Ice and People

Children's Literature

On one page we see a group of Inuit children from Northern Canada, bundled in thick fur from head to toe with only eyes and noses peeping out. On the opposite page, a young girl in Iceland frolics in the snow—in only a bathing suit. Ice and People informs young readers about all the ways our bodies measure and respond to the cold as well as all the ways people around the world cope with it. Houses in Siberia are built on cement blocks well above the frozen soil. The Inuit people of Greenland use ice to preserve the animals they hunt. Photographs on every page are small, but colorful and dramatic, from wilderness equipment spread out at an Arctic camping site to yaks carrying heavy loads through icy passes in the Himalayas to ice yachting on a frozen river in China. "See for yourself" activities prompt youngsters to learn about their own body temperature, weather forecasting and ways in which cold temperatures are used for practical purposes (food preservation, blood storage in hospitals). The book is part of "The Science of Weather" series, which offers two books about each of six climate or weather conditions (drought, ice, rain, snow, storms, wind), one related to the earth and the other related to people. Key words are highlighted in the text and defined in a concise, easy to understand glossary. The book would work well as a high interest supplement to curriculum units about the water cycle or states of matter. 2000, Carolrhoda Books, $21.27. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Karen Leggett

School Library Journal

Gr 3-4-A pair of titles that in previous incarnations would have been chapters in a general science textbook. The books follow the standard "facing-page-chapter" format, where color photos and their captions are placed on a page and three or four brief paragraphs of simple text accompany them. Possibly unfamiliar terms are highlighted and later defined in the glossary. Simple experiments, such as observing the effects of freezing on water-saturated soil, are included. People focuses on how humans cope with and enjoy ice/cold, and touches most briefly on global warming. Earth discusses the physical formation and attributes of ice (sometimes confused with "cold"), its effects on animals and plants, and its terra-forming capabilities. A confusing diagram does little to clarify Earth's solar orbit and the seasons. Both books are utilitarian at best.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.