What Does It Do? Combine

Gr 1–2—These titles have problems. For example, Combine informs readers that row crops are picked. With the possible exception of corn and cotton, almost all other grains, especially grass grains, are cut or harvested. The job of the header, which has several components and tasks, is poorly explained. The reel, which is part of it, is not mentioned. It pushes the grain stalks into the cutter bar where the heads are cut off, and it falls onto the augur platform. The stalks are not gathered into bunches as the text states. The cutter bar cuts, not chops, the stalks. The text and captions are overly concerned with the combine staying within the nice neat rows of plants. The rows are of no consequence at harvest. The description of the threshing process is vague. Readers of Windmill who live near wind farms are likely to know that these huge structures are wind turbines, and no mention is made of how the electricity gets from the generator to the transmission line. Both books are of minimal use.—Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS