(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Nikki McClure. This previously unpublished essay from "poet of science" Carson (1907–1964) is paired beautifully with McClure's cut-paper and swirling ink-wash art. In 1956, a children's television program asked Carson to respond to a child's request for "something about the sky." Her thoughts are as wonderfully ruminative as one might expect from the environmental scientist and nature-writing icon. She chooses the familiar -- clouds -- and connects them to "the ocean in the air," detailing natural phenomena with emphasis on the interconnectivity of Earth's air and water systems. Or, better summarized by Carson: "Clouds are as old as the earth itself -- as much a part of our world as land or sea. They are the writing of the wind on the sky. They are the cosmic symbols of a process without which life itself could not exist on earth." McClure's illustrations are limited mostly to blue, black, and white, highlighting the space and movement of air, wind, oceans, and sky in background washes. Cut-paper images of people in the foreground connect the science concepts to human experiences. In an endnote, McClure explains the origins of Carson's essay, how the book project came about, and the thoughtful and resourceful process she used to create the illustrations.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(3) 4-6 Four informative chapters--“What Is Nature, Really?” “Nature Is Wonderful...for Everyone,” “Let’s Learn from Nature,” and “Let’s Live with Nature,” each with several clear subtopics--introduce readers to a variety of information about the outdoors and human interactions with it. The book is chock-full of detail, with accessible narration and frequent stock photos and sidebars that help break up the pages. Reading list, websites, glossary, and index are appended.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Martin. "A stone is not just a stone," but instead a story, a record of dynamic processes occurring across large stretches of time. Booth's imaginative stories about one stone align with the major rock groups (not named in the main text, though the end pages and a glossary provide explanations) and employ dramatic descriptions of the events the stone experiences. The stone was "gushing from the mouth of a volcano," "crushed and dragged by a glacier," and "driven down / down / down / into deep searing darkness" before it reaches the hand of a child. The impressionistic watercolor illustrations are snapshots of places and times within these processes. Shadows of ancient flora and fauna, including birds, dinosaurs, and sea creatures, are framed by brown and black rock formations that convey solidity and timelessness, even within the dynamic volcanic, oceanic, and surficial landscapes. Readers are encouraged to seek out their own stones, "imagine everything the stone has been...and what it might become," and consider the continuity of change.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eugenia Mello. he narrator here is dust from North Africa speaking directly to its destination, the Amazon rainforest. Poetic text meditates on the way Africa and South America were once joined: "Millions of years ago, no ocean lay between us. You and I were one. And then slowly, slowly, great forces tore us apart, creating seven continents surrounded by vast oceans." They are still connected by dust that blows continuously from the Sahel across the Atlantic to the Amazon, where it provides nutrients that support the Amazon basin's lush growth. Glorious digitally rendered double-page spreads echo the text's mood, mixing the particulars of cram-cram grass and baobab trees with expressionistic imagery that reinforces a sense of flow. Illustrations of landscapes and animals in warm earth tones with pops of bright color and nuance in their textures and shading will enchant many young readers. The vivid vocabulary and soothing cadence of the text are pleasing, if light on specifics; extensive back matter provides some thoughtful support for ecologically minded children and caregivers.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Litchfield. "Around the world, when morning comes...the sky glows." But it also glows at times beyond sunrise and sunset, as Beckerman explains in four-page sequences that build anticipation for each new example. A crowd of upturned faces wearing protective eyewear gives way to a double-page spread of the eerie glow just before a solar eclipse; a pair of hikers in the fading light of day walks into the stunning synchronized light show produced by fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The main text, with its repeated refrain ("the sky glows") is brief and poetic, while longer secondary text in smaller type provides explanations of the featured phenomena, which include aurorae, rainbows, volcano eruptions, and city lights at night. Litchfield's arresting illustrations convincingly convey the look and feel of a glowing sky, through skillful use of warm yellows, reds, and oranges, and scattered star-like sparkles. A brief end note introduces the concept of light pollution, and a list of further reading is included.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(3) K-3 National Geographic Readers series. Confident readers who love facts will appreciate the wide ranging (sometimes random) information about rocks and minerals in this leveled reader, which is organized in short, accessible chapters. There is a breathless excitement to much of the writing: "Humans even have to eat a mineral--salt--to survive!" The enthusiastic text is well supported by lots of captioned stock photos in a lively design that lends itself to browsing. In addition to two double-page spreads featuring "25 Facts About Rocks and Gems," all one hundred facts are reviewed in one very long list at book's end. An index is also included.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) K-3 Gibbons applies her signature combination of impeccably accurate definitions and friendly, colorful illustrations to the topic of volcanoes and volcanic eruptions. She begins with an overview of the earth's interior and plate tectonics, explains the correlation between volcanic activity and plate boundaries (the "Ring of Fire"), and then illustrates several types of volcanoes. The eruption mechanisms of composite and underwater volcanoes are detailed, along with safety information on what to do if you find yourself near an active eruption. The final pages include descriptions of famous eruptions (Vesuvius, Hawaii, Krakatau, and Mount St. Helens). Each illustration is filled with details: cross-sections of volcano cones show their layering, and insets, captions and notations add even more terminology for curious readers.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jason Ford. Earth narrates its life story (framed as the transcript of an audio interview), from the Big Bang to the present day. Lund writes in a chatty style, "as the universe grew, it cooled down, and stuff started to form." At almost two hundred pages, this heavily illustrated book includes a great deal of information; sidebars and color-coding help keep track of the passage of time and changes to Earth and its inhabitants. In the final sections, Earth calls on readers to take steps to help the planet and to protect its diversity of life. Back matter includes a pronunciation guide, list of further resources, and an index (unseen).

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Cerullo opens her exploration of the science of volcanoes with a compelling description of the 2018 eruption of Kilauea in Hawaii. Subsequent chapters explore the role volcanoes played in the formation of Earth, how volcanoes erupt, and the science of predicting volcanic activity. With clear text, fascinating details, and dramatic photographs, the volume succeeds in providing solid information for a wide range of readers. A select bibliography, glossary, and index (unseen) are appended.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 This book stars Drop--a drop of water--who happily changes form through the millennia ("I'm four and half billion!"), demonstrating the concept that water is a limited resource. Unless she's a solid or gas, Drop appears in the lively illustrations as a light blue splotch (the chatty media note states that "Drop loves to drop from a dropper!"). As the main text follows Drop's journey--from oceans to air to clouds to glaciers--she adds upbeat comments: e.g., "Here I gooo!" and "Guess I gotta be cool with this!" In the end, Drop makes her way to "YOU!" in the form of food and drink, a satisfying conclusion to the engaging adventure.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 Translated by Lawrence Schimel. Illustrated by Miren Asiain Lora. "How did the oysters get up to the top of a mountain?" Nogués combines a geologist's eye, a teacher's cadence, and his own joy and wonder about the world to organize explanations of geologic time, fossil formation, stratigraphy, and mountain building into a puzzle to be solved. The superbly creative text takes the form of an interchange between narrator and learner, starting with a perceived anomaly--sea creatures at the highest point on land--and then moving through a series of questions, eliminating incorrect alternatives and reveling in eureka moments, to arrive at the logical conclusions formed by centuries of scientific thought. Readers immerse themselves in the "language of rocks," asked directly by Nogués (in ­­­first- and second-person narration) to observe objects within the gorgeous and varied sea-toned illustrations by Asiain Lora (Hello, Earth!, rev. 7/21); and they can use the child and adult figures present in all of the main illustrations to imagine themselves as geologists in the field. Sidebars throughout provide additional information about the scientific principles and discoveries, and a glossary is appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) 4-6 Off the Pacific Northwest coast, running about six hundred miles from British Columbia to Northern California, lies the Cascadia Subduction Zone, where "a heavier plate pushes under a lighter one." Such a situation signals the frequent occurrence of earthquakes, but, in a scientific mystery not unlocked until the waning years of the twentieth century, this area had no record of earthquakes. Then a group of scientific Sherlocks begin looking into the anomaly as they tried to reconcile the historical record with what plate tectonic hypotheses suggested. Rusch links the findings from many disparate disciplines--­geology, oceanography, paleoseismology, ­folkloristics--individuals studied in order to determine if there were any records of ancient enormous quakes. By combining their research, scientists uncovered evidence of quakes in much earlier times, allowing them to predict that a devastating ­megaquake--one lasting for minutes rather than seconds and recording a magnitude of over 8.0--would occur, perhaps in the next fifty years. The final step Rusch outlines is preparedness: what populations living in the area should do in case of a Cascadia earthquake. Here she focuses on individual and community measures, again showing the power of combining more than one approach to study a problem. Appended with a ­bibliography, suggestions for further ­reading and research, a glossary, and an index.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) PS Immersive photographs (most taken by the author) pull viewers into the experience of a foggy day in Sayre's latest weather-focused title (Raindrops Roll and others). The large-format pictures invite viewers to explore how weather interacts with animals, plants, and natural landscapes. Sayre's fog obscures and reveals, with many monochromatic white and gray pages showing just how much the fog can transform outdoor objects and creatures (a yellow bird, for example) and inviting viewers to lean in closely to see what they're looking at and what may be hidden. But while the pictures steal the show, Sayre's poetic language creates a mood and a rhythm while leaving plenty of room for listeners to feel like they are making their own discoveries. A back-matter spread succinctly answers many of the questions that children may ask while reading, such as, "Why does fog feel cold?" The book ends by telling readers that fog "limits what you can see, but it can expand what you imagine"--the latter of which could easily describe Sayre's book.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(3) 4-6 Translated by Laura Watkinson. Illustrated by Wendy Panders. In this overview of concepts from the many scientific disciplines within the earth sciences, topics are organized into chapters on geology, planetary science, weather, water, and geography. Though a large number of ideas are covered, they are clearly explained and organized to present comprehensive coverage of the field. Plentiful if small illustrations throughout include helpful diagrams.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 Super Simple Earth Investigations series. After a brief introduction to each earth science topic, readers are provided with instructions for activities that demonstrate the concepts. The activities vary in quality: some capture the science well and prompt good questions, others are merely art projects with few connections to the underlying science. Photographs of children engaged in each step of the activities are helpful. A quiz is included. Glos. Review covers these Super Simple Earth Investigations titles: Super Simple Earthquake Projects, Super Simple Fossil Projects, Super Simple Mineral Projects, Super Simple Rock Cycle Projects, Super Simple Volcano Projects, and Super Simple Weather Projects.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 Super Simple Earth Investigations series. After a brief introduction to each earth science topic, readers are provided with instructions for activities that demonstrate the concepts. The activities vary in quality: some capture the science well and prompt good questions, others are merely art projects with few connections to the underlying science. Photographs of children engaged in each step of the activities are helpful. A quiz is included. Glos. Review covers these Super Simple Earth Investigations titles: Super Simple Earthquake Projects, Super Simple Fossil Projects, Super Simple Mineral Projects, Super Simple Rock Cycle Projects, Super Simple Volcano Projects, and Super Simple Weather Projects.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 Super Simple Earth Investigations series. After a brief introduction to each earth science topic, readers are provided with instructions for activities that demonstrate the concepts. The activities vary in quality: some capture the science well and prompt good questions, others are merely art projects with few connections to the underlying science. Photographs of children engaged in each step of the activities are helpful. A quiz is included. Glos. Review covers these Super Simple Earth Investigations titles: Super Simple Earthquake Projects, Super Simple Fossil Projects, Super Simple Mineral Projects, Super Simple Rock Cycle Projects, Super Simple Volcano Projects, and Super Simple Weather Projects.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 Super Simple Earth Investigations series. After a brief introduction to each earth science topic, readers are provided with instructions for activities that demonstrate the concepts. The activities vary in quality: some capture the science well and prompt good questions, others are merely art projects with few connections to the underlying science. Photographs of children engaged in each step of the activities are helpful. A quiz is included. Glos. Review covers these Super Simple Earth Investigations titles: Super Simple Earthquake Projects, Super Simple Fossil Projects, Super Simple Mineral Projects, Super Simple Rock Cycle Projects, Super Simple Volcano Projects, and Super Simple Weather Projects.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 Super Simple Earth Investigations series. After a brief introduction to each earth science topic, readers are provided with instructions for activities that demonstrate the concepts. The activities vary in quality: some capture the science well and prompt good questions, others are merely art projects with few connections to the underlying science. Photographs of children engaged in each step of the activities are helpful. A quiz is included. Glos. Review covers these Super Simple Earth Investigations titles: Super Simple Earthquake Projects, Super Simple Fossil Projects, Super Simple Mineral Projects, Super Simple Rock Cycle Projects, Super Simple Volcano Projects, and Super Simple Weather Projects.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 Super Simple Earth Investigations series. After a brief introduction to each earth science topic, readers are provided with instructions for activities that demonstrate the concepts. The activities vary in quality: some capture the science well and prompt good questions, others are merely art projects with few connections to the underlying science. Photographs of children engaged in each step of the activities are helpful. A quiz is included. Glos. Review covers these Super Simple Earth Investigations titles: Super Simple Earthquake Projects, Super Simple Fossil Projects, Super Simple Mineral Projects, Super Simple Rock Cycle Projects, Super Simple Volcano Projects, and Super Simple Weather Projects.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford