Weather

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-- Clear acetate sheets between the standard pages illustrate color or weather changes in these two books. Colors begins with the three primary colors, using the sheets to show first the outside, then the inside of a colored pencil, magic marker, and paintbrush. Then the strength of the format becomes apparent, as the acetate sheets facilitate secondary colors. Pink ice cream becomes orange sherbet; a blue frog takes on its proper green shade, etc. The changes are sophisticated and will require further explanation; moreover, the images on the sheets do not always line up with those on the pages. Weather works more like a book by John Goodall, with the plastic sheets advancing the story much as his half-pages do. A cold autumn day is followed by snow falling on the acetate page; it in turn transforms a fall landscape into a snowy one, complete with snowman. The story is rather slight, but it does convey weather's propensity for quick changes, and children will enjoy the gimmick. Both books will require adults to explain the principles to younger children, but those in the primary grades will acquire scientific information painlessly. --Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library