CM Magazine: Wings, Wheels and Sails

________________ CM . . . . Volume I Number 15 . . . . September 22, 1995

Wings, Wheels and Sails
Bobbie Kalman.
Toronto: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1995.
32pp, paper, $7.95 / library bound, $20.95.
ISBN 0-86505-608-0 (library bound).
ISBN 0-86505-708-7 (paper).
CIP

Subject Headings:
Transportation-Juvenile literature.
Vehicles-Juvenile literature.

Kindergarten - grade 6 / Ages 5 - 11.
Review by Brenda Partridge

Transportation is the theme for this entry in Bobbie Kalman's "Crabapple" series of non-fiction books for children. Using a format identical to that of Butterflies and Moths, (also reviewed in this issue), Kalman is equally successful in Wings, Wheels and Sails.

When children are searching for information, they need facts that are easy to locate and simple to understand. Here there are clear examples of water, air, and land transportation with photographs, charts, and terminology that will attract and hold a child's interest. On a sailboat, did you know that the kitchen is called the galley and the toilet is the head? Or did you know that a maglev train does not have wheels? Historical facts about the first means of each kind of transportation are presented with illustrations and photographs.

Once again Kalman's visual presentation is so strong that the books could be thoroughly enjoyed by non-readers as well as older students. Great detail is given to page setup, colour balance, and visual appeal. Each page number is encased in a miniature hot air balloon and each photograph (over thirty-five in all) has a coloured frame. Photos often show children being transported and sketches depict only the detail necessary to accompany the written text. I will have several copies of this book in our school's Information Centre.

Highly recommended.

Brenda Partridge is a Library-Resource teacher at Percy Centennial Public School in Warkworth, Ontario.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - September 22, 1995.