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Rating: 
Summary: Basic
Review: Extremely basic with inconsistant layout. Entire sections will be printed with a blue background, for example, that look more like a special topics box then text. In several cases the text reuses its stock photos in several unrelated sections. The text illustrates points that clearly do not need illustration (Do you know what water looks like? There is a photo of it if you need it. ) and ignores others (the beta and alpha linkages of glucose) after dicussing them. Good for high school student concepts but unacceptably uncomprehensive for college.
Rating: 
Summary: Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life
Review: This book is far too wordy and repetitive and could have been half as thick. It weights over 4 pounds and is very heavy to carry around.Very often the point of a sentence is lost in the verbiage. Some basic explanations are repeated several times, whilst many more important things are left unexplained. Many of the pictures appear to have been chosen because they are 'cool' rather than relevant to the text and just sidetrack the reader. Some of the examples are incredibly stupid. One, at p. 18, under the heading, "Critical Thinking", 2., gives the story of a turkey that learned to equate footsteps with the provision of food. One one day the footsteps led to the turkey having its head chopped off. The text explains that the turkey learned the hard way. In fact the turkey learned nothing, as by then it was dead. The glossary is inadequate and misses out too many new and important terms. The answers given to the quizzes do not always agree with the text, for example, Chapter 2 Self Quiz Question 1 asks what charge is carried by an electron. The correct answer, as given at page 24, is "Negative," but the answer list in Appendix III gives it incorrectly as "Positive." Many instructors lift questions and answers from the book for on-line exams. Does the student then give the incorrect answer as per Appendix III to get the point or the correct answer, knowing that it will very likely be graded as "wrong"? Another example is in the quiz to Chapter 5, question 2. Looking at the list of credits, it lookas if too many people have had a hand in the book and as a result it has been spoilt. I would not recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Basic
Review: This is a fantastic text for homeschooling. Each concept is introduced, discussed, and wrapped up in a 2-page spread. This is *not* the dry bio text you remember from high school. It is fascinating enough that I find myself stealing it from my daughter's room. Perfect for a science-loving homeschooler who is hungry for advanced texts at an earlier age because the setup is conducive to parental participation and discussion. However, be advised it is written from an evolutionary point of view if you are inclined to avoid this emphais. And of course there's that really cool picture of the monkey fighting the cheetah ;)
Rating: 
Summary: Homeschoolers Take Note!
Review: This is a fantastic text for homeschooling. Each concept is introduced, discussed, and wrapped up in a 2-page spread. This is *not* the dry bio text you remember from high school. It is fascinating enough that I find myself stealing it from my daughter's room. Perfect for a science-loving homeschooler who is hungry for advanced texts at an earlier age because the setup is conducive to parental participation and discussion. However, be advised it is written from an evolutionary point of view if you are inclined to avoid this emphais. And of course there's that really cool picture of the monkey fighting the cheetah ;)
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