Tóm tắt

Grade 4-8-These two books are right on target for the intended audience. Robot explains what makes these machines work, their development, inventions that led to robots of today, what the future holds in this field, artificial intelligence, and all about automation in the workplace. The discussion of the advantages of robots is particularly interesting. Their repetitive movements, strength, reliability, and ability to work in all climates and environmental conditions (such as nuclear plants) prove how useful they have become. Neat experiments encourage readers to compare themselves to robots. In Clone, students will learn about what a clone is, facts on fertilization, the search for genes, chromosomes, DNA, ethical and medical issues, and the history of cloning since the 19th century, and get information about scientists involved with these processes. Diagrams enhance the explanations; practical experiments are illustrated and described clearly. Students may learn how to clone a plant or bacteria, or copy DNA. In both books, the cartoon illustrations usually add appeal and information. The covers are juvenile in appearance and may turn off older readers who would benefit from the texts. Still, the titles are useful for report writers and will appeal to general readers.