Big machines build!

The Big Machine series goes whole hog to earn its name. While other volumes take on machines that fly, float, or drive, this title tackles that kiddie favorite the builders. Each spread is devoted to one construction icon and given a snazzy title: Punch Power looks at hydraulic hammers, Flying High looks at cranes, and so on. The pictures, several of which span both pages, are glossy and crisp you can almost smell the oil. One or two sentences describe the machine in question (Heavy road rollers are used to repair roads and paths), while a yellow oval supplies an additional mind-blower (The digger is so heavy that when it is driven over roads, the roads are destroyed). Most amusing is the meter at the top of each page with an arrow determining if a machine is merely Big, satisfactorily Super, or all-out Mighty. What does this mean exactly? A closing spread supplying exact stats of two of the machines will give readers at least a starting point toward that answer.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist

K-Gr 2-Big is a rather relative term in these sketchy introductions to large vehicles. Each two-page entry carries a small logo rating the machine's size as big, super, or mighty, but there's no explanation of what these terms actually mean. When does big become super? Small bits of information about each vehicle and the two accompanying photographs vary widely in clarity and specifics. The truncated or partial views and picturing of vehicles with no background for context are ineffective, as readers won't get much sense of what some of these vehicles look like or how they operate. This is a subject with a lot of child-appeal, the six categories are well chosen, and many of the vehicles are intriguing. However, the cluttered pages and skimpy information and images do the readers and the subject a disservice. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.