Armored Personnel Carriers: The M113 (Edge Books: War Machines)

Michael Green is a Capstone Press author.

Grade 2-4–The purpose of this set is unclear. How many kids reading at this level want to know about all of the modifications made to various types of military vehicles and equipment, even older reluctant readers for whom the books are intended? The continuous string of model letters and numbers is confusing. The introductory chapters present brief scenarios in which U.S. troops are pinned down by enemy fire, and the vehicle or piece of equipment featured comes to the rescue and saves the day, very similar to the cavalry arriving just in time to save the settlers in old Western movies. Vocabulary is so limited that the content is not always clear, and information is repeated. The half- to three-quarter-page color photos are obviously posed, and the superimposed boldface captions are merely repetitions of the text. Each title contains a spread with six or seven parts of the vehicle labeled, in addition to the major specifications, such as date first deployed, length, width, height, engine, top speed, and range. Unless there is a need for reluctant reader material in your collection, and the subject matter fits, skip these formula books.–Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS
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