Volcanoes: Mountains That Blow Their Tops (Penguin Young Readers, L3)
Grade 1-3?Brief facts about volcanoes, presented in simple language. The narrative has a too-familiar tone and the author uses many exclamation points. An anecdote is told in the present tense: "The mountain blows its top!...Just two people get away. One is a girl. She knows a cave. She used to play there." Then readers are told, "This is a true story. It happened in 1902." Nirgiotis switches to the past tense for the more factual remainder of the book. The writing is awkward and confusing. Some volcanoes are mentioned by name, but while the story of the eruption of Paricutin in Mexico is told, its name and date are not mentioned. Brightly colored, inviting cut-paper illustrations magnify and clarify the text. Depictions of the different stages of Paricutin and before-and-after pictures of the eruption of Mount St. Helens create interest. However, the quality of the pictures does not make up for the inconsistencies in the text. A better title on Paricutin for this age group is Thomas P. Lewis's Hill of Fire (1971). Franklyn Branley's Volcanoes (1986, both HarperCollins) provides better factual coverage for a slightly older audience.?Anne Parker, Milton Public Library, MACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.