Winter. (Science Kids Seasons). Aaron Carr. New York, NY: AV˛ by Weigl (Distributed in Canada by Saunders Book Company), 2014. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $12.95 (pbk.), $23.99 (hc.). ISBN 978-1-62127-501-5 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-62127-499-7 (hc.). Grades 1-2 / Ages 6-7. Review by Georgette Nairn. ** /4
	Spring. (Science Kids Seasons). Aaron Carr. New York, NY: AV˛ by Weigl (Distributed in Canada by Saunders Book Company), 2014. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $12.95 (pbk.), $23.99 (hc.). ISBN 978-1-62127-499-5 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-62127-493-3 (hc.). Grades 1-2 / Ages 6-7. Review by Georgette Nairn. ** /4

excerpt:

Winter comes when the Earth faces away from the Sun. This means less heat from the Sun gets to the Earth. (From Winter.)

Most animals give birth in the spring. Newborn animals grow and learn through spring and summer. This helps them get ready for winter. Animals that hibernate through winter wake up in the spring. (From Spring.)

Winter and Spring, part of the “Science Kids Seasons” series, are nonfiction books geared towards grade 1 and 2 students. The language they are written in is simple enough for some students at the end of grade one or in grade two to read on their own. The books focus on changes that occur in nature during each season and cover a broad scope of facts. Each book has sections on how the season affects animal and plant life, as well as how the season is defined and its weather patterns. There is also a section on how each season impacts food production, providing an interesting connection to how the seasons impact humans. The content of this series matches the grade 1 science cluster on seasonal changes and is useful as a supporting text for classroom learning.

      There are several features of nonfiction text found in these books, including photographs, table of contents and key words. The series uses photographs, many of which span two full pages, with text boxes providing facts about the topic. Many of the photographs are supplied by Getty Images, and all are in full colour. The pictures often match with the corresponding text, though there were some pages where I wasn’t sure what the connection was. Readers are provided with a table of contents, which is helpful when teaching kids about features of nonfiction texts. The subject titles in the table of contents connect well with the information on each page. It would be nice if these headings also appeared on the corresponding page to help students find what they are looking for. At the back of each book are two lists of words, one for sight words and the other for content words. These are directed towards teachers and yet seem out of context for a book geared towards young readers. Given content words like hibernation and crops, it would be helpful to have a glossary for students to use instead.

      I was excited to see what the online “Added Value, Audio Visual” components were. Each book comes with its own code which is entered into the website. Users are then asked to give a specific word from a certain page of the book. I assumed that this second security measure was is place because the publisher, AV˛, had quality material to share with those who purchase the books. This was not the case. The audio feature is a combination of several sentences from different pages of the book strung together rather than the full text. It would be nice to have the option to have the complete book read to a student, especially given that the series is geared towards younger readers. The limited video selections come from YouTube and have minimal educational value. The videos could be considered cute, but given that this is a nonfiction series, there is little factual information. The activities for students include word searches, find the difference in the picture sheets and word scrambles but they do not deepen students’ understanding of the seasons. The grade level appropriateness of some of the activities is also questionable as some of the activities would be difficult for a grade one or two student to complete independently. I found the AV˛ Media online support materials disappointing and disconnected to the books.

      The “Science Kids Seasons” series feels like it is trying to be too many things: a classroom science resource, an early reader text, an online resource for teachers, and an interactive website for students. It is ambitious, but many of the extra features miss the mark, feeling haphazard and half done. I would recommend using this series as a set of books to supplement classroom learning about the seasons and disregard the online components.

Recommended with Reservations.

Georgette Nairn is a teacher at Harold Hatcher School in Winnipeg, MB.

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

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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