Why We Need Carbohydrates Why We Need Vitamins Why We Need Water and Fiber

Gr 4—6—Theses books provide answers to why we need the featured nutrients, but often in a way that prompts more questions. For example, Vitamins recommends eating a riboflavin-rich breakfast before an exam without showing what kinds of foods would make such a meal, and Water gives constipation as a possible cause of acne without further explanation. Competing with the text are "Body Talk" and "Did you know?" sections that supply extra facts, recipes, or an activity, such as "Try this…" in Carbohydrates, where a balloon is attached to a bottle of active yeast to show how a bread loaf gets its airy texture. Floating quotes without attributions appear in colorful bubbles. Though all three books give tips on how to read a nutrition label and have final pages dedicated to a chart full of detailed statistics, the disjointed presentation of information, along with the inclusion of the now-obsolete food pyramid, makes these titles marginal purchases.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library