Corn Belt Harvest

From The Critics

"Like the text, the author's color photos are not only commendably clear and informative, but they're also distinguished by careful composition and an understated but pervasive affection for the heartland's landscapes, machines, and people. Unusually handsome and useful."

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-- At first glance, this brief volume seems to be aimed at a very young audience because of its big, beautiful, full-color photographs splashed across every page and its large type. However, closer examination reveals that the text is actually pretty meaty, both in scope and presentation. Bial describes the cultivation, harvest, and uses of corn in complete, concise detail. His photographs are both graceful adornments to each page and full of important information, truly complementing the text in every way. The captions fill in many details, never repeating the text. However, he sometimes uses technical terms such as ``disk,'' ``herbicides,'' and ``auger'' without defining them, and there's no glossary for greenhorns. The book fills the gap between Aliki's Corn Is Maize (Crowell, 1976), for a much younger audience, and Anderson and Ancona's The American Family Farm (HBJ, 1989), which includes a segment about an Iowa grain farm and features black-and-white photographs. Bial writes in a smooth, precise manner, yet conveys his love for the region. Overall, this is a jewel of a book, well suited for reports. --Joyce Adams Burner, formerly at Spring Hill Middle School, KS