22 ~— Wednesday, May 24, 1989 - North Shore News

New kids’ books do more than amuse

DESPITE THE importance of exposing youngsters to educa-

tional materials

uring the-critical, formative years of their

fives, there has long been a great imbalance between the
‘number of informative books and the number of more
general, entertaining works available.

Happily, there seems to be a
growing awareness on the part of
many publishers of the increasing

-demand by concerned parents for
books that do more than simply
amuse kids.

This week we'll look at a ;
number of books written for
children, ranging in-level from
preschool to pre-teen. All are from
major publishing houses and
readily available throughout the
Lower Mainland.

Alphabet books are popular gift
items, but too seldom is any

thought given to how well a given
title serves its primary function:
teaching kids to recognize and
associate letters. :

A good example is the contrast
between A Caribou Alphabet by
Mary-Beth Owens and The.

- Wildlife ABC by Jan Thornhill.

Both are beautifully and engag-
ingly illustrated with bright, vibrant
colors, but, oddly enough, the
type of illustrations employed sets
these two books apart. -

_In The Wildlife ABC (Gréey de
Pencier/Owl/Key Porter; 29 pp.;
$16.95) there are far too many, .
potentially confusing images
crammed into each fetter’s pic-
ture...

The comment by one mother
polled was that by the time her
child could differentiate between

‘the target object and others in the
same illustration, the need for an
alphabet beok would be long past.

A Caribou Alphabet, on the
other hand, was lauded for its
clarity and simplicity which would
make letter/image associations
quite easy. A Caribou Alphabet
(Firefly; 30 pp.; $14,95), rated in
the top 10 children’s books by
Parents’ Magazine, is clearly the

title to look for.
’ How do you keep kids construc-
tively occupied? Two books from
Greey de Pencier/Owl/Key Porter
Books do rate high marks in this
category.

My Summer Book (64 p

$14.95; ages seven-plus) i ae a ’ super. :

Activity Scrapbook from the
editors of Owl Magazine, and it’s
full of jokes, puzzles, games and
how-to projects, running from

Do you know me?

I'm Willem Kruithof. | started
this restaurant because | love
good food. | love people who
appreciate it and | love bring-
ing them both together.

Come in sometime. We can have a
wondertul time together ,

-FISH & GAME HOUSE

P.S. Romantic piano nightly
195 W. Broadway 876-9256

flower and leaf pressing to making
a water clock.

Outdoor Fun (32 pp.; $7.95;
ages eight-plus) offers directions
on kite construction, juggling,
stargazing and games, including
traditional Inuit play. Both books

MIKE
STEELE

book review

‘do a commendable job of com-

bining learning and fun.

One last recommendation be-
fore leaving the leisure-time cate-
gory is Painting Faces by Suzanne
Haldane (E.P. Dutton/Fitzhenry &
Whiteside; 32 pp.; $18.95 in
hardcover). Parents looking for in-
spiration will probably find it in
this slim volume that offers full- .
color designs taken from tradi-
tional Japanese, Chinese, Mexican
and Native North American face-
painting.

My only quibble with this book
is its lack of information on mate-

’ tials to be employed, and dearth
of safety tips.

There are several excellent,
‘science-relatad works now avail-
able for youngsters aged 10 and
up. The six following titles are
among the best this reviewer has
seen in recent years.

The Young Geographer !n-
vestigates series from Oxford Uni-
versity Press has just added three
new volumes: Oceans and Seas,

_ Grasslands and Islands.

Targeted for children 10 years of
age or older, ail three books com-
bine colorful illustrations, full text
and how-to sections related to the
topic discussed. This latter point is
a great one from both the stand-
point of interest maintenance and
absorption of the material ex-
plained.

Each of these hardcover books i is
48 pages in length and sells for
$12.50. Nine earlier titles, cover-
ing subjects such as rivers, deserts,
volcanoes and earthquakes, are
also highly recommended.

Author Terence Dickinson has
produced two exceptional guides
for youngsters: Exploring The
Night Sky (winner of the New

* York Academy of Sciences

Children’s Science Book Award)
and Exploring The Sky By Day.
Exploring The Night Sky is a
fascinating beginner's guide for
young astronomers that takes the
readeys on a voyage through -
space. With earth as the ‘base’,
this literary exploration transports
kids progressively farther afield
until the wonders of the universe

some 300,000,000 light years away .

are reached.

Crammed with simple but accu-
rate details pertaining to moons,
the planets, quasars and black
holes, Exploring The Night Sky
(Camden/Firefly; 72 pp.; $9.95 in
paperback, $15.95 in hardcover)
intrigued this reviewer as much as
it doubtless will young readers
with inquiring minds.

Dickinson's Exploring the Sky
By Day (Camden/Firefly; 72 pp.;
$9.95 in paperback, $15.95 in
hardcover) is every bit as compell-
ing as its nocturnal counterpart.

From weather forecasting to ex-
planations of such phenomena as
tornadoes, snow, seasona!
changes, sun dogs and a wealth of
other topics, Exploring The Sky By
Day will give kids an appreciation
and understanding of the sky and
ch matology.

WERE
MOVING!

Steinway, Bésendorfer,
Petrof and Yamaha

EVERY ACOUSTIC PIANO,
DIGITAL PIANO, ELECTRONIC
KEYBOARD AND

all music books. stands,
benches, metronomes &
accessories must go!
SALE ON NOW TILL JUNE 2474, 1989,

Downtown Vancouver 952 Granville St. 685-8471

In Voyagers From Space, author
Patricia Lauber tackles the subject
of meteors and meteorites with an
emphasis on how these extra-ier-
restrial visitors have affected not
only our own planet but our moon
and other components of our solar
system.

Lauber’s explanations in
Voyagers From Space (Crowell/
Harper & Row; 74 op.; $14.95 in
hardcover; ages 10-pius) are clear-
ly written and accompanied by a
great many photographs, diagrams
and illustrations.

DRUNKEN
LOBSTER

Returns to Vina this May.

Reserve your table
now at 926-6008

2508 Marine Dr. West Vemcouver
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