Violent Volcanoes

Children's Literature - Pat Trattles

Volcanoes formed more than eighty percent of the earth's surface. This book, part of the "Amazing Planet Earth" series from Smart Apple Media, explains how powerful forces beneath the Earth's crust cause volcanoes to erupt. It is written as a research tool for fifth grade and above. The format is very user-friendly and consists of eleven chapters. Five informational chapters titled, "Science Report", cover such things as what a volcano is and why it erupts, the makeup of a volcano, volcano shapes, and volcanic lakes, geysers, and hot springs. Interspersed with these are six "Case Study" chapters, which take an in-depth look at actual volcano eruptions that have occurred throughout history. One or more case studies follow each informational chapter reinforcing the information just learned. The chapter describing how volcanoes form, for example, is followed by a case study of a volcano in Mexico which began forming in February, 1943 and continued erupting for eight years, finally stopping in February, 1952. Sidebar information is presented in the form of "Data Files," which contain bulleted information in an index card format and "News Flash" sections, which are written up to look like actual newspaper clippings chronicling the event. Full-color, captioned photographs, diagrams, and maps enhance the text. Also included are a table of contents, an index, a glossary, and a list of websites for further information. It all adds up to a quality product with a solid tie-in to the earth science curriculum. Reviewer: Pat Trattles

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6--These useful books, which include information on environmentalism, are divided into chapter spreads that sometimes concentrate on particular examples, such as “Niagara Falls” in Mighty Rivers, and at other times focus more on processes or features, such as “Volcanic Ridge” in World’s Oceans. Chapters are labeled as “Case Study” or “Science Report,” making the presentation lively. The concise explanations include just the right number of examples and clear diagrams, and have perfect color photo accompaniments. “News Flash” sidebars provide details of past disasters and can be fascinating, but they sometimes repeat information that is in the text or the photo captions. Earthquakes provides the most material that is not found elsewhere, such as a discussion of how human activity can trigger earthquakes, and uncommon details on the earthquake that triggered the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.