Gr 5—8—Energy briefly describes and illustrates a variety of forms of production. The author defines the force of the title as the ability to cause change or make something happen—a nonstandard definition for most students. He states that AC current has benefits over DC, but the differences are not clearly explained. In Pollution, many statements are generalized and lack factual backup, and a chart showing the pressure of overpopulation lists Buenos Aires as being in Brazil rather than in Argentina. The author avoids discussions of global warming, climate change, and carbon emissions, although acid rain is mentioned. Waste tackles the problems of toxic, nuclear, and hazardous wastes. Although re-use and repair are mentioned, they are not as thoroughly examined as recycling. Mentioning a tornado in a discussion of Picher, OK, a town severely polluted as a result of lead and zinc mining, makes it seem as though the storm was related to the pollution. A section in Water shows how much of the substance is used to produce common items such as soda cans and newspapers. While the effects of pollution are discussed, acid rain gets only one brief mention, in a photograph caption. In all the volumes, the many colorful illustrations often collide with the text, making for confusing presentations. No author credentials are given. Living Green (World Book, 2008) covers similar material and is more useful.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY
[Page 146]. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
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