Beginning at the beginning, 4.5 billion years ago, when the earth was nothing but a cloud of dust grains and gas whirring around the young sun, Patent (Bold and Bright Black-and-White Animals, 1998, etc.) discusses the shaping of the earth and the changes to it from that time to the present. This impressive introduction to earth science describes early and current theories about the origin of the earth and other planets, the formation of the moon, the layers of the earth's crust and core, plate tectonics, origins of life from deep sea vents, and continental drift. It describes volcanic action, earthquakes, glaciers, and the effects of wind, water, farming and industry on shaping the earth. Throughout, double-page spreads on blue paper provide related topics—e.g., how the Hawaiian Islands were formed; the devastation caused by tropical storm Hugo on the South Carolina Coast; or how beavers change the landscape with their dams. Handsomely presented, glossy pages, wide white borders, guide words in colored type, full color photographs, and many maps and drawings make the whole accessible to the reader. The author, a noted science writer concludes with a glossary, index, further reading and Web sites of interest. The latter provide extensive resources for students researching plate tectonics and other topics in earth science. (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: March 20, 2000
ISBN: 0-395-85691-4
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2000
An impressive sequel.
Boy and fox follow separate paths in postwar rebuilding.
A year after Peter finds refuge with former soldier Vola, he prepares to leave to return to his childhood home. He plans to join the Junior Water Warriors, young people repurposing the machines and structures of war to reclaim reservoirs and rivers poisoned in the conflict, and then to set out on his own to live apart from others. At 13, Peter is competent and self-contained. Vola marvels at the construction of the floor of the cabin he’s built on her land, but the losses he’s sustained have left a mark. He imposes a penance on himself, reimagining the story of rescuing the orphaned kit Pax as one in which he follows his father’s counsel to kill the animal before he could form a connection. He thinks of his heart as having a stone inside it. Pax, meanwhile, has fathered three kits who claim his attention and devotion. Alternating chapters from the fox’s point of view demonstrate Pax’s care for his family—his mate, Bristle; her brother; and the three kits. Pax becomes especially attached to his daughter, who accompanies him on a journey that intersects with Peter’s and allows Peter to not only redeem his past, but imagine a future. This is a deftly nuanced look at the fragility and strength of the human heart. All the human characters read as White. Illustrations not seen.
An impressive sequel. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-293034-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
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
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