Title: The Secret Life of Cosmetics
Author: Vicki Cobb
Illustrator: Theo Cobb
Publisher: J.B Lippincott
Date: 1985
Age Range: 5 grade and up
Summary: Briefly discusses the history of cosmetics and gives instructions for experiments which show how and why cosmetics such as shampoo, toothpaste, soap and nail polish work.
Strengths:
It is an interesting subject that isn't covered very often. I think older children (specifically girls) will be interested in this.
Concerns:
The book and the illustrations look old fashioned. You can also tell that the language is dated because at one point for an experiment it asks for "virgin hair" which I found a little strange. I think the whole book could use a revamp. And even though it is an interesting subject to some, to others it isn't. It is also a very thick book with a lot of information. The information is separated by chapters and is chunky to read.
1 comment:
Your comments about the dated format are good ones. The content is good enough that I could wish they'd reissue the book with updated illustrations. Remember that this is not the kind of book that most kids will read straight through - they're more likely to dip into it here and there.
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