What Happens When Fire Burns?

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3These three titles attempt to introduce science topics to a young audience, but it's unlikely that they'll prove useful. Fire may disturb some children as it presents various ways fires start, e.g., car crashes, gas pipe explosions, and earthquakes, rather than emphasizing the element's more positive contributions to civilization. Food focuses on how the cooking process changes raw ingredients. Volcano is comparable to any of several titles that are likely to be found in most collections. The full-color photographs in each book are interesting but lack impact, possibly because of the small format. In Food there is a puzzling mismatch-a discussion of fruit preserves is accompanied by a photo showing jars filled with tomatoes and cucumbers. The glossaries provide clear definitions of key words. The indexes, however, aren't much use, considering the brevity and simplicity of the texts.Melissa Gross, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA