The Fantastic Book of Horses (The Inside Outside Book of) - Hardcover

Grade 4-6. Two more entries from England, chockablock with photographs, illustrations, and sound bytes of information, giving a "fantastic" dollop of allure through foldout sections that will either be torn or squashed into accordion shapes in a trice. In true form for the subjects, everyone identifiable in Car Racing is male, and everyone in Horses (except the farrier, two vets, and a couple of riders in tiny photos that seem to have slipped in by mistake) is female. Some sloppy editing is also in evidence, e.g., in a mix-up of the illustrations of racing slicks and wet-track tires, and in naming Hyracotherium as the first ancestor of the horse. Some possibly unfamiliar terms don't make it to the glossaries, either. Still, the indexes do make most of the information readily available, and as a whole, the books are bright enough to entice reluctant readers into at least looking at the pictures, though they would probably rather be mucking out a stable or watching NASCAR on ESPN.?Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.