My First Book of How Things Are Made: Crayons, Jeans, Guitars, Peanut Butter, and More (Cartwheel Learning Bookshelf)
Grade 3-5-Basic, step-by-step information on eight subjects of interest to children: crayons, peanut butter, grape jelly, footballs, orange juice, blue jeans, guitars, and books. Each six- to eight-page chapter clearly enumerates the manufacturing process, from the raw ingredient through the design and actual production. The full-color photographs help make the processes more understandable. The language is simple and words that might be unfamiliar are defined in context. Jones's excitement about the making of these products is contagious, as is his appreciation of the craftsmanship involved, particularly in guitar- and book-making. David Macaulay's The Way Things Work (Houghton, 1988), Steve Parker's The Random House Book of How Things Work (1991), Neil Ardley's How Things Work (Reader's Digest, 1995), and Ian Graham's How Things Work (Facts on File, 1994) are more comprehensive, dealing with technology, simple machines, and chemistry. Jones's book is a nice composite presentation that will pique readers' curiosity and whet their appetites for more information.?Peg Glisson, Dewitt Road School, Webster, NYCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.