Arts Publications

Clara House Books/The Oliver Press

Children's Bookwatch, Jan, 2005

5707 W. 36th St., Minneapolis, MN 55416

Clara House Books has launched a new series of "How It Happens" books specifically written to introduce young readers grades 1 through 4 to a behind the scenes look at how factories and plants operate. How It Happens At The ATV Plant (188-1508943, $19.95) shows how workers at the Polaris factory in Roseau, Minnesota (just south of the Canadian border) build rugged all-terrain four-wheel vehicles. How It Happens At The Building Site (1881508951, $19.95) shows how a large, two-story house is build from the laying of the foundation, to framing the walls and roof, to the finished structure. Along the way young readers will learn about huge earth-moving equipment, plumbing, writing, painting, and carpentry as they are employed in building a house from the ground up. How It Happens At The Cereal Company (188150896X, $19.95) reveals how raw materials are turned into delicious foods. Readers will learn how basic grains are cooked and then mixed with colorful dyes and treats like marshmallows and raisins to finished food products reading for packaging and shipping to supermarket shelves. How It Happens At The Fireworks Factory (1881508978, $19.95) reveals the secrets of the pyrotechnic industry from carefully crafting handmade shells, to the computerized choreography that determines the firing sequences and music accompaniment at elaborate Fourth of July shows. Enthusiastically recommended for school and community library collections, each title includes highlighted glossary words and detailed photographers to enhance an informed and informative, "reader friendly" text.