The Titanic Notebook

Gr 3–6—Styled like a scrapbook, this enjoyable title offers a wide variety of bits of information that, when taken together, create a solid and interactive introduction to the famous ship. Paper foldouts, hinged flaps, and removable cards, all reminiscent of the "ology" series (Candlewick), give young readers an opportunity to explore it. Children can examine reproductions of actual emergency Marconi messages sent after the collision with the iceberg, study diagrams and layouts of the ship, and eventually construct a paper model of the Titanic. Captions and paragraphs are brief and to the point, sticking with generally accepted facts and the events on that fateful April night, as well as covering the immediate aftermath and the long-term repercussions of the tragedy. Period photographs; a font that resembles handwriting; and thick, sepia-toned paper all help to enhance the scrapbook look and feel, making for an eye-catching, engaging book. While this is a fine choice for home use, libraries might prefer Barry Denenberg's Titanic Sinks! (Viking, 2011) to update their collections in this anniversary year.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA