★ A deceptively simple, visually appealing, comprehensive explanation of volcanoes. . . . 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.
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review Gibbons' distinctive watercolor, ink, and colored-pencil illustrations dominate, providing a pleasing mix of landscapes, infographic charts and maps, labeled cutaway views, and creatively designed visual sidebars. . . . 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.
—Booklist