Effective at putting readers into a proper frame of mind, if not so useful as a handbook for emergencies, this offering of general, commonsense advice covers terrorist actions, criminal activities at home or school and a selection of natural disasters from hurricanes to the more localized likes of mudslides and flash floods. The authors can’t seem to decide whether they’re addressing children (“Never leave a bicycle outside, even if it’s chained”) or adults (“Park in well-lit areas, preferably areas with security cameras”), but their overall, non-age-specific message about the importance of being alert and prepared comes through loud and clear. Lengthy opening sections in each chapter also provide background statistics and causes for each type of emergency—which may not be exactly on topic, but do provide added value as grist for a range of related assignments. Illustrated with utilitarian, line-drawn maps and scenarios, capped with resource lists and an index, this makes salutary reading, though it’s no substitute for a First Aid manual and a workbook like G. Dale Stewart’s On Your Own: A Family’s Guide to Disaster Preparedness (2006). (Nonfiction. 10-12, adult)
Pub Date: June 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-8109-5767-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2007
Remarking that ``nothing about the weather is very simple,'' Simon goes on to describe how the sun, atmosphere, earth's rotation, ground cover, altitude, pollution, and other factors influence it; briefly, he also tells how weather balloons gather information. Even for this outstanding author, it's a tough, complex topic, and he's not entirely successful in simplifying it; moreover, the import of the striking uncaptioned color photos here isn't always clear. One passage—``Cumulus clouds sometimes build up into towering masses called cumulus congestus, or swelling cumulus, which may turn into cumulonimbus clouds''—is superimposed on a blue-gray, cloud-covered landscape. But which kind of clouds are these? Another photo, in blue-black and white, shows what might be precipitation in the upper atmosphere, or rain falling on a darkened landscape, or...? Generally competent and certainly attractive, but not Simon's best. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-688-10546-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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