The covers alone are enough to get little mouths watering, with up-close images of sprinkle-covered ice-cream cones, chocolate bars, and peanut-butter-smeared bread. Each title in the Start to Finish: Food series begins with a universal truth r instance, "Ice cream is yummy!" d then explains the production cycle for some of kids' favorite dishes. From Peanut to Peanut Butter begins with an image of endless rows of peanut plants; once the farmer uses a machine to dig up the peanuts, they're sent to a shelling factory, cooked, and mixed with vegetable oil and salt. With a few simple sentences on the left-hand side of the page and a bright, bold full-page photo on the right, these books are perfect for getting the younger elementary-age set thinking about where their food comes from.

These books are designed to give beginning readers information as to how ordinary products are produced. Each text is enhanced by color photographs that children will find helpful. However, the brief, simplistic style fails to yield depth of information. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Start to Finish titles: From Cane to Sugar, From Peanut to Peanut Butter, From Grass to Milk, and From Milk to Cheese.]

NELSON, Robin . From Peanut to Peanut Butter . ISBN 978-0-7613-9180-7 ; ISBN 978-1-580-13969-4 ; ISBN 978-0-4677-0111-2 . LC 2011036511. TAUS-BOLSTAD, Stacy . From Grass to Milk . ISBN 978-0-7613-9179-1 ; ISBN 978-0-7613-9179-1 ; ISBN 978-0-4677-0108-2 . LC 2011036405. TAUS-BOLSTAD, Stacy . From Milk to Ice Cream . ISBN 978-0-7613-9177-7 ; ISBN 978-1580139687 ; ISBN 978-0-4677-0110-5 . LC 2011036510. ea vol: 24p. (Start to Finish, Second Series: Food). photos. glossary. index. CIP. Lerner . Aug. 2012. PLB $23.93; pap. $6.95; ebook $17.95. K-Gr 3 Children learn about the steps in the food-production cycle in these colorful titles. Chocolate explains how cocoa beans grow and are harvested, roasted, and made into chocolate. Peanut Butter describes the processes involved in harvesting, shelling, cooking, and crushing peanut plants to make peanut butter. In Milk , readers learn about what cows eat and how they are milked, and then how the milk is pasteurized for safe drinking. Ice Cream explains that milk is made into a mix with added flavorings to become ice cream. Each book contains a table of contents with the steps listed in the food production. Each spread is clearly organized by the introduction of a specific step and then followed by short sentences to provide additional explanations. A color photograph on the opposite page offers visual clues. Vocabulary words are in bold and are defined in a glossary at the end of each book. A perfect way for youngsters to get their first glimpse at how familiar foods are produced for consumption. Janet Weber, Tigard Public Library, OR