A Plastic Bottle's Journey

April 1, 2011

Gr 1-3-Young readers deserve more respect than they are shown in these unimpressive titles. The books feature a story-how a boy's classmates contract his cold or keep it at bay, for example (Germs)-or a factual description of a process, followed by a story, as in Dollar, which describes how money is "born" and then relates a tale about a cash birthday gift. The main narratives are accompanied by short sidebars that discuss related science. Often the information is simplified to a fault, leaving out necessary explanations. Inanimate objects, such as a raindrop and germs, say silly things in speech bubbles that attempt to entertain, but will probably just confuse. The mixed-media illustrations are fun to look at and represent a diversity of people, but the addition of facial features to dollar bills and water bottles is unappealing.

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