Global Warming : Assessing the Greenhouse Threat

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6 --An incisive look at a current major concern. In a manner similar to April Koral's Our Global Greenhouse (Watts, 1989), Pringle outlines the problem in language that most fourth graders can handle, without leaving out the serious complexities. Koral takes a slightly more personal approach, phrasing some ideas in the form of questions and demonstrating how individual acts contribute to the problem, while Pringle offers a bit more explanation of the computer-based models used to predict the effects of global warming and slightly more coverage to scientists who minimize the problem. Both use a clear, authoritative style without preaching or moralizing, and both respect readers' intelligence. Pringle's format is more like a picture book, and type is larger in size; both books feature very high-quality color photographs with captions that are models of relevance to the text. Koral's book has experiments for students; Pringle's has a glossary. Both have indexes; neither has a bibliography. Since the subject is so topical, both books are highly recommended. --Jonathan Betz-Zall, Sno-Isle Regional Library System, Edmonds, WA