From School Library Journal
Gr 5 Up-Skimming the surface of three areas, these volumes are too general to be of much value. After introductory chapters, four-to six-page sections touch on a variety of jobs, concluding with chapters on where to find more information. Government introduces occupations at federal, state, and local levels. There is a chapter on the postal service and one on the military. A chart listing personnel classification systems and pay grades is provided. Hurwitz refers to specific line items on the Standard Form 171 for federal job applications, but a copy of the form is not provided. Homemaking and Parenting is a bit more specific than the other titles and may be the most valuable of the three; it covers the challenges and rewards of the daily tasks of homemakers and parents. Trades introduces carpentry and construction, electrical trades, metalworking, automotive careers, and transportation and plumbing trades. Black-and-white and full-color photographs break up the texts, but many are of poor quality. The authors use short sentences that tend to be choppy and repetitive. The intended audience is difficult to determine; the books have little of the type of information students need for reports, and even reluctant readers will come away with little concrete information about a specific career. Most students will be better served by the standard Occupational Outlook Handbook (NTC, 1995) and similar sources.-Lois McCulley, Wichita Falls High School, TX
Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
