Earthquakes

December 1, 1999
Gr 4-6-Meister first presents the history of these extreme forces of nature, covering famous recent occurrences before moving on to how these disasters are predicted as well as suggestions on how to stay safe. She also distinguishes between earthquakes and tsunamis; hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons; and the different types of volcanoes. Plenty of colorful photos and clearly labeled charts that explain more complex concepts are featured in all three selections. While this series offers little new information, Meister's conversational flow is more pleasing than the brief bullets of text found in Susanna Van Rose's Volcano and Earthquake (Knopf, 1992), though these books have fewer illustrations.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2000
This series about natural disasters includes descriptions of historical events and brief discussions of scientific causes and scientists' attempts to refine predictions. The descriptions, however, linger a bit too much on the death tolls and massive destruction caused by major events. Safety tips and websites are included along with color photos and illustrations that oversimplify scientific principles. Glos., ind.

(Copyright 2000 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2018
These books describe natural disasters and the STEAM concepts used to manage them. The consistent one-chapter-per-STEAM-subject organization feels forced and makes for a scattershot presentation of information. Simple sentences attempt to stay accessible for new readers but sometimes lead to confusion, and the books' eye-catching photographs suffer from poor or misleading labeling. Key stats are appended. Glos., ind.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)