THE SIERRA CLUB SUMMER BOOK
By
A sort of whole earth Scrapbook of summer facts and activities, which could serve as a handy browser's compendium at the cabin where there's no TV--but is too sketchy to answer many specific, serious questions. For example, you've seen far more clarifying explanations of why the summer is hot and why we tan than the ones that Allison's chatty raps provide, and it's hard to imagine a camper getting much help from her quarter-page box (forty words, five quick sketches) on how to pitch a tent. Elsewhere there are directions for making everything from paper hats to photograms; tips on gardening, first aid, and conservation; a bug identification chart and a ""dog language"" quiz; assurances that you're not crazy if you're afraid of night noises on a camp-out; ""send-away"" addresses for Audubon Society flash cards, water facts from ""Captain Hydro,"" and peanut information; a few recipes (with a one-paragraph history of ice cream); some water games and nature crafts. . . . A complete list could approach the book's length, as there isn't all that much of anything. Semisoft.