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The text for each picture is concise and to the point - keeps things fast paced.
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The text is definitely written to an older child (I would say that a child would have to be in at least second grade before reading it on his or her own). Fortunately, there are enough snippets of information that an adult can tailor the words to fit the child as she or he reads aloud.
The photos, though, are what make this book so attractive. Each type of aircraft (to include experimental aircraft, Chinook helicopters, and future space-shuttle-like craft)has a two-page spread of photos in this oversized book. Most types feature at least three photos: one from the side, one from directly in front (the SR-71 Blackbird and the jumbo jet are particularly striking!) and one from the rear. Every type of aircraft has a photo taken while flying.
My young son is learning that jet planes don't have propellers and that rocket engines look different from jet engines. Of course, at first, he was more interested in the striking colors of the aircraft chosen for the photos, but this book allows him to grow. He has a while yet before he learns "it all", unlike some of the other airplane books for young children.
An enthusiastic thumbs up!
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Each picture is well captioned with interesting side notes. For example, the book points out the concrete truck's drum rotates both directions, one to mix the concrete (and prevent it from setting) and the other to pour the mixture out.
It's one of her favorites and she's memorized all of the names (listening to a 24 month old say "mobile home toter" is pretty funny). As she gets older, she'll have more appreciation for the footnotes.
I also appreciate how the book displays trucks from different locales. For example, we don't see any "Road Trains" or "Trial Trucks" in the 'States.
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I was especially impressed with the inclusion of the Jumbo Jet (photo of piggy-backed Space Shuttle was cool) and the Ice Breaker Ship.
I find the fold-out pages to be more an asset than hindrance. True, extra care is required to avoid bending them, but the extended page size they afford more than makes up for the inconvenience.
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The disappointing part of the book is the fact that no time is spent with the common people and the effects these events had upon them. For example, there was only a single paragraph in the entire book dedicated to William Wallace (the main character in BRAVEHEART). Stuff like this seemed to be glossed over for the sake of brevity. While effective in that respect, I think these omissions detract from the book as a whole. In addition, there were a few personages, institutions, and concepts that were never really explained very well (what is a Kirk?). This made the book a little troublesome to understand at some points.
All in all though, this is a good book for getting a general idea about Scotland's past. We see the progression from its formation to when the Union was formed between Scotland and England, as well as the last years of the Stewart kings in exile. Being published in 1972, we get no mention of the re-establishment of the Scottish parliament a couple of years ago. Still, I came out with the knowledge of Scottish history that I was looking for.
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