INSIDE VOLCANOES

Unidentified explosions on the cover and title page are the hook for this latest entry in the Inside... series.

With pages that fold out or flip up, well-reproduced photographs of volcanoes at rest and in action, diagrams, maps, charts, timelines and short explanations, there is much to look at and to learn. Stewart (Under the Snow, 2009) begins her text with an explanation of the Earth’s layers and moving plates. She goes on to describe three kinds of lava, four kinds of eruptions and five kinds of volcanoes. (Here, readers are challenged to classify pictures of some well-known examples.) There are clear images of volcanic rocks and landscapes. A chart of the 10 deadliest eruptions in recorded history accompanies an explanation of the Volcanic Explosivity Index. “I was there” quotations go along with descriptions of three past blasts (including Mt. St. Helens). There is brief mention of the work of volcano scientists, who hope to learn better methods for prediction, and some examples of volcanoes in the ocean and elsewhere in the solar system. Appropriately for a book that is clearly designed to stimulate interest, there are solid suggestions for both books and websites for further exploration.

A good starting-place for volcano explorations.