Military Vehicles

Children's Literature

Speed. Not the drug, but the old-fashioned fast kind that has been a goal, a dream and a thrill since time immemorial. The "Speed" series—written by a woman, by the way—offers all the statistics and accomplishments and gleaming colors of the fastest machines on earth, sky or sea—cars, boats, trains, military vehicles, planes and motorcycles. Each book includes a very short glossary, an index, a few additional books or web sites and dozens of high-gloss photos of these fast machines poised for action or thundering at full speed. Military vehicles all have acronyms—HMMWV for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or DEUCE, for Deployable Universal Combat Earthmover. The Wolverine is an amazing tank that can install an 85-foot bridge in five minutes, and there is a complete set of photographs to prove it. The Hercules, true to its name, can upright the monster Abrams tank. No video game cartoons here—these are the real thing. The text is easy to read, full of quotable statistics and complemented by little boxes of "fast facts" about each tank or jeep. The entire series would be popular and well-thumbed in your classroom library. 2001, Blackbirch Press, $16.95. Ages 8 to 14. Reviewer: Karen Leggett