Our Planet Today

Children's Literature

Once again, World Almanac( has created a book that provides readers with a tremendous amount of geological and geographical information in just a few pages. Another volume in the "21st Century Science" series, this book allows readers a relatively detailed look into the geology of our Earth as it exists today. Using detailed and colorful graphics, photographs and illustrations, the information provided will give any reader an excellent overview of the many physical characteristics of our planet. As with the other books in this series, this volume gives the reader a brief overview of the many subjects surrounding Earth. Erosion, land masses, cartography and discussions regarding the seven continents are just a few of the highlights. Providing the early learner with this informative book could pique an interest in the formation of the world. The book contains a glossary, additional books, videos and website sections and is a welcome addition to any media center or classroom. 2001, World Almanac Library, $29.27. Ages 6 to 14. Reviewer: John D. Orsborn

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-In each of these densely informative surveys, short lists, numbered keys, and explanatory captions surround hundreds of small, computer-generated images. Readers are barraged with data; plate tectonics, for example, are introduced in Inside the Earth with a map of the 13 plates, along with their names and arrows to indicate their directions of drift, a cutaway of the globe to show zones and currents in the mantle layer, six views of landforms various kinds of plate encounters engender, two blocks of general text, and eight captions-all on one spread. Both volumes are arranged into single-topic spreads, and though they cover similar areas, there is surprisingly little overlap; Earth deals with our planet's origins, structure, larger surface features, and water, leaving the work of erosion on the landscape, cartography, and each continent's physical geography to Planet. Both finish up with brief but current lists of books, videos, and Web sites. Despite colors that are sometimes so bright that superimposed text or directional lines are hard to make out, and occasional misstatements (the Dead Sea is not "the lowest place in the world"), students looking for quick overviews of a range of topics related to the Earth's physical history will find these helpful, and the emphasis on visual presentation of information adds a dimension to more conventional studies, such as Roy Gallant's Earth (Marshall Cavendish, 1998).-John Peters, New York Public Library Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.