Newspapers; Post Office

Occasionally a new series for children is produced that prompts the question: it's such a good idea, why hasn't it been done before? 'Teamwork' is such a series.

In Newspapers we meet the staff of the Coventry Evening Telegraph, while Post Office introduces us to workers at the King Edward Sorting Office in London.

Each title focuses on the importance of the individual's input into a team achievement so that we really appreciate what is involved when a letter gets delivered or a newpaper appears on the news-stand.

The work of each team member is briefly described with individuals adding a few words of their own. Sooroojlall Sookhraz enjoys being a counter clerk because, as he says, 'I get to meet so many people'. George Archer, newspaper photographer, tells us: 'Many people get nervous when they are being photographed. The secret is to make them relax.'

Each section has a 'Fact File' box of interesting information: we learn for example that the paper used for stamps is made from replanted Eucalyptus trees and that 'without advertising, daily papers would cost three times as much'. But the strength of this series lies in its emphasis on the way a team works together rather than in its cumulation of interesting bits of data.