Seymour Simon's Extreme Earth Records

Simon adds another to his mammoth body of swinging, smart science books for kids.

The author devotes four pages each to the most extreme environments and environmental events on Earth: coldest, hottest, driest, highest, deepest, biggest earthquake, largest volcano, most destructive tsunami and kindred greats. As always—and this is no mean feat—he manages to wow readers, while imparting the scientific circumstances that either create or allow for these phenomena. There is the sheer juicy stuff—temperatures ranging from minus 129 F to 160 F, 56 feet of annual snowfall—but he also adds the human factor (why do 300 people live on Tristan de Cunha, the world’s most remote place?) and introduces the rare flora and fauna. There is an artful blend of text and image, but so much happens in the mind’s eye—a wave traveling at 600 mph, holy cow—that Simon really gets readers thinking. Two grouses: There should have been a photo of Mount Thor on Baffin Island, the greatest pure vertical drop (4100 feet), rather than three waterfall shots; but most egregiously—no maps! Metric measurements are included parenthetically. These places are somewhere—perhaps near, so let’s go—and readers deserve a sense of their location.

Gr 3-6--Similar in appeal to the Guinness Book of World Records, this volume combines science with questions such as which is the coldest, hottest, deepest, most destructive, and more. Simon knows how to attract young fact mongers. With his characteristic accuracy, he chooses his words carefully, admitting that scientists "think that" rather than spewing facts that may one day be challenged. Anticipating natural questions like "what is a monsoon?," "why is it called Death Valley?," or "how far can people dive?," boxed details broaden the facts. Full-page and inset color photographs are both informative and eye-catching. Images such as steps to nowhere following a tsunami, flowing lava, raging waterfalls, and accompanying facts are enticing. Particularly effective are stamplike graphics that emphasize the location of some of the images. With specifics that kids will understand, comparisons are offered throughout to give readers a sense of the full impact of the extremes. A discussion of waterfalls includes the detail that you will be arrested and fined if you survive going over Niagara Falls. This is the type of book that can easily lead to more investigation as readers discover fascinating facts and learn a bit about the explorers and scientists who endure extreme conditions and why.Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library