Diet and Nutrition

School Library Journal

ea. vol: 48p. charts. diags. illus. photogs. glossary. index. (Life Guides Series). Watts. 1987. PLB $10.90. Gr 5-8 Wide margins, large print, and colorful illustrations characterize these survey books. The writing is clear and concise. Technical words are printed in bold-face and defined in the glossaries. The illustrations for Diet and Nutrition are for the most part photographs of food groups. While the photos are attractive, individual foods are not labeled, and some will not be identified by young readers. The text inaccurately attributes protein content to butter . The appendix of Diet. . . includes a height and weight chart for boys and girls and a table showing fat, sugar, fiber , and salt content of foods. Diagrams show the influences of diet on some diseases. In First Aid , the watercolor illustrations explicate the text, showing the procedures well. However, in two illustrations, the drawings do not demonstrate what the text is advising: the rescued swimmer is shown without a warm covering, and the iron in the drawing of a victim of electrocution is not unplugged. In both books the margins are used for paragraphs in very small print which reiterate the main points of the text. Elise Wendel, Orchard Road School, Skillman, N.J.