Reviewed by Twyla Surritte-Rodriguez
Educator/Science Dept Head
The way air moves and affects processes on Earth is exciting stuff, but how can a teacher communicate the influence of wind in a stimulating way for young students? Great pictures, fun activities, and amazing facts are some of the ways that Wind and the Earth educates about the movement of air all over the world. The book begins by defining what air is, why air moves, and how it affects water, rocks, plants, and animals.
Having recently completed a graduate course in meteorology, I was very impressed with the way the book explains pressure and fronts. This section will help readers of any age to better understand their local weather person. The final few pages about “Deadly Winds,” describe how wind spread the radiation from Chernobyl and can fan the wildfires of the American West. The book has a nice glossary of scientific terms in the back, and each vocabulary word is boldfaced in the text.
Written for students in grades three to six, this book would make an excellent resource for research on weather. Its short chapters, boldfaced vocabulary, glossary, and format make it a perfect introduction on how to use textbooks to gather information for younger students. Some of the activities, such as blowing across a large bowl of water to visualize waves, will be fun for young children but too simple for older students. Another activity asks students to observe wind for two weeks and estimate its rank on the Beaufort Scale.
Wind and the Earth is part of the eight-book The Science of Weather series that would make a great addition to the reference section of a lower elementary school library. These books feature basic information on rain, snow, wind, and ice and their effects on the Earth and people.
Review posted on 11/20/2001
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