Oklahoma’s devastating tornadoes in May raises the awareness to young people about weather and how it directly affects our lives. Here are some outstanding picture books bringing awareness on many interesting subjects. They are all geared for independent readers ages 9 and older, except for the last 2 books which are geared for ages 4 to 7. However, the format of all books will engage all ages.
Scholastic Discover More Series: Weather, by Penelope Arlon, has a similar lay-out with photos, time-lines and eyewitness accounts but it also discusses the many different types of weather and how weather systems are connected. There is an excellent exhibit of the EF, (enhanced fujita scale used for tornado strength) demonstrates the damages as the scale goes from EF0 to EF5. The contents are grouped into: Our Turbulent Earth, Extreme Weather and Working with Weather. Both books in this series has a helpful glossary located in t he back.
Atlantis: The Search for the Lost City, by Mary-Jane Knight and illustrated by Philip Chidlow is a collaboration that is ingenious as the reader must solve clues along the way as a 19th century submarine sets out to discover the lost city of Atlantis deep in the ocean. As the reader decodes puzzles, (using an enclosed intricate code wheel) as well as deciphering hieroglyphics, marine technology, navigation and map-reading will be learned along the way.
Coral Reefs, by Seymour Simon, showcases these endangered plant life through a variety of brilliantly colorful photos and easy to understand text. Children will begin to appreciate all that these reefs offer the underwater world and more than likely desire to help save them.
My Dog is a Hero: Working Dogs with Amazing Jobs!, by Anita Ganeri, is an inspiring book filled with stories about dogs who are trained to save lives and persevere in some of the most difficult and dangerous situations. Some of the dogs discussed include mountain rescue dogs, guide dogs and dogs trained to help protect soldiers.
Deadly! The Truth About the Most Dangerous Creatures on Earth, by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Neal Layton, is packed with interesting information that kids will find fascinating about snakes that spit poison, tigers that would have you for dinner and carpenter ants that will defend their colony with suffocating gluey poison that stops birds and larger predators. This is a book kids won’t put down!
What if You Had Animal Teeth!?, by Sandra Markle and illustrated humorously by Howard McWilliam, portrays animals with large or sharp teeth on one side of the open page. On the opposite page, there’s a humorous picture of those same teeth in the mouth of a child. Some of the teeth explored include shark, elephant and crocodile. There is some interesting information about animals and their teeth found in this smallish book.