Volcanoes: Let's-Read-and-Find-out Science Stage 2

Volcanoes are one of nature's great wonders. For years they can stand dormant, but once active they can erupt in tremendous explosions of power. Some eruptions are so big, they change the earth's climate. Luckily, geologists can now approximate when an eruption will occur. What are the causes of an eruption and what are the warning signs? Read and find out!

Explains how volcanoes are formed and how they affect the earth when they erupt.

Volcanoes are one of nature's great wonders. For years they can stand dormant, but once active they can erupt in tremendous explosions of power. Some eruptions are so big, they change the earth's climate. Luckily, geologists can now approximate when an eruption will occur. What are the causes of an eruption and what are the warning signs? Read and find out!

Children's Literature

Can there ever be too many books on volcanoes for elementary readers? This one, with its 1950s-style drawing, was somewhat lackluster in the illustrations. While they were clear in conveying information, there was no "wow" factor to accompany the "wow" topic. It was noted that for the most part topics were confined to two-page spreads or four-page groupings, although within that framework occasionally it seemed like topic changes were indicated by a change of sentence. There was no other physical break to help the early reader assimilate the topic shift. While many books for this age group are written in this manner, we felt that the writing could have been a bit sharper. The design of the book could benefit from a little tweaking that would allow the youngest readers to follow topic changes more readily. Some of the material was presented with the conclusion first and then the supporting material (e.g., page 12 "And it was bound to happen again. Geologists watch volcanoes for signs of an eruption...."). In addition, some of the wording was very colloquial (e.g., page 24 "They could go off again."). There is no table of contents or index. If the entire book were in the tone and along the lines of the last two pages, this book would be in the "must have" category. The last two pages were written in a cleaner, crisper, more informative style. If the whole book had been written in that manner, this book would have come close to rating a cookie. (Let's-read-and-find-out science. Stage 2) Reviewer: Mary Ashcliffe and Thad Ashcliffe

Franklyn M. Branley was Astronomer Emeritus and former Chairman of the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium. In 1960, he originated the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. Dr. Branley was the author of over 150 science books for children.