Helicopters

School Library Journal

ea. vol: diags. maps. photogs. reprods. glossary. index. (20th Century Weapons Series). Watts. Sept. 1985. PLB $10.90. Gr 4-8 Be prepared for excitement and arguing over who gets what next when these two titles are discovered. Both titles in this series are full of colorful diagrams, illustrations and photographs. Two-page spreads cover a wide variety of each kind of craft. Single paragraphs give concise information on various aspects of each topic. The emphasis in both titles is on present-day craft, with the history and development of each only in the last one-third of the book. This section is printed on colored paper and is loaded with facts and statistics such as distance, range and speed of the various crafts. These statistics are given in metric and standard measurements. Helicopters contains a minor error in two of the diagrams. Submarines discusses the various classes of the craft, but it does not explain why a class is given its particular name. Aside from these minor flaws, these are two exceptional titles that will be immensely popular. Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School Library, Kans.