Oil Spills

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-- Two serviceable titles in the series' standard format. Oil Spills explains briefly why oil is important in terms primary-grade students can understand, and then discusses what causes oil spills, what they look like, why they are harmful to the environment, and how they are cleaned up. The full-color and black-and-white photographs are generally clear and appropriately captioned; two of the recent Persian Gulf spill are included. The Ozone Hole differentiates between good ozone in the upper atmosphere, and bad ozone close to the ground (especially in cities); an elementary chemical explanation of what ozone is and does is provided. The invisible hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica is described, along with a simplified version of the theory of why it exists. The full-color photographs are attractive and chemical diagrams are appropriate to the age group. Easy references to help youngsters examine the world in which they live. --Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston