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Summary: Earth enthusiast's delight
Review: The publishers of this spectacular feast for the eyes would more aptly describe this reference volume for young adults as an Earth Album. Its seven sections brilliantly cover just about every topic that shaped, affects and changes the plant we live on.The book opens with an 18-page section briefly describing the Planet Earth, beginning with its place and size relative to the Solar System and Universe. A second two-page spread describes how our home looks from outer space, and the mapping of even remote regions for which satellites (among other things) have been employed. Kids will discover the factors that create and change the seasons, as well as the scientific explanations of day and night. Those who joke about digging to China or America (as the case may be), can inspect a cross-section of the Earth's core, learn about its crust and faults (as in earthquake zones) and a bit about the rocks, minerals and fossils scientists have found here. Four more pages explain the earth's many mineral and metal resources, as well as its fossil and other energy supplies. In a second 18-page section on Earthquakes and Volcanoes, kids discover the intense forces that explode, grow, shift and change the earth. They learn about volcanic hot spots--especially hot places on the Earth's mantle through which extra-hot magma can shoot up and burn through the Earth's crust to erupt on the surface. They discover the various kinds of lava, and what creates hot springs and rocks. They explore volcanic islands, and view one such place being created and see one of Hawaii's black beaches. No section on Earth's violent center would be complete without an explanation of the ruin sometimes created by earthquakes, and how they happen--and this doesn't disappoint. The section on Climate expands to 28 pages, given the vast atmosphere and ground there is to cover.
Kids learn about the Earth's atmosphere and its five layers (including of course the threatened ozone layer), its air and ocean currents (including El Nino) as well as the natural carbon and nitrogen cycles that help keep climate in balance. The book introduces the possibility that global warming and a greenhouse effect may be damaging Earth's weather balance (without concluding definitively that they are). Kids learn about the various climates, including mountain, sea, arctic, tropical, desert and temperate climates, exploring a few pages on types within each group--from tropical rainforests, grasslands and deserts to polar, mountainous and temperate grasslands. The 16 pages on Weather describe both its importance to life and its formation and more extreme aspects. Kids learn about the water cycle that makes rain, what creates thunderstorms and windstorms (including tornadoes, hurricanes and sea spouts) and why floods and droughts occur and what can happen when they do. The book notes the severe drought that hit the Southern Great Plains of the U.S. from 1931 to 1938, creating the legendary Dust Bowl. It even discusses freaky weather, raining frogs and strange lights (aurora borealis). And for kids who are news junkies, the book tells a bit about weather forecasting'and why it's sometimes wrong. Another 10 pages briefly describes the myriad forms of life on Earth--including plants and how they grow, how animals live, and ecosystems and how people affect them. Kids learn about varied kinds of farming--from giant agribusiness and crop farming to family organic farming. A further section explains how the land is shaped. Kids learn here about soil layers, types of soil and the creatures (like earthworms and slugs) that burrow and enrich it. They also discover the means of protecting the Earth's soil and about the erosion and weathering that can shape and destroy it. Finally a 14-page section teaches kids about the Earth's many water habitats. They learn of rivers and what creatures live there, how they shape the land, and the uses and misuses to which men have put them. They learn about ground water and rivers of ice, and of course about the many seas and oceans as well as the coral reefs, ocean zones, and creatures that fill them. The book closes with a six-page glossary explaining the many terms in the book and brief sections including maps, Earth measures, Earth cycles, lists of Earth sciences, world records and measurements. Kids even get lists of websites where they can learn more. The Scholastic edition of this book is one of the best values in our substantial home library. Alyssa A. Lappen
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