Children looking for a simple explanation for Valentine's Day as the holiday approaches will find one in this small, square volume in the Rookie Read-About Holidays series. The illustrations are unexciting stock photographs or art reproductions. However, several are keyed to a Words You Know section at the back of the book that may provide some helpful prompts for new readers. An index is included, but it hardly seems necessary for a book this short.

K-Gr 2-Each of these small-format titles briefly notes the origins, customs and rituals, food, and symbols of the holiday. A colorful photograph or reproduction faces one to three lines of simple text. Neither book goes into any great detail on its subject. For example, while the author mentions the symbols of these special days, she does not explain their significance or origin. The first title states, "Halloween has many symbols. A black cat, a witch, and a ghost are Halloween symbols." In Valentine's, the origin of the celebration is considered in two lines, "No one is sure how Valentine's Day started. Some people believe the holiday honors a priest named Valentine." The repetitive words and phrases and visual clues in the illustrations will aid emerging readers. Three age-appropriate Internet sites are suggested in each book. These volumes would work best in classroom collections as beginning readers or introductions to the attributes of nonfiction books. Libraries looking for titles on holidays should look elsewhere.- Lynn Dye, Keheley Elementary School, Marietta, GA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.