Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Volcanoes: Journey to the Crater's Edge
Illustrator: David Giraudon
Photographer: Philippe Bourseiller
For ages 12 and up
Abrams, 2003 ISBN: 978-0810945906
It is truly remarkable to be able to see what can only be called 'portraits' of volcanoes and the places and the people that they have affected. IN this book each portrait is accompanied by text which describes the volcano and its history. Many of these descriptions are full of fascinating little-known details about the volcanoes and how they affected people, climate, the environment, and history. From this collection we are able to put together a 'big picture' in our minds of how volcanoes have influenced the lives of thousands of people all over the world.
Included in the book is a brief but very comprehensive description of volcanoes and why they occur, and also a description of how the photographer, Philippe Bourseiller, took the photographs that the reader can enjoy in the book. His was a difficult, and often dangerous, task, but it was very much a labour of love. The photographer shows us sides and faces of volcanoes that most of us never imagined existed and he also shows us how entwined these phenomena are with the lives of people all over the world; in Iceland, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, the United States, and more. This is truly an exceptional book, beautiful to look at and absorbing to read.
