Synopsis
Simple text and photographs introduce volcanoes and their features.
Children's Literature
The "Earth Features" series is written on a very basic level--Early Intervention levels 14-16, which translates into between 92 and 111 words in each volume. Each is a list of facts beautifully illustrated with full-page color photographs; one fact and one photograph make a spread. Each mentions one example of the feature found in the United States. For example, the illustration of Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, located in Hawaii, has a map of the world in one corner of the photograph, showing where it is located. The facts are given as a list; there is no smooth transition between them. These books are small in format and would be excellent to use with children for whom English is not the first language, or for remediation, or for beginning readers. There is a list of words at the end of each, for example, "What Are Lakes?" mentions the word "some" on four different pages. Each volume has a list of "words to know," although "shoal" is not explained or mentioned in the list of words of the lakes book. There is a bibliography section, "Read More." Web sites are also given. This series would be ideal for one-on-one instruction allowing for further discovery. The titles in the series focus on Caves, Lakes, Rivers, Deserts, Forests, Mountains, Oceans and Volcanoes. 2002, Pebble Books/Capstone Press, $14.60. Ages 6 to 10. Reviewer: Candace Deisley