Water

Mary Harris Veeder

The Designs in Science series attempts to link the world of science learning to the world around us. The first chapter in this volume, for example, is a standard discussion of water, but the facts are surrounded by full-color photographs and drawings, boxed insets, and questions that relate the material to the everyday or contain information readers are likely to remember. Experiments using readily available materials (plants, potatoes, jars, salt) are clearly presented. Sections on water storage, conservation, and filtering explain the geopolitical importance of these concepts. The book will appeal to browsers and to students looking for science projects, but it lacks a list of further readings. Overall, however, the volume presents a lively answer to the perennial question What's the point of learning anything in science? For other titles in the series see the Series Roundup in this issue.