Smelling

With only several sentences on every page, this entry in the Senses in My World series introduces the sense of smell to young children. How does our sense of smell work? “Tiny bits of scent float in the air. The nose breathes in the air. The brain understands the bits as smells.” A color photo shows a girl holding a bowl of popcorn, and dotted lines identified as scent bits head up to her nostrils. (Other, wavy lines are not labeled, which is a little confusing.) The rest of the book shows various items (pizza, stinky feet) to indicate that we get useful information from smells. Bold and colorful, this also contains an “Ideas for Parents and Teachers” section to help kids get the most out of reading an informational book.

In these bright introductions for emergent readers, close-up photos of delighted looking children using their senses in easy to understand ways (“Eli smells his stinky feet. Ew! He knows he needs a bath.”) accompany short, explanatory notes in large type. Though the amount of detail is skimpy (smell is said to be triggered by “scent bits,” and the fifth taste, umami, is not mentioned in Tasting), each volume does close with a simplified but recognizable graphic depiction of the relevant sense organ featuring (nontechnical) labels. Each also ends with a leading question—a ploy that Rustad flubs in Smelling with a confusing “What things do you smell? What do they tell you?” but elsewhere are sure to spark animated discussions. An excellent alternative or replacement for Katie Dicker’s “Sparklers: My Senses” series (Black Rabbit, 2010).