Grades 3-5. This volume from the Be Healthy! Get Fit! series, part of the Science Readers: A Closer Look collection, presents a broad—sometimes overly so—look at staying robust and active. Without a strong thesis statement, the chapters feel rather random, taking on brain signals, junk food, calories, heart rate, water consumption, and so on without much linkage between them. As a compendium of starting points, though, it’s pretty solid, giving the health-curious grade-schooler plenty to chew on (or stop chewing on, as the case may be). Greathouse’s tone is extremely conversational (“Well, the first step is to shut off the TV and turn off the computer”), and she litters her chapters with pronunciations of more challenging words (“dahy-uh-BEE-teez”). The layout is varied and friendly, with stock shots of demographically diverse kids hopping about and looking plenty happy. “Throw a Fitness Party”—an activity that comes off as more fun than you’d suspect—concludes this unfocused but potentially helpful title.
These titles offer basic information on food groups, being ready for emergencies, being safe and practicing healthy habits, exercising and being active, and healthy eating-all topics of great importance to our young students. First Lady Michelle Obama is featured in several of these books and encourages children to lead a healthy lifestyle. Each book in this informative set is colorfully illustrated with easy-to-read large font. Sidebar comments are informative and interesting to read. These books would make a useful addition to a classroom collection. Glossary. Table of Contents. Index. Sue N. Howard, Educational Reviewer, Memphis, Tennessee [Editor's Note: These titles are also available in classroom sets.] RECOMMENDED.
Gr 3-5-Eat Healthy! encourages a take-charge attitude toward dietary choices. The same tone is expressed in Get Moving, which covers aspects of fitness, emphasizing personal responsibility and increased activity. Each title includes information on the food pyramid, calories, food labels, and drinking water, though the an emphasis on bottled water is perplexing. The government's "Get Moving" and "My Pyramid" websites are introduced. Plans for a large-group activity and an addendum on celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in Eat Healthy! and Michelle Obama in Get Moving complete the titles. The colorful scrapbook-style layouts include full-page and spot photos, along with occasional charts, insets, and diagrams.-Carol S. Surges, McKinley Elementary School, Wauwatosa, WI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.