An entry in the Closer Look At series is too cluttered in design and often too vague to be useful. A few brief, disjointed paragraphs and a single spread are devoted to such complex topics as tsunamis, river flooding, and typhoons. The text makes proclamations without further explanations, e.g., “flooding is one of the most destructive natural disasters,” but Flaherty does not subsequently and clearly explain its causes (excessive building or dredging, the destruction of wetlands, loss of trees, etc.). The section devoted to countermeasures mentions reforestation, but emphasizes building dikes, coastal concrete walls, and shelters to house people displaced by flood. That dates the title, as scientists and specialists in land use currently discourage the building of dikes and re-channeling bodies of water. (diagrams, chronology, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-7613-0866-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Copper Beech/Millbrook
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1998
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
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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