Information Books for Children

Keith Barker

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9780429851056
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Sciences sociales
• Subtopic: Sociologie

First published in 1992, this book will be an invaluable help to librarians, teachers and parents looking for quality information books for children. Four Hundred and Seventy titles have been selected by an experienced team of reviewers for young people between the ages 3 and 16. Written by teachers and librarians, each review includes full bibliographical details, a succinct assessment of the book and an indication of reader age range. The subjects covered take into account the requirements of the National Curriculum. All areas of knowledge are covered, but no attempt was made to find recommended titles in all subjects – the quality of the book with a specific topic, author or title in mind, detailed subject and author/title indexes are supplied.

Dictionaries

Writers of dictionaries for young people have often resorted to gimmickry in the past to try to interest children in a seemingly dull subject. Fortunately the newer breed of dictionary makers are more concerned with clarity than with trickery.

BELLAMY, John

Kingfisher Illustrated Thesaurus

Kingfisher, 1987, Hdbk, 0-86272-244-6
Black and white line drawings

Over six thousand words' is the official claim, and there is a good variety of words, all examined from the perspective of young people ('alien' has the usual meaning of foreigner associated with it, but also a Martian figure in a good line drawing). There is at least one illustration on every double page, and some have four.

The entries provide the synonyms of course, but also the antonyms. But this is not merely a thesaurus; it is also a speller: homonyms are therefore provided in small capitals at the end of each entry.

So: 'raze', for example, is associated with the synonym 'destruction' in ordinary type, followed by the antonyms 'restore', 'rebuild' in bold italics, followed by the homonym 'raise' in ordinary capitals. That homonym can of course be looked up in the usual alphabetical order.

Excellent. However, I have one difficulty with thesauri for young children: it is difficult enough to explain to them the differences of nuance between similar words (say, 'instruct', 'train', and 'drill') without thesauri coming along and suggesting that they mean roughly the same. And of course, it is far better to learn it right the first time round; far more difficult to unlearn something and then relearn it aright.

So what I think is needed for children (publishers please note) is not thesauri but a 'word-book' which not only lists synonyms, antonyms and homonyms, but also explains the distinctions between the synonyms.

At the very least, the introduction to a thesaurus ought to alert children to such differences of nuance. And should it not explain what a thesaurus is?

PSG

Age range: 8-12

GOLDSMITH, Evelyn and DANN, Penny

Collins First Dictionary

Collins, 1989, Pbk, 0-00-190055-2
Colour line drawings

This dictionary defines 'dictionary' as a book which tells you what words mean and helps you to check the spelling. It is intended for use by children from seven up, and imaginatively contains words they use, are coming to use, or might be expected to meet in reading and talking. Some 2700 words are cited, many of them with examples in the form of full sentences giving usage. Definitions and usages are both targeted well within the lexicon of young readers: 'fury: if you are in a fury you are very angry'; 'stranger: a person you do not know or have never met before'. Conceptual and social experience are also borne in mind in choice and definitions of terms like 'diary', 'stamp', 'love', and 'jealous'. Many words have several meanings, and these are disentangled clearly: 'raise', 'low', 'mind', 'drop'. Comparative and superlative forms are given where needed, as are simple guides to pronouncing difficult words (no phonetic cryptograms!). Background information is provided for words like 'dig', 'windmill', or 'tiger', and going round in circles with one definition defining another is carefully guarded against. The format is tough, and the text decorated by a profusion of witty, helpful line drawings by Penny Dann.

SH

Age range: 7-10

GRISEWOOD, John

Kingfisher Illustrated Dictionary

Kingfisher, 1989, Hdbk, 0-86272-386-8
Colour line drawings

This is a revised, re-illustrated and reformatted version of the Kingfisher Pocket Dictionary first published in 1984. There are 8000 words in it, words which young readers are likely to need, use, find, say and spell. Grisewood is head of the reference division at Kingfisher Books. Care has been taken not to make nouns incestuous ('exhaustive' is thorough and complete, but thorough and complete are defined using other words and concepts). Related terms are provided: analysis to analyse, madden to mad, recession to recede. Parts of speech are indicated, plurals given, past tenses sometimes placed in sequence, differences to emphasis and meaning shown (increase as noun and verb). The many meanings of terms like 'deep' and 'nick' and 'port' are given, and usage suggested (e.g. 'promote', 'indigenous') in full sentences which often gloss the meaning too. Few colloquial, naughty, or dialect words appear, and some newcomers (like 'greenbelt') are well established. Colour coding helps locate letters. Pictures can be very useful for terms like 'joint', 'ear', and 'pulley', giving extra information in the style of an encyclopaedia. Different typefaces are used to discriminate between parts of speech. A practical and cost-conscious addition to a school/library or personal collection.

SH

Age range: 9-13

LANE, Dianne and PEEL, Elizabeth

Collins Picture Dictionary

Collins, 1989, Hdbk, 0-00-190054-4
Index, colour line drawings and photographs

Arranged by topic are over a thousand words, with fascinating colour illustrations to feast the eye on. The list of included words, at the end of the book, provides a gentle introduction to indexes as well as to dictionaries proper. However, some of the explanations are more difficult than the word whose meaning a child might seek. For example, bones 'are the hard parts you can feel inside your body'. So far, so good. Then comes the problem sentence. Bones 'are joined together to make your skeleton'. This is inaccurate in the context of the previous sentence and is it likely that a child will not know what a bone is if he/she does not know what a skeleton is: there is no explanation of this word in the book! Such odd oversights apart, this is a book which many children will enjoy looking through, so it will provide a welcome introduction to the intriguing world of words.

PMR

Age range: 5-8

Pure Sciences

This is possibly the area which requires the most skilled information book writer, the expert who is fully versed in scientific knowledge and who has to impart that knowledge in a way which will be fully understood by a novice.

ALLISON, Linda and KATZ, David

Thinking Science

CUP, 1987, Hdbk, 0-521-34267-8
Series: 'Off Beat' Books
Contents list, black and white line drawings

Though this edition has English spellings, it has not lost its original American flavour. This off-beat book is not a conventional science book: indeed, it sets out to show in a most unconventional way that the correct approach to science needs intellectual curiosity, well designed experiments, and untrammelled imagination - for things are not always as they seem. (The book is dedicated to Gallileo!)

With the help of comic cartoons, featuring Dr Bumble, the Great Wizard ('Gee Wiz' for short) and the know-it-all kid (Smart Art), various fun activities are suggested - experiments to carry out, toys to make and tricks to try out. These, it is hoped, will stimulate interest in science: children, perhaps with occasional promptings from an adult, should find them of educational value. (Answers are, in fact, given to most of the puzzle questions in the book!)

Teachers will enjoy dipping into this book where they will find interesting (memorable) analogies to enliven their teaching patter.

WFW

Age range: 7-13

CRAIG, Annabel and ROSNEY, Cliff

The Usborne Science Encyclopedia

Usbome, 1988, Hdbk, 0-7460-0192-4

Contents list, glossary, index, and charts and tables, colour line drawings

This colourful well illustrated encyclopedia is arranged thematically, but the alphabetical glossary and index, and the many charts and lists, make it an easy-to-use reference book for young children. It is most informative, although there is only a very short paragraph of text for each illustration. The hundreds of drawings (both realistic and cartoon illustrations) are sure to appeal, for they show that science is linked to everyday life - and can be fun.

WFW

Age range: 8-13

History of Science

CLARKE, Brenda

Women and Science

Way land, 1989, Hdbk, 1-85210-390-6
Series: Women in History

Bibliography, contents list, glossary, index, black and white photographs

'We know of few female scientists today because only recently did anyone think of looking for them'. Clarke's study of women's involvement in science through the ages helps set the record straight without strident feminism. The women she describes had battles to be taken seriously. There was Mary Somerville who taught herself because there was no formal education for women. Medicine finally admitted women like Elizabeth Garrett in this century, while women's contribution to science was still being underplayed in the 1960s in the Watson/ Crick DNA affair. These are not merely inspiring examples...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Notes on contributors
• BOOKS AND LIBRARIES
• DICTIONARIES
• BIOGRAPHY
• FLAGS
• Bibliography
• Author and photographer profiles
• Author index
• Subject index
• Title index