The World Beneath Our Feet

VOYA

This incredible book explores the living world in the soil from woodchucks and snakes to algae and bacteria, not forgetting the important insects and earthworms. Fact boxes for each organism include classification, significance in the food web, size, and number of species. The interrelationships between the organisms and the soil are a key focus of the book. Significant scientific breakthroughs help understand the ecology of the soil, such as the partnership between truffles and the roots of oak trees. Earthworms and prairie dogs, often considered pests, are now recognized here as important contributors to their ecosystems. Tips on conducting scientific explorations of creatures in the soil are complete with suggestions including devising collection devices from plastic bottles, making compost, or growing a slime mold. An amazing photograph of a huge cast from harvester ants illustrates how much soil is affected in a few days time. The drawings of larval and adult stages of several insects are particularly helpful in recognizing them. This scholarly but engaging in-depth study of life in the soil is lively rather than stuffy and will captivate a wide range of readers, both in age and level of interest. The intimate knowledge and enthusiasm of the author for his subject is evident and engages the reader. Soil will never be the same for this reviewer. This book should be available for all middle and high school students and teachers. Glossary. Index. Illus. Photos. Charts. Further Reading. VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined asgrades 10 to 12). 2003, Oxford University Press, 176p. PLB
— Marilyn Brien

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-An examination of more than 100 kinds of subterranean organisms. The first section describes in detail how soil is formed; the various types; and the symbiotic relationships between plants and, respectively, lichens, algae, bacteria, and fungi. Another chapter profiles soil microbes, invertebrates, and vertebrates. Entries describe the distinctive physical and behavioral characteristics of organisms; where they are found; and their diets, feeding methods, and roles in the ecosystem. Sidebars provide common names, scientific classification, ecological function, and more. Featured are such exotics as rotifers and tardigrades, as well as the more familiar nematodes, earthworms, dung beetles, snails, toads, and moles. "The Gift of Good Earth" discusses how problems such as soil erosion and acidity are exacerbated by conventional farming practices and suggests ways to improve conditions. The tightly organized text is clearly written, but a bit dry. The amount of detail is often staggering. One or two illustrations accompany the text on almost every page; they include meticulous pen-and-ink drawings, snapshot-sized color and black-and-white photos, plus a variety of diagrams. Students will need some background in both biology and chemistry to handle the material in this book. About three dozen of the same arthropods are included in the excellent Insects and Spiders of the World (Marshall Cavendish, 2002), but the entries do not have the same emphasis on soil ecology. Nardi's in-depth title will be a valuable reference for agricultural students and serious naturalists.-Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.