Earthquakes (Library Binding)

by Seymour Simon (Author) "Parts of the Earth are always moving..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
With the increasing coverage of earthquakes worldwide, readers' interest should be piqued for this lucid introduction. Veteran photo-essayist Simon has produced another characteristically concise and involving precis. Facts abound, concerning such topics as the Pacific Ring of Fire; faults, especially the San Andreas; strike- and dip-slips; seismographs; the Richter and Mercali Intensity Scales; sand boils; and more. As in all of Simon's work, the high-quality photos and the book's spacious, accessible design enhance and extend the clarity of his exposition. Simon's compelling glimpses of these mighty geological phenomena will give readers a new understanding of and appreciation for the awesome forces of nature. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-- A visually outstanding book with large, high-quality, full-color photographs depicting earthquake damage on every page. The diagrams are simple and exceptionally clear. Adding variety are deep blue pages with the text in white print. Simplified, yet accurate, nontechnical language is used to describe the geologic processes that cause earthquakes, their impact on people, and some devastating historic events. Recommendations for avoiding injury are mentioned, but the statement that "The chances of your being hurt in a quake are very, very slight" may not be very reassuring considering the nature of the photographs and statistics. For beginners, all the basic facts are here in easily understood terms and pictures. Radlauer's Earthquakes (Childrens, 1987) uses many scientific terms and is for older readers. Earthquakes (Childrens, 1982) by Challand is not as current or of equal quality. Branley's Earthquakes (Crowell, 1990) is comparable, but its smaller format and color drawings do not have the same aesthetic appeal. --Meryl Silverstein, American Museum of Natural History, New York City
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Morrow Junior Books (August 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688096344
• ISBN-13: 978-0688096342
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,109,316 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to understand information, February 3, 2001

By	Jane James "homeschoolmum" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earthquakes (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science) (Paperback)

This is a very good beginning book on the subject for children. It begins with scientific information about how earthquakes occur, and then goes through what may happen during an earthquake, such as buildings falling down, fires, gas leaks, etc. It goes into further particulars, such as how it feels to be in an earthquake, and what safety measures to take.

The illustrations are very simple, and not especially appealing, but they do help illustrate the points well.

All in all, a good book for children ages 8 -12 who live in earthquake prone areas, especially.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Earthquake facts and pictures., April 11, 2004

By	Amelia (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earthquakes (Paperback)

Seymour Simon's 1991 book gives an excellent and terse overview of the important ideas about earthquakes. With key terms defined simply but accurately, all accentuated by large color photographic depictions of the effects of earthquakes, Simon explains the pertinent information: what causes earthquakes, what happens during an earthquake, and the different types of earthquakes.

The book can be read from cover to cover, or bit by bit; each two-page spread stands fairly solidly on its own. The impact of the damage earthquakes can inflict is immediately apparent when the book opens with a stunning photograph of the way an earthquake turned "railroad tracks into twisted ribbons of steel." The most amazing photo in the book shows the way a wooden fence was "broken and offset eight feet" by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Simon takes what could be a very frightening concept for a young child and explains it in such a way as to make earthquakes more logical and less arbitrary. The final page of the book might be the best place for a nervous child to start reading, as Simon gives some suggestions of what to do during an earthquake. The book closes with the calming reassurance that the chances of being hurt in an earthquake are very slim.

This book does not include a great deal of detail, but I think it does a good job of what it is intended to do: introduce a child to the subject of earthquakes. The photographs are my favorite part.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Earthquakes galore... facts a-few, December 21, 2003

By	E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Earthquakes (Paperback)

Children living in areas where natural disasters, such as earthquakes, do not occur may not fully understand the true destructive powers of this earth-shaking phenomenon. This book does its best to render earthquakes understandable. To do so, it incorporates full pages of color photographs of destroyed buildings and houses. Having been published in 1991 originally, the book may have originally served as an answer to those children wishing to know more about the notorious 1989 San Francisco quake. I myself was 11 at the time, and curious about this bizarre force of nature. This book does much to show a variety of different quakes from around the world, and its large graphs are very helpful as well. Yet something about the presentation is displeasing to the eye. Full page pictures have no border and seemingly slip off the page. They tend to show houses destroyed by quakes without giving much thought to showing the earthquake-resistant houses being built at the time. Also, there isn't a single footnote or credit at the end of the book. Seymour Simon is notorious for his steadfast refusal to cite his sources in his non-fiction books. There is no denying that this is an interesting topic. I especially liked the informative section in the back that tells the reader how best to survive an earthquake on their own. And this book would read well in class, though perhaps students should look at it personally themselves to better understand the graphs and maps included. However, I urge those wanting a complete earthquake source to search out better cited non-fiction books, if they can.