The Periodic Table: Elements with Style!
(Basher Science)

Gr 4-6. Dingle introduces one element per spread. One page features a cartoon drawing of its anthropomorphic character and the other presents a simple introduction to its "personality." However, the premise of the book can be misleading. While the book is about the periodic table, fewer than half of the elements are actually discussed in the text. The information is presented in a chatty and conversational tone. For example, Hydrogen says, "I may be undersized, but don't underestimate me. I'm a petite package that packs a punch, and I have a fiery character to boot. Always remember that I'm numero uno!" Basic information, such as the element's symbol, color, standard state, classification, density, and melting and boiling points, is included, but there's no explanation of what atomic number, atomic weight, etc., actually mean. While this book provides a brief introduction to some of the elements, students requiring more comprehensive information would be better served by Ron Miller's "The Elements" (21st Century Bks., 2005) or "The Elements" series (Benchmark)."Maren Ostergard, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA" Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.