Conquering the Sky

Gr 3–6—These brief introductions offer just enough information to pique young learners' interest. Conquering the Sky, Cracking Codes, and Industrial Revolution discuss respective innovations, while da Vinci is more of a biography that touches on the man's inventions and creations. Each topic within a title is covered on a busy DK-like spread. The language is appropriate for the intended audience, but the numerous illustrations and reproductions crowd the text. Conquering the Sky and Industrial Revolution have handy time lines that run along the bottom of the pages. Codes has by far the most challenging information to digest. Da Vinci has directions for sending a secret mirror message as well as an appended activity asking readers to think about what the world will be like 400 years from now. Books on da Vinci are easy enough to find for this audience. Titles on the other topics are less so. These are accessible editions, especially for beginning researchers.—Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI