Tanks

April 1, 2012

Gr 2-4-These tantalizing but skimpy titles describe the functions of selected war machines in jargon-free text ("A gunner can shoot at enemies from the top part of a Humvee."). Black-and-white and color contemporary and historical photos and action shots accompany general information and profiles of just three specific models or classes in each volume. Readers curious about how these machines were built or how they look inside will have to turn elsewhere; there are no schematic views, and the battleships and other large vehicles are presented from far away or from close, unrevealing angles.

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2012
Grades 2-4 Tanks! Big ones! Boom! Bang! Yarrrgh! These are the reactions most likely to be elicited by this gear-happy, detail-focused entry in the Built for Battle series. The vivid photos, some spread across two pages and others cut together in nifty montage, depict constant excitement from a variety of views: in the desert sun, seen through night-vision camera, close up, far away, and from the point of view of somebody inside. The short paragraphs blast through both history and tech details, shouting out in all-caps battle cries whenever a glossary word is introduced: The TURRET sits on top of the hull. Meanwhile, three sidebars introduce a Famous Tank would you know a Chieftain Mk 5 if you saw the 54-ton, 24.7-foot-long machine roaring down the road at 30 miles per hour? There's not a through line in sight here, but, as noted above this is more about the yarrrgh!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)