Harvest Time (Spyglass Books)

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 2-The heart of each of these books pairs eight pages of text (approximately 250 words) with eight captioned, color photographs. Average in quality, these pictures are more decorative than substantive. The information is extremely general, and the long sentences and decoding difficulty of several words may be too challenging for beginning readers. The glossaries each define four to six words, which appear in bold in the text; they are not necessarily the hardest words. In some cases, oversimplification could lead to misunderstanding. For example, the brief explanation that spring begins "[w]hen the north half of Earth starts to tip toward the sun-" is not prefaced with or followed by further explanation. An accompanying illustration does show Earth tilting precariously near the sun, but other facts are not linked to this one, and too many inferences must be drawn. The other titles also have simplifications that may cause problems. Activities are included in each title; the one in Watch It has easy-to-follow instructions for growing a seed but no time frame is indicated. The result could be soggy soil, rotten seeds, and disappointed young scientists. For very basic information on seasonal activities, these books are adequate, but they are weak resources for reports.-Carolyn Janssen, Children's Learning Center of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the Author Jennifer Waters is a Capstone Press author.