Plants as Food, Fuel, and Medicine

November 1, 2012

Gr 3-6-Covering a broad spectrum of topics, these bright and well-designed volumes are impressive both in terms of content and presentation. All the titles are logically organized, and the writing style is relaxed and lively. Clear color photographs and well-labeled diagrams appear on every page and complement the texts nicely. Colorful boxes offering additional interesting facts ("Ancient scholars, called alchemists, believed they could change metals into gold or produce other amazing results.") appear throughout the texts, and important words are highlighted in bold font and defined in the glossaries. All the books conclude with a "Show What You Know" quiz, which asks questions such as, "What characteristics are common for organisms in the Kingdom Plantae?" These titles will be useful for report writers and classroom instruction, but should attract their share of browsers as well.

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2012
Grades 3-5 Each of these new books in the My Science Library series gives a brief but richly detailed look at one broad scientific topic. Some of the volumes are simple and straightforward. Plants as Food, Fuel, and Medicine covers the exact topics advertised: unusual plant-based foods; fossil and nonfossil fuels; and medicinal plants, both traditional and modern. Most of the visuals are photographs, but useful diagrams and other illustrations appear as needed. The books have several features that make them valuable for classroom use as well as individual reading. For example, each book ends with three questions about its content. In addition, a teacher guide featuring more questions, activities, reading tips, and sight words is available(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)