Volcanoes! (National Geographic Readers Series) Book

The cool story of volcanoes will intrigue kids and adults alike. Hot melted rock from the middle of our planet forces its way up through cracks in the Earth’s crusts, exploding violently and sometimes unexpectedly in volcanic fury that can terrorize populations for months, even years. Anne Schreiber’s narrative gives readers a little of the science, a little of the history, and a lot of the action. National Geographic photography fires the imagination on dramatic spreads alive with vivid images of lava, ash, molten rock, weird rocks, and steaming seawater.

Children's Literature

Volcanoes are ever popular with kids exploring wonders of the earth like volcanic record-breaker Krakatau; the series "National Geographic Science Readers" capitalizes on the drama with this Level 2 romp though the science and excitement of erupting mountains. Glowing colors and simple text propel readers through short volcano chapters with names like "Shaky Plates," "Volcanoes Rock!" and "Exploding Ending." For extra help and excitement, sidebars called "Word Blast" provide definitions, while "Hot Fact" boxes add details, and Q and A bars offer some volcano jokes like How did the volcano see at night? Answer: It used a lava lamp. There's still room for lots of information about magma, lava, vents, tectonic plates and their effects, and different kinds of volcanoes (shield, cone and stratovolcanoes), while abundant illustrations take volcano lovers on a quick trip around the world to Iceland (Surtsey Island), Hawaii (Mauna Loa), Mexico (Paricutin Volcano), Italy (Mount Etna) and the Pacific's Ring of Fire. Oddities like Crater Lake in Oregon and magma-heated geysers at Yellowstone Park are explored, as well as some world hot spots like Japan, where eggs are cooked in hot springs, and Iceland, where kids can swim in volcano-heated pools. Extra-bright colors, fascinating facts and plenty of visual action make this beginning science book fun and informative for newly independent readers. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft