Boats

Children's Literature

Speed. Not the drug, but the old-fashioned fast kind that has been a goal, a dream and a thrill since time immemorial. The "Speed" series—written by a woman, by the way—offers all the statistics and accomplishments and gleaming colors of the fastest machines on earth, sky or sea—cars, boats, trains, military vehicles, planes and motorcycles. Each book includes a very short glossary, an index, a few additional books or web sites and dozens of high-gloss photos of these fast machines poised for action or thundering at full speed. The book about boats includes really unusual models—like the only submersible ever to reach the deepest part of the ocean; the dart-shaped Wave Piercer; the spooky military Sea Shadow; even the Yellow Pages Endeavour, a sail boat that averages 53.5 miles an hour and looks like a Yellow Pages ad. The text is easy to read, full of quotable statistics and complemented by little boxes of "fast facts" about each boat. The entire series would be popular and well-thumbed in your classroom library. 2001, Blackbirch Press, $16.95. Ages 8 to 14. Reviewer: Karen Leggett