Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* From the eye-catching jacket photos to the clearly written explanations of natural phenomena, volumes in the Inside series have much to offer. Each book explores its topic in an engaging way, and the many excellent illustrations work well with adjacent text and captions. While the 10 fold-outward or fold-upward pages aren't always necessary, the books' varied page layouts are attractive and the quality of the photos, computer-generated images, original illustrations, and charts is consistently excellent. The three new earth-sciences volumes offer historical perspective on their respective subjects as well as bringing to life, through photos and well-chosen quotes, the dramatic experiences of firsthand observers. Featuring a step-by-step, illustrated explanation of lightning formation as well as comments from people who have had close encounters with the phenomenon, Inside Lightning provides a vivid and unusually informative introduction to the subject. The bibliography includes personal interviews. Each volume concludes with strong back matter. Excellent books for browsing or science reports.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Featuring 10 foldout pages and a trove of full-color photographs and illustrations, these titles make studying science an engaging experience. Excellent writing discusses science basics, causes, history, and tools used by scientists and researchers. Weather includes global climate change, air masses, fronts, the water cycle, different types of clouds, and types of precipitation. Earthquakes features a brief history of California quakes and looks at major disasters in Haiti, Alaska, Chile, and New Madrid. Japan's 2011 Tohoku earthquake is seen in a single photograph. Lightning traces ancient beliefs, Benjamin Franklin's kite, and modern theories of what causes lightning to form, kinds of lightning, and how thunderheads build. The selection of photographs in all of the volumes reflects age-appropriate choices. Images of damaged buildings, debris, and wreckage capture the destructive power of nature without showing people in distress, injured, or other casualties. Sidebars provide pertinent quick facts as "Newsflash," or personal eyewitness accounts under "I was there" or "We were there." With fabulous photographs and illustrations alongside the wealth of fascinating facts and information, these books should be in high demand.-June Shimonishi, Torrance Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
