Elements

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8Designed to link the study of chemistry to familiaror at least commonly encounteredsubstances, devices, and processes, this heavily illustrated set provides background support for science projects and reports at several levels of expertise. Thirty-six elements are considered, one (or a small related group) per volume; at least four sizes of type are used to signal level of detail. Knapp discusses each element's discovery, forms, extraction, industrial uses, and unique character. In a one-topic-per-spread format, text blocks surround several large, clear, full-color photos or, more rarely, schematics; experimental procedures are not specifically described, but chemical equations are always expressed both in words and symbols, or sometimes visually with ball-and-stick graphics. Special terms are defined on the spread in which they appear, as well as at the back. Each volume concludes with a basic fact spread, the complete periodic table, a guide to understanding equations, and a series index. As the author assumes a basic knowledge of atomic structure and reactions, complete beginners may flounder a bit. However, this resource will strengthen both school labs and library collections well endowed enough to own a multivolume science encyclopedia to compensate for this set's limited scope.John Peters, New York Public Library