"Plants use wind to carry their seeds." These easy readers explore a single science topic in a basic but informative way, all the while encouraging new readers with repeated words and short sentences. The pleasant illustrations provide contextual clues. Additional facts about wind and snow are appended. [Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Snow and Wind.]

K-Gr 2-This beginning reader offers a simple introduction to an interesting topic. Bauer explains the general concept of how wind is produced and some of its tangible effects on our lives. For example, wind helps birds fly, carries plant seeds, and allows people to fly kites. It also moves clouds, makes waves, and can bend trees. "Wind can be scary. Or it can sing a gentle song." Wallace's watercolor artwork shows a young girl and her dog performing a variety of outdoor activities, the child's braids often flying in the breeze. The pictures help to clarify the text, which does a good job of introducing simple concepts and weather terms in an easy-reader format. Refer report writers to Arthur Dorros's Feel the Wind (1990) or Vicki Cobb's I Face the Wind (2003, both HarperCollins), both of which offer more thorough information for young readers.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.