The Space Race

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-These titles offer a great deal of useful and readable information. Both are extensively footnoted and well indexed, and provide good suggestions for further reading. Black-and-white photos, period prints, and drawings appear on most pages and boxed sidebars contain interesting quotations from source material. Aaseng outlines the competition between the Soviet Union and the United States, beginning with a brief look at the pioneering work of Robert Goddard and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Early developments in rocketry are traced up through World War II and the subsequent work on missiles, satellites, and manned flight is described and placed in the context of the Cold War. The author includes recently revealed information about the Soviet space program. There is little else for this age group that looks at the U.S. space program from this perspective. Yount races through 4000 years of medical practice and research, briefly describing Chinese and Indian traditions, then concentrating on the development of Western medical practice. There are descriptions of various plagues and of the scientific research that led ultimately to treatments and cures for those diseases. Modern developments such as organ transplants and gene therapy are addressed, but there is no discussion of "alternative" medicine or of the development of the nursing profession. Nonetheless, the information is presented clearly and is suitable for reports and for leisure reading. Brandon Miller's Just What the Doctor Ordered (Lerner, 1997) and David Ritchie and Fred Israel's Health and Medicine (Chelsea, 1994) fill in some of the gaps in Yount's presentation.-Elaine Fort Weischedel, Franklin Public Library, MA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.