Editorial Review

These guides develop skill sets that are easily transferable to schoolwork, home life, and future jobs. In Calendars and Clocks, digital takes a backseat to analog for a truly introductory lesson about units of time using a familiar clockface with three hands. The back-to-basics focus covers a great deal of terminology, and the individual authors are consistent in offering a rigorous level of detail. Nutrition Labels, for example, not only explains what protein, calcium, fat, and carbs are, but matches photos of common food sources and how the body uses them to best advantage. Scratch Computer Code will walk junior techies through step-by-step screenshots of sprites and blocks. Color-coded vocabulary in text matches glossary colors, and readers are quizzed at the end as a self-check for understanding. VERDICT Interdisciplinary and timeless enough to ensure a long shelf life. A fine addition to early nonfiction collections.