My Apple ¦ My Boat ¦ My Cake ¦ My Jumper

The neat response that this series constitutes to the early science demands of the National Curriculum does nothing to spoil its enjoyability. Cheerful children explore the properties and capabilities of apples, toy boats and a woolly jersey, and father helps son make his birthday cake. The blend of concept and brilliantly clear and well-composed photographs (Fiona Pragoff, who nearly won a Kate Greenaway medal for this sort of thing) shows best of all in Boat, where in one short sequence, refraction, reflection, Newton's Third Law, Archimedes, balance, logic and racial equality can all be observed.

Two things distinguish this series - the absence of 'rubbing it in' learning pressure and the abundance of answers, in text and pictures, to the questions involved (other publishers please emulate). The activities shown are well within the range of the earliest attainment targets, so it's a pity that the parents' and teachers' notes at the back don't emphasise this, for everything looks, and is, very enjoyable and easy.