One of the “Science of Nutrition” series, this edition explores the role of water and fiber in our diet, why they are needed, and what happens to your body if you do not get an adequate amount. The twelve chapters, designed for upper elementary and middle school students, utilize an attractive layout of bold text, color photos and charts and graphs to explore the importance, characteristics, sources and amounts needed for optimum health. Beginning with a generalized chapter about food as fuel, remaining chapters go into detail defining water and fiber, sources of water, kinds of foods containing fiber, how much water and fiber the body needs, what happens when there is too much or not enough, reading labels to determine amounts in food products, how the body maintains a water balance, what fiber does for the body, how fiber aids digestion, and food allergies and diets for special digestion needs. Each chapter contains boxed “Did You Know” features, a “Body Talk” bubble and a “Try This” column for small experiments. Two pages of food facts and stats feature amounts and sources of recommended daily amounts for various ages for water and fiber. It is science and health made interesting. A glossary, sources for further study and an index are included. Reviewer: Meredith Kiger, Ph.D.

Gr 4–6—Theses books provide answers to why we need the featured nutrients, but often in a way that prompts more questions. For example, Vitamins recommends eating a riboflavin-rich breakfast before an exam without showing what kinds of foods would make such a meal, and Water gives constipation as a possible cause of acne without further explanation. Competing with the text are “Body Talk” and “Did you know?” sections that supply extra facts, recipes, or an activity, such as “Try this…” in Carbohydrates, where a balloon is attached to a bottle of active yeast to show how a bread loaf gets its airy texture. Floating quotes without attributions appear in colorful bubbles. Though all three books give tips on how to read a nutrition label and have final pages dedicated to a chart full of detailed statistics, the disjointed presentation of information, along with the inclusion of the now-obsolete food pyramid, makes these titles marginal purchases.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library