The latest volumes in the 'Sports Skills' series from Wayland would make useful additions to the primary school library and could also be used in secondary schools with potential for special needs applications.

The books contain an appropriate mix of action photographs, diagrams to demonstrate techniques, and text to provide both background information and further explanation. Both titles are aimed at beginners and would be particularly good if used in parallel with practical tuition.

As books to demonstrate skills, they wisely concentrate on depth of coverage rather than breadth. In Judo, for example, six pictures and a whole page are devoted to 'Tying the belt'. This book shows how to get started in the sport, grading, throws and falls, and competition - but rather skates over the origins of Judo and would have benefited from the provision of a pronunciation guide.

Gymnastics includes preparation, warming up and types of apparatus - each event is introduced through a dedicated double-page spread. The clarity of this information allows the reader to answer such puzzlers as: 'how many chances do boys and girls have at vaulting the horse and is it the same for both?'

Two useful basic sports books.