Basketball

Gr 4-7 Focusing on ideas such as inertia, friction, momentum, and reaction time, this series explains how best to use the equipment related to these sports. For example, Bazemore discusses how knowledge of Newtons laws can help a soccer player bend the balls trajectory, and Biskup explains how quarterbacks should stand and throw in order to make stable passes. Many of the titles also mention how arenas, stadiums, or playing surfaces affect the games. "Hockey" gives insight into new equipmenta heated skate blade. Dynamic, colorful photographs, often featuring well-known players, help explain the vocabulary. "Skateboarding" and "Soccer" provide the least amount of new information. However, "Soccer" provides an interesting paragraph on the rare flip throw, enhanced with thumbnail photographs. Even though the books sentence structure and appealing design make them appear suitable for younger readers, the concepts behind how the sport is played make prior knowledge of scientific principles necessary. Titles may help readers to understand how to improve their personal skills, but more likely these books will be used as background material for science reports or projects. Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.