Earthquakes

Children's Literature

Many children enjoy the vicarious chills of reading a scary book. In this book about earthquakes, there are more facts than chills. The authors present the basics of geology and plate tectonics clearly, if very briefly. Occasionally they throw in a chilling sentence. "If you have enough warning you can escape an earthquake. But some earthquakes don't give any warning." Young readers who are fascinated by disaster books will enjoy this one without getting nightmares and may be encouraged to pursue the topic further. The photographs facing each page of text are excellent. A variety of nonfiction and fiction books are included in the bibliography and several annotated web sites provide additional information. This book is part of the "Natural Disasters" series. 2001, Gareth Stevens, $19.93. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer:Ellen R. Butts