Reviewed by Karen Rushton
first grade teacher
Ice Storms and Hailstorms is a real cure for cabin fever. It presents fascinating information about ice, rime, glaze, and sleet in the perfect format to extend children’s informational reading skills.
Like other books in the Nature on the Rampage series, this one has large, readable text, well-organized subheads, and a glossary to support bold print vocabulary. The ice pictures are wonderful; good captions also help students decode the meaning in the text. The reading level is for fifth and sixth grade (with the vocabulary included), but readers at lower grade levels will also enjoy the information and may want to stretch their skills to read it.
I look for books that have multiple applications. In the case of this one, I will use the great photos to motivate winter art projects. The sizes of hailstones and the thickness of the worst recorded glaze would be a good mathematical extension. I recommend this book for elementary or middle school libraries, especially those in schools that experience this type of weather.
Review posted on 5/7/2002
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