Despite the many full-color photographs and clean white spaces, this title in the Habitats series introduces so many topics and is so full of specialized vocabulary and odd facts that most readers will be better served by a general encyclopedia article, where the facts are given a framework for understanding. Cumming (Russia, 1994, not reviewed, etc.) discusses the hydrological cycle, river routes, types of lakes, floods, pollution, dams, use of water in daily life, farming, industry, and transportation, and more. In addition, side boxes include discussions of odd creatures: Brazilian weed-eating beetles, flamingos feeding on red algae, the freshwater Baikal seal, etc. Some words are defined in the text but many—mouth, estuary, etc.—do not appear in the glossary. Of dubious value. (maps, diagrams, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995
ISBN: 1-56847-389-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1995
Reading like a long term paper, this dry, abstract recitation of teams and players brings neither the game nor the people who played and are playing it to life. McKissack (with Patricia C. McKissack, Black Diamond, 1994, not reviewed, etc.) opens with a chapter on basketball’s invention and original rules, closes with a look at women’s basketball, and in between chronicles the growth of amateur, college, and pro ball, adding clipped quotes, technical observations about changing styles of play and vague comments about how players black and white respected each other. The information is evidently drawn entirely from previously published books and interviews. A modest selection of black-and-white photographs give faces to some of the many names the author drops, but readers won’t find much more about individual players beyond an occasional biographical or statistical tidbit. McKissack frequently points to parallels in the history of African Americans in basketball and in baseball, but this account comes off as sketchy and unfocused compared to Black Diamond. (glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-48712-4
Page Count: 148
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This technical, comprehensive entry in the Dangerous Weather series explores the mystery of rain and what happens when it does not come. Allaby (Tornadoes, p. 1384) first defines drought before discussing the reasons for and results of long periods without rain. Readers will gain a clear understanding of scientific terms that are in use, about air movements in the tropics and subtropics, subtropical deserts, desert life, precipitation, evaporation, ocean currents, jet streams, blocking highs, and more. As with the previous book, it may not interest general readers, but it will make research a breeze and may inspire further inquiries into the subject of droughts and water conservation. (b&w photos, drawings, illustrations, charts, graphs, index, not seen) (Nonfiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-8160-3519-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Facts On File
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1997
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