School Library Journalea. vol: 50p. diags. (How the World Works Series). CIP. Little. May 1986. PSS $11.95. Gr 3-5 Two nonfiction titles that offer thorough coverage and crisp, lively writing. In both books Cobb proves that what is taken for grantedrunning water and electricityought not be. She shows the involved path followed before either is at our fingertips, and she makes young readers aware of the need to conserve. In More Power to You! , Cobb discusses problems related to fuel needed for power plants and focuses on concerns which face future generations. Observations about the safety of nuclear power and man's ability to handle it properly do seem too confident in light of the recent accident at Chernobyl. In The Trip of a Drip the water cycle is described in detail. The problems of pollution lead to the need for purification, and the process is systematically explained. Line diagrams help elucidate the procedures. New vocabulary is introduced in context in both books, but neither volume has a glossary or an index. The scope of these two volumes is unique at this level and surpasses earlier works like Water for Your Community (Childrens, 1968; o.p.) by Edward and Ruth Radlauer and Discovering Electricity (Troll, 1982) by Rae Bains. As Cobb informs she challenges her audience to think beyond the basic details. This, combined with the experiments at the end of each book, makes readers active participants. Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School Media, Center, Montvale, N.J.
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