I Can Read About Earthquakes and Volcanoes - Softcover

Gr 2-4--These overviews skim the surface of scientific topics with generalities and vague treatments. Dinosaurs is written in an indistinct style, with time nebulously described as "Millions of years ago" or "...slowly, over many years, they grew larger." In addition, thoughts and feelings are ascribed to the creatures, e.g., "Most of the other dinosaurs were afraid of its [Allosaurus's] sharp teeth and claws." Earthquakes and Volcanoes begins with a description of the eruption of a volcano in Mexico, but it is never named or dated and so remains an obscure event. Full-color drawings and diagrams show the structure of the earth, labeled with the terms italicized but not carefully defined in the text. Sharks focuses on the animals' reputation as unpredictable killers rather than their place in the natural order at the top of the food chain. Most of the illustrations show different types of sharks either swimming or attacking prey. Without chapter divisions or indexes, the information in all three books is not easily retrievable. Marginal purchases.

Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA

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