Rau, Dana Meachen. The Midwest.

Rau, Dana Meachen.  The Midwest.    Scholastic/ Childrens Press   48p  $20.00  978-0 531-24850-8  elem      Series: A True Book (Scholastic/Childrens)  VG-BNes           

This book provides a good introduction to research for the very young elementary student, with key words in bold face and definitions in the back, an index, chapter headings, fact boxes, a list of resources for further research and a list of places to visit.  The writing is easy to read and understand, and the graphics are attractive and helpful.  I found only one error: the definition of “fertile” in the “Important Words” section equates an adjective with a noun.  (Instead, it should say “fertile -- good for growing crops and plants”.)

The book begins with an easy question, and asks readers to look for the answer within the text, which is a good device for getting the children’s attention.                                             --Carol Kennedy

Rau, Dana Meachen. The Northeast.

Rau, Dana Meachen.      The Northeast.    Scholastic/ Childrens Press   48p   $25.20      978-0 531-24851-5       elem      Series: A True Book (Scholastic/Childrens)      Average                      

This book offers an introduction to the eleven states that make up the northeastern region of the United States.  The Northeast provides a brief introduction to life in the northeastern states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.  The 48-page volume glosses over many details for some states and provides none for others.  For example, Delaware is mentioned only once (on page seven), in a listing of the northeastern states.  In the timeline, which only goes through 1820, Giovanni da Verrazano is credited with exploring the northeastern coast of America for France in 1524, but no details of his exploration are provided in the text. The information under "Climate" is very general.  In the "Important Terms" section, "continental climate" is highlighted and given a definition, but "subtropical climate" is not.

Topics that the text describes include a history of the region from the settlement of Plymouth Colony through Hurricane Irene in 2011; animals, landforms and climate of the region; and some economic factors. Overall, the choice of what is included and what is not included appears to be random.  For example, on page 43, the "True Statistics" section names the major rivers of the region as the Connecticut, Hudson, and Delaware.  However, the sole map of the region (on page 6) shows rivers, but they are not labeled.  This could be confusing, particularly in Pennsylvania, which has several rivers (including the Susquehannah River, a major source of water for the Chesapeake Bay). 

Readers who enjoy collecting facts about a variety of topics may enjoy this book.  However, unless your collection doesn't have a more in-depth treatment of this topic, this book is a peripheral choice.  Each volume of the A True Book series invites readers to read the book to discover which of two statements on the first page is true and which is false.     

                                                      -- Hilary Welliver

Rau, Dana Meachen. The Southwest.

Rau, Dana Meachen.  The Southwest.  Scholastic/ Childrens Press  48p $28.00 978-0 531-24853-9        elem  Series: A True Book (Scholastic/Childrens) VG

This book offers an overview of the Southwest region of the United States, noting similarities as well as what is unique about each state: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma. Vibrant photos, quick facts and attractive layout will appeal to grades 2-5. This book would make the perfect accompaniment for students vacationing in the Southwest.  Because there is more difference than similarity in the four states, there is not much depth in the descriptions of the many attractions, varieties of wildlife and terrain, and economic activities of any individual state.  The history of the region is possibly the best portion of the book, since the Hispanic and Native-American influences are the biggest common denominator of this region.  The crisp, vibrant photographs will appeal to the casual browser as well as someone planning to travel to these states.  An index and glossary of bold-type words in the text complete the book.   

The series A True Book: U. S. Regions provides a look at the United States by region: its history, economic activities, wildlife and terrain.  Crisp, vibrant photographs and quick facts will appeal to young readers.  A glossary and index complete each book.                       --Lois McNicol

Rau, Dana Meachen. U.S. Landforms.

Rau, Dana Meachen.      U.S. Landforms.   Scholastic/ Childrens Press   48p $28.00    978-0 531-24854-6           elem      Series: A True Book (Scholastic/Childrens)  E-BNe          

This book is an introduction to the subject of land forms, using formations found in the United States as examples of the main kinds of formations, such as mountains, caves, and dunes, and land forms created by erosion via glaciers, water, wind and mineralization.  What makes this book really special, aside from the topic and content, are the bold, splashy illustrations, text font and color, and bullet points (illustrated by arrows). The book grabs the reader at the cover (with its arrow pointed at Arches National Park) and holds his/her attention throughout.  A couple of the arrowed points include information about Mount Sneffels, named after a mountain in the Jules Verne book Journey to the Center of the Earth (page 15) and aKauai Wailua Falls in Hawaii (page 34).  Words in bold face throughout the text are defined in the glossary at the back of the book.  All of the illustrations are well placed with the associated text.  The book concludes with true statistics, a list of resources (print and web), a glossary and an index.     The series, complete in 16 titles, addresses a variety of the different fields of study within the earth sciences.  Bold illustrations, informative text and related information make the titles in this series ones that any elementary-age student will grab off the shelf.          --Lynn Fisher

Rau, Dana Meachen. Freaking Out! The Science of the Teenage Brain.

Rau, Dana Meachen.  Freaking Out! The Science of the Teenage Brain.     Capstone Publishers, 2012.  64p.  $33.32  ISBN 978-0-7565-4486-7     ms/hs VG-BN      

     With minimal scientific jargon, this book explains how the brain matures, what regions regulate specific behaviors, and how thought and emotions are processed. Perfect for middle-school students who are interested in how and why they learn and behave the way they do. With colorful charts and excellent photographs depicting teenagers in realistic school and home situations, this book will catch the eye and be perfect for researching the workings of the brain. While the book does an excellent job of showing the major regions of the brain and explaining what each one controls, on page 24, 33 and 44, regions such as the corpus callosum, cortex, hippocampus and amygdala are not actually shown on a chart. Only by reading closely can these areas be placed in one of the seven regions shown in the diagram on page 6. Various experiments that can be done by students to show how the brain processes information will intrigue the reader. Besides the scientific processing of information in the brain, the book presents information on concussions, phobias, amnesia, and reasons why parents and children are sometimes at odds.

     This is the perfect place to start to understand how your brain functions.

     The series Everyday Science explains the science behind the brain, cars, food, and kinesiology with minimal scientific jargon, plenty of colorful charts and excellent photographs of teens in realistic situations. For grades 5-9.

Subject: Brain - Psychology  

Lois McNicol

 

Rau, Dana Meachen A Teen Guide to Creative Delightful Dinners

Rau, Dana Meachen  A Teen Guide to Creative Delightful Dinners         

Compass Point Books/Capstone      2011   64p     25.49  978-0-7565-4408-9           

ms/hs             Teen cookbooks   VG

Recipes along with nutritional information geared to pre-teens and

teens interested in cooking. Beginning with consumer and nutritional information,

this book then provides seventeen recipes that students can prepare. Each recipe

is colorfully illustrated (in it’s final form) and broken down into ╘food stuff╒,

╘kitchen gear╒, and ╘prep steps╒. Throughout the book there are added tidbits

about ingredient substitutions, vegetarian alternatives, the value of various

ingredients, and advanced preparations.  This set is complete in 4 titles and if

the other titles are of the same quality, would be a worthwhile but not

mandatory addition to any secondary or public libraries.           Fisher, Lynn

Rau, Dana Meachen. Mummies

Rau, Dana Meachen. Mummies      

Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark    2011   24p     22.79  978-0-7614-4869-3           

elem                Surprising Science (MC/Benchmark)         E-BNes           

This simple little book for elementary students gets to the heart of what is

interesting about mummies, from several different cultures.     This book is well

organized, informative, easy-to-read, and attractive, with many excellent

photographs.  New and important terms are bold-faced and explained in the

glossary at the end.  The index is good, and the list of websites for further

research includes The Museum of Natural History, NOVA, and the people behind the

King Tut exhibit.  An excellent introduction to the concept of mummies.          This

is part of the Surprising Science series.      Kennedy, Carol

Alternative Energy: Beyond Fossil Fuels.

Rau, Dana Meachen. Alternative Energy: Beyond Fossil Fuels.
Compass Point Books/Capstone 2010 64p 31.99 978-0-7565-4247-4 ms/hs
Green generation (Compass Point)

This book provides an overview of alternative energy sources, as well as other sustainable practices that will prolong the earth’s viability. This book does not take several very important points regarding energy into account . First of all, it states on page 9 that “at the rate we now use fossil fuels, scientists estimate that the world’s reserves will last 40 to 70 more years.”Objections to this statement -- (1) the rate at which the world is using fossil fuels is not constant, it is always increasing. (2) “scientists estimate” - which scientists? There is a lot of disagreement about how much fossil fuel remains in the earth. (3) there is no mention of the fact that once half of the fossil fuel has been removed from the earth, the other half that remains will be much more difficult to pump and to process, and at the same time, worldwide demand will be rising. In general, this book should be focusing more on the fact that the earth’s population is going to have to learn to live a different lifestyle, because we are in an age of declining fossil fuels. We are also going to destroy our climate if we don’t change our lifestyle pronto. No amount of alternative fuels will ever be able to substitute for the huge quantities of fossil fuels that we now burn every day. Kennedy, Carol

Ace Your Writing Assignment

Rau, Dana Meachen. Ace Your Writing Assignment.
Enslow 2009 48p 23.93 978-0-7660-3394-8 elem Ace It! Information Literacy

Meant for elementary students, this title shows how to complete a writing assignment in 5 steps. Meant for elementary students, this title shows how to complete a writing assignment in 5 steps. These include pre writing, drafting, revision, peer review, and publishing. Its very clear format compares a writing assignment to a building--make a blueprint, create a foundation, and build ideas.
There are great color photos and spreads that illustrate children thinking and adults building. Word web, sequence charts, use of thesaurus, and peer review are all aspects of writing that are mentioned in this fine title. Sources and glossary are found at the end.
Excellent for elementary collections. S.Gooden