Solar Power (Energy for Today)
Packaged in a small, square format, this title presents a surprising amount of information about solar power in brief sentences that are calibrated to newly confident readers’ abilities. The short chapters start with essential definitions of terms such as solar system before moving into topics such as renewable energy and greenhouse gases. The selection of well-chosen color photos, which are crisply reproduced on each page, is particularly strong in final chapters about solar technology, and the close-up images of a solar-powered car and tent will attract young browsers. Readers will likely need help with advanced concepts, for example, global warming, which is illustrated with a helpful diagram, but the language is direct, clear, and enlightening. A short glossary, resource list, and index close this strong title in the Energy for Today series. This will partner well with Helen Orme’s Energy for the Future, also reviewed in this issue, in elementary units on the environment. Grades 2-4. --Gillian Engberg--This text refers to theLibrary Bindingedition.