cover image Where Does the Moon Go?

Where Does the Moon Go?

Sidney Rosen. Carolrhoda Books, $19.95 (40pp) ISBN 978-0-87614-685-9

These perky picture books--early elementary entries in the science trade field--feature a series of questions and answers posed around unifying themes. In each case the language is irritatingly colloquial and the anecdotal format, though clearly grounded in scientific fact, is diminished by an unflaggingly upbeat tone: ``The star that shines every day and makes life possible here on Earth--the Sun!'' The somewhat jumbled design of the series also contributes to this off-balance combination of fact and scientific cheerleading, as it features an incongruous assortment of soft-lined cartoons with fluid color-washed paintings and NASA photographs (sometimes one atop the other). In addition, the numerous sidebars sprinkled throughout the text--which contain concise information written in a more expository style--add to the confused mix. Readers seeking better focused introductions should select titles in HarperCollins's reliable Let's Read and Find Out series. Ages 4-8. (July)