Television : What's Behind What You See

Grade 3-5-Merbreier begins this behind-the-scenes overview of TV by showing readers how pictures make it to their screens. He covers innovations such as cable, satellite dishes, fiber-optics, and direct broadcast satellites. Most of the book focuses on the production end, showing how different programs are created. The author doesn't shirk the more manipulative side of TV. He describes how the day is programmed to maximize potential audience, how audiences are measured, and-most interestingly-how TV for children is designed to make them want to buy products. In closing, he points out future possibilities as technology increases. The information is, for the most part, sound. In one section, however, the text implies that the producer writes the scripts. While this may be true in some cases, it would be more accurate to state that a stable of writers usually handles that job. Chesworth's cartoonstyle illustrations are full of funny, intriguing details. While the art is a delight and the text is interesting, the layout is a little confusing. Small paragraphs are placed above, under, or beside the pictures, and it is sometimes unclear in which order they should be read. Jeanne and Robert Bendick's Eureka! It's Television! (Millbrook, 1993) focuses more on the history and science of television for an older audience. Despite the minor flaws in Merbreier's title, it fills a gap.
Tim Wadham, Dallas Public Library, TX
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4^-6. Kids are fascinated by television, and this has all the details they want to know, though the format may sometimes inhibit readers. Format, in fact, is what one notices first about this oversize volume. Extraordinarily busy, with an almost comic-book style, the book, both its text and pictures, jumps around, never staying on any one topic very long; the shifting is reminiscent of the way images move when one uses a remote control. Each spread tackles one aspect of a television station and programming and takes readers to all kinds of places--inside a TV station; into space, from where satellites beam back signals; on location for a remote shoot. The text consists of short paragraphs of information next to a picture. The format will attract kids, who certainly will enjoy browsing. However, only those who can put together disparate pieces of information will be able to use it for reports. Ilene Cooper