March 1, 2008
Gr 4-8-Students seeking weather-related project ideas will find this volume indispensable. The five main headingsair, sun and seasons, clouds and rain, wind, and weather watching and forecastingare broken down into subtopics, each of which includes overview-style information and instructions for corresponding activities. Over 40 projects, most of which call for basic household items, illustrate weather phenomena on a small scale. Adult assistance is advisable to help children discriminate between scientific experiments (creating and using weather measurement tools, working with hot and cold air) and just-for-fun crafts (making a snow globe). Information on current environmental issues and full-page descriptions of careers in weather, such as tornado chaser and storm photographer, are sure to pique interest."Amanda Moss, Maywood Elementary School, Monona, WI"
Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
December 1, 2006
Although this title is not part of a series, it's similar to books in the publisher's For Kids series, which includes Carson's " The Underground Railroad for Kids" (2005). Her approach here is conversational yet exhaustive, covering fundamentals about the water cycle and seasons as well as more sophisticated topics, such as pressure systems, greenhouse gases, and forecasting. The information alternates with more than 40 activities, often accompanied by variations appropriate for science fairs, and there are several career profiles. Visual learners may long for more diagrams and design pizzazz, and occasionally the focus on upper-elementary students slips (a suggestion to write a poem about regional winds seems more appropriate for a younger audience, while older readers seem to be the target of an activity in which incense is lit to create smoke). What warrants consideration is the quantity of accessible projects about a topic that may particularly excite kids' interest, given recent headlines about wild weather and climate change in the news. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)