Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Fiery Mount: Volcanoes
Nonfiction
For ages 10 and up
The Creative Company, 2004 ISBN: 978-1583412558
Most of us are fascinated by volcanoes, those mysterious mountains which can explode with so little warning. In fact it is only the active and sometimes dormant volcanoes which erupt and only "50 to 60 active volcanoes erupt in any given year." Of these most erupt without much fuss. It is only occasionally that volcanoes build the right amount of pressure to produce an explosion which captures the interest of the world. In 1980 quiet, seemingly dormant Mount St. Helens in Washington State suddenly exploded with the force of five hundred atomic bombs and a good portion of the mountain blew into the sky. Luckily very few people lost their lives as a result of the eruption.
In this excellent title in the "Lifeviews" series the author provides his readers with a comprehensive description of how volcanoes occur, the forces that create them, the types of volcanoes there are, and much more. He also explains that our planet would not be the living planet that it is today were it not for volcanoes. Well written, beautifully presented, and packed with superb annotated photographs, this book is especially well suited for use in school libraries and classrooms.
