Keeping Clean; Writing it Down

This is an excellent series, particularly for those children who were not turned on by the last talk from the dentist, the comments about neat handwriting or the hints about junk food. The two earlier titles were Feeding Yourself and Getting Dressed. The books combine good advice, amusing anecdotes and brief historical resumes without seeming contrived or over-zealous.

Unlike many information books the text maintains a distinctive style which successfully unites captions, speech bubbles, descriptions, explanations, and instructions for practical activities. Cartoon-style illustrations are used throughout and are well suited to Vicki Cobb's light touch with the text.

Writing it Down looks at current writing tools and traces various aspects of their development. Pens, pencils, crayons, biros, pen and ink are covered, also paper. It is a pity that felt tip pens are not included as they are so popular but space is limited.

Keeping Clean offers more scope for amusing details and this is not neglected. From soap and water to intricate plumbing, much can be discovered. There are some useful diagrams, though occasionally compression can lead to omission - the septic tank should probably be accompanied by a soakaway, for example.

This is an attractive small format series which takes a fresh and original look at popular subjects.