Volcanoes

December 1, 2021
Grades K-3 Gibbons' latest STEM-themed picture book introduces young readers to these erupting fissures. Using brief, age-appropriate text, she explains where these vents occur (including discussion of the Ring of Fire) and what causes them to erupt (the movement of tectonic plates). She identifies five types of volcanoes; describes the kinds of damage they cause; clarifies what to do if you encounter an exploding vent; and provides accounts of several famous volcanoes, including Vesuvius and Krakatau. Gibbons' distinctive watercolor, ink, and colored-pencil illustrations dominate, providing a pleasing mix of landscapes, infographic charts and maps, labeled cut-away views, and creatively designed visual sidebars. Additionally, several sizes of text are utilized, allowing readers of various ages and abilities to take in whatever interests them. Readers will particularly be drawn to the red, yellow, orange, white, and gray eruptions depicted on most pages, and will grasp the differences between, for example, shield and cinder cone volcanoes. A page of volcano facts brings this informative volume to a close.

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April 1, 2022

Gr 1-2-With incandescent illustrations of the hot topic she's pursuing, the prolific, professional Gibbons gives readers the basics of volcanoes and so much more. The types of volcanoes, their explosions, and their earth-altering abilities are not the most dramatic part of the text. By going back in history, for example, to Pompeii, and discussing the current tourist business surrounding volcanoes, Gibbons makes explicit how humans are both terrified of and fascinated by these deadly convergences of heat and pressure. VERDICT Kids will love the devil in the details, and take away the pure excitement that accompanies this subject.-Kimberly Olson Fakih

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Starred review from December 1, 2021
A deceptively simple, visually appealing, comprehensive explanation of volcanoes. Gibbons packs an impressive number of facts into this browsable nonfiction picture book. The text begins with the awe of a volcanic eruption: "The ground begins to rumble...ash, hot lava and rock, and gases shoot up into the air." Diagrams of the Earth's structural layers--inner and outer core, mantle, and crust--undergird a discussion about why volcanoes occur. Simple maps of the Earth's seven major tectonic plates show where volcanoes are likeliest to develop. Other spreads with bright, clearly labeled illustrations cover intriguing subtopics: four types of volcanoes and how they erupt; underwater volcanoes; well-known volcanoes and historic volcanic eruptions around the world; how to be safe in the vicinity of a volcano; and the work of scientists studying volcanoes and helping to predict eruptions. A page of eight facts about volcanoes wraps things up. The straightforward, concise prose will be easy for young readers to follow. As always, Gibbons manages to present a great deal of information in a compact form. Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude. (Nonfiction picture book. 4-9)

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