Grolier Student Encyclopedia

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-Due to the brevity of the articles, this set is most suitable for browsing. In addition, simplified generalizations can result in an incomplete or misleading picture. For example, in a discussion of the people of the Caribbean the text states, "The original Indian inhabitants of the islands died out soon after the arrival of European settlers." No further explanation is given as to why or how this tragedy occurred. Prominent see-also references and a set index at the back of each book seem helpful at first glance, but may bewilder and frustrate inexperienced encyclopedia users. Youngsters interested in monkeys will have to use the index, which refers them to three different volumes. If they persevere, they will be rewarded with a few pages under "Primates." Under lightning, the index leads students to nothing more than a captioned etching of Ben Franklin and his famous kite under the subject heading "Science." The slim volumes include colorful photographs, reproductions, time lines, maps, and sidebars. Boxed facts and figures, fun details, and mini-biographies of key individuals will appeal to browsers. Though the volumes are numbered and show a letter range on the spine, the divisions may confuse. While volume one covers "AB-AN," volume two spans "AN-BA," making it difficult to decide which book contains "animal" without checking the covers. The World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia (World Book, 2003) is a better choice for students as it employs simpler language, larger type, and more listings, including popular holidays.-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.