Reviewed by Janie Stokes
Gifted Science Teacher
Ice and the Earth is one of eight books in the Science of Weather series. The focus of these book is on weather conditions and their effects on the Earth's surface, plants, animals, and climate. Aimed at children ages 8-12, these books provide authentic science content and good informational reading for this age level.
The photographs are one of the series’ most appealing features. In this book, young readers can observe how various kinds of ice are formed and how animals and plants are affected by and adapt to these icy conditions. The format of each book in the series is simple and well designed, and the reading level and graphics are appropriate to the grade level. Important concepts are printed in bold and written in a straightforward text that assists children in figuring out the definitions by using the contextual clues.
Scattered throughout the book are very simple experiments that a student could do independently. Diagrams, maps, and charts, plus an index and a glossary make learning about icy weather easy. The teacher or students could read any one of the series independently of the others. Ice and the Earth is a complete and well-written resource for the study of ice, adaptations of living things, and weather. It could also be used to support integration of science and language arts.
Review posted on 7/16/2002
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