The 2012 London Olympics

January 1, 2012

Gr 4-6-This set is similar to Moira Butterfield's "The Olympic" series (Sea-to-Sea, 2011) for the same age range, but the integration of information about the Paralympic Games is laudable. High-Tech offers something different by covering topics from new equipment such as fiberglass poles for vaulting to special shoes or uniforms and advances in training technology. London will become dated quickly. World of Olympics is organized by geographic areas and contains facts about the symbols of the Olympics. Olympic Moments delivers basic history, provides a map of all the cities that have hosted the games, and highlights interesting tidbits such as the story of the swimmer from Equitorial Guinea who was not used to swimming more than 50 meters in his homeland yet won his race by default after his competitors were disqualified for false starts. Greatest Olympians contains single-spread biographical overviews of famous stars as well as some lesser-known athletes, such as Steve Redgrave (rowing), Usain Bolt (track), and Chris Hoy (cycling). Each book has attractive color and archival photographs. If purchasing only one title to augment a collection, High-Tech is the one to select.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

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