page. Students won't find a discussion of the scientific method here either. In "Human Body", an adult kidney is compared to a "small boxing gloveabout 6 cm long." "Inventions" covers farming, the textile industry, medicine, communications, and so on. The information in these titles can sometimes be misleading."S. McClendon, Friends School of Atlanta, Decatur, GA" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.