Acid Rain: Library Edition (Overview series)

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-- The historical background of acid deposition as a problem, its causes and effects, and the political and scientific controversy surrounding it are covered in depth. Carelessness and errors, however, mar an otherwise well-written work. A modern photograph of St. Paul's Cathedral in London is captioned by a 1620 comment of King James I, implying that he was referring to the present structure. Describing chemical bonding as ``glue'' totally misrepresents this process. Stating that acidity prevents fish eggs from forming calcium is inexcusable. The diagram captioned ``The Acid Rain Cycle'' does not depict a cycle, but otherwise the black-and-white drawings and photographs are adequate and the cartoons ironically appropriate. The index is incomplete. Gay's Acid Rain (Watts, 1983) and Miller and Berry's Acid Rain (Messner, 1986) are better sources; for slightly younger readers, McCormick's beautifully illustrated Acid Rain (Gloucester, 1986) is preferable. --Meryl Silverstein, American Museum of Natural History, New York City