How Books Are Made

School Library Journal

Gr 2-3-Raatma's attempt to simplify the complex process of book production has failed. While written for beginning readers, the concepts are beyond that audience. Sentences such as "The scanner electronically converts the pictures into images that can later be called up on the designer's computer" may confuse children since the author does not explain what "scanners" or "images" are. The text is dry with little to hold children's attention. Many of the full-color photographs are blurry and all of the books shown in the photographs are Grolier products. The editor sports the same two outfits throughout the book, giving the impression that the process takes only a few days. One redeeming quality of this title is the emphasis on the use of computers in modern-day production. Nevertheless, there are several superior titles on the subject, among them Aliki's How a Book Is Made (Crowell, 1986) and Carol Greene's How a Book Is Made (Children's Press, 1988; o.p.). Forget this title.-Esther C. Ball, Carver Elementary School, Newport News, VA