As with other books by Bobbie Kalman, The Earth from A to Z is organized in a visually attractive format with text complemented by colourful, captioned illustrations, maps, diagrams and photographs. Although the topic of the book is one commonly investigated by children, the selected entries appear to be aligned to a variety of different areas of study of earth science. Because of the miscellaneous nature of the alphabetized entries, the content of the book seems haphazard, and the subject matter ranges from early to middle years students. This feature may result in a limited appeal of this title in the series, usually within a research context. Students and teachers will find The Earth from A to Z a useful resource to assist in defining and understanding terms related science and geography.

Recommended.

      As with other books by Bobbie Kalman, School from A to Z is organized in a visually attractive format with text complemented by colourful illustrations and photographs. The subject of the book is one of interest to children, particularly to children new to school. The alphabetical format of the entries is appealing to young readers although some of the entries, such as D for different, K for kind, and Z for zany, are not school related terms in themselves. The clearly formatted text is written in easy-to-read sentences that include familiar vocabulary for young children. The entries and pictures would be useful to assist language development for English as a Second Language students. The list of "Words to Know" is a random list of entries. Some of the words in bold font found in captions, such as "compromise" and "zither" (found on the P for projects page), are included whereas others, such as "ancestors," are not. Young children will find School from A to Z a colourful, well-organized book to familiarize themselves with various aspects of school. Parents and teachers introducing students to the components of school will also find this a useful resource but should be aware that the textual content may lack accuracy in definition and may contain a personal perspective.

Recommended with Reservations.

      As with other books by Bobbie Kalman, What is a Community?: From A to Z is organized in a visually attractive format with text complemented by colourful illustrations, diagrams and photographs. The topic of the book is one commonly investigated by children, particularly in the area of social studies. Most of the entries are closely aligned to the study of community. The range of entries dictated by the alphabetical format results in topics that cover content both in early and middle years' programs. This feature may result the use of this book within a research context, particularly since the size of text and the vocabulary is not designed for younger readers. Students and teachers will find What is a Community?: From A to Z a useful resource to assist in defining and understanding terms related to the study of the community.

Recommended.

The Computer from A to Z.

The Computer from A to Z is an alphabetical collection of miscellaneous terms associated with the computer. Each entry contains a definition and an explanation of the term using illustrative examples. Pictures provide visual examples to accompany the text. Some pictures depict a screen from the computer, such as the one used to accompany the entry, "menu." Others include labeled diagrams to explain the entry such as those included for the entry, "hardware." Text boxes may include warnings or interactive activities, and captioned photographs may pose questions for reflection and discussion. The book includes a glossary that lists some common "Words to Know" and an index.

      As with other books by Bobbie Kalman, The Computer from A to Z is organized in a visually attractive format with text complemented by colourful illustrations, diagrams and photographs. The subject of the book is one of interest to readers of all ages. The alphabetical format of the entries is appealing and makes this resource user-friendly when searching for a particular feature of computer usage. The clearly formatted text is written in easy-to-read sentences and gives simple, clear definitions for each term. The entries and pictures would be useful to assist language development for English as a Second Language students. The Computer from A to Z is a useful addition to any personal or library collection to acquaint users with the technological features of the computer.

Highly Recommended.