Rocks that spark? Rocks that float? Rocks that fizz? Is it really true?! Read and learn about some weird and wonderful examples of the three different types of rocks.
November 1, 2011
Gr 1-2-Well designed to inject jolts of interest into emerging readers, each of these mini-albums presents marvels-from crowd-pleasing information about fried crickets and durian (a fruit that "smells like dead fish or dirty toilets!") in Food to giant hailstones and lenticular clouds in Weather. Each spread features a paragraph about the strange thing or phenomenon, opens with an attention-grabbing headline ("Kuiper Belt/Can it hold up your pants?"), and closes with the refrain, "It's weird, but it's true!" Large color photos or illustrations reflect the featured subjects. The back matter in each volume will stoke further curiosity nicely.
Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2012
These books highlight unusual earth science phenomena. Beginning with a brief "Words to Know" glossary, each volume then delineates its subject matter (types of rocks or the hydrologic cycle) and offers eight double-page spreads about specific weirdnesses (e.g., geodes, fulgurites). Excellent color photos and accessible but limited texts are not well served by the constant refrain, "It's weird, but it's true!" Reading list, websites. Ind.
(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)