Mountain Extremes

Children's Literature - Jamie Hain

Mountains dot the Earth's surface in ranges stretching up to 4,500 miles long. These majestic figures are found on every continent and below the ocean's surface. Readers learn about the temperature and other environmental changes that occur between a mountain's base and summit. This highly informative book also explores how the plants, animals, and people that call mountain slopes their home have adapted to such harsh environments. Bright and colorful pages filled with interesting fact bubbles and engaging pictures grab the reader's attention. Part of the "Extreme Nature" series, this book contains a quick reference index, a glossary of mountain related terms, a list of further book and online resources, and an extreme facts section filled with additional facts about mountains and the creatures that live on them. This book would be a great addition to libraries serving elementary and middle school aged children, especially those interested in the outdoors and nature. Reviewer: Jamie Hain

School Library Journal

Gr 3–5—Frozen Extremes demonstrates that the Arctic and Antarctic regions are hospitable to a range of species. A brief discussion of exploration is included, and global warming is briefly mentioned. Rain Forest Extremes offers information on a variety of animals, plants, and peoples and suggests what to take along on trips to the deepest jungles. Deforestation is mentioned briefly but readers are assured that "Local groups have been given control of their lands and national parks protect forest wildlife." Deep Sea Extremes concentrates on oceans' lower depths and the unusual creatures living there. Printed on mostly black pages, a variety of sea life, ranging from plankton to the great blue whale, is presented. Oddly, in discussing how underwater volcanoes can bring the temperature up to 660 F, an accompanying photograph shows an underwater photographer wearing only regular scuba-diving gear. Hyde notes that trawlers are harvesting into deeper areas, but overfishing is ignored. Mountain Extremes covers the largest mountains of the world and their various inhabitants and includes many examples of worst-case scenarios in which climbers can die. A sidebar describes a mudslide in Colombia that was caused by a volcanic eruption, resulting in 23,000 deaths, although there is no other discussion of volcanoes. There are many excellent photographs in these books, but they are layered upon each other and the accompanying captions are often difficult to attach to the appropriate illustration. The myriad facts are often interesting, but have little focus. Students may not be able to maneuver through the hodgepodge of extremes.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, Trinity-Pawling School,Pawling, NY