Customer Reviews

How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming (About Our Changing Climate)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In a unique partnership, photojournalist Gary Braasch, and children's author Lynne Cherry have teamed up to fill a gap in the myriad of books coming out about global warming. This book focuses on students as a vital part of the research teams assisting scientists in documenting the changes in our environment. The book is a pleasure to read with all its beautiful pictures and clearly explained concepts.
The first section of the book is about where clues about climate change are found. Students are featured gathering data about migrating birds and butterflies, the changing of the seasons, water quality and flow, tree growth, plant diversity and range, and frog populations. Clues are explained such as tree rings, levels of carbon dioxide, changes in penguin and polar bear habitats, melting glaciers, rising ocean levels, and information gathered from mud and ice samples.
In the second section, the focus is on the interconnectivity of all life. Hypotheses are presented with graphs and other visuals to explain some of the effects we are already seeing and those thought to be on the way. Throughout the book, kids are introduced to the scientists doing the research.
The third section is about what kids and scientists can do together to both gather data and mitigate the effects of global warming. Projects are featured along with their teachers and students. Concrete suggestions are presented on how to reduce your carbon "footprint" or impact on the environment. The power of one voice is shown with political action and environmental advocacy. The book is one of hope about such a serious topic.
The resource section contains internet sites and books for further reading for the topics presented. A teacher's guide is available for order.

How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming is a nonfiction science book for young people about a hot-button modern issue. Written with the assistance of top scientists in the field, How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate goes into depth on climate science. Though How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate is lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs throughout, its meticulous attention to detail and mere quantity of text is well beyond that of an ordinary picturebook, making it best suited for young adults teenagers, and even curious adults. "Ornithologists were finding that birds were arriving earlier and changing their range - the places animals or plants can be found year after year... But why, they wondered, were these changes happening?" Of particular interest is the final "What You - and a Million Kids - Can Do" section, which lists positive ways kids can help the environment and reduce their carbon footprint, such as recycling, using compact fluorescents instead of light bulbs, minimizing use of appliances and unplugging those not needed, eating less meat, buying less, and getting involved in the community. Highly recommended especially for public and school library collections.

b.elsewhere,

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), publisher of the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Science, strongly disagrees with your opinion. The AAAS just released its list of top science books for children and teens, and this book was on it.
See http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/aaft-aat120508.php

A book that's good enough for the AAAS is good enough for any kid interested in science. I'm ordering this one for my niece.

This is a great book for kids, especially, but for adults as well; I read it and enjoyed it and learned some things I didn't know about our changing climate. It is loaded with facts and information about climate change and global warming. The tightly written text is accompanied by a host of beautiful, glossy photographs as well as numerous charts and graphs. Science terms are both italicized and well defined in the text.

The book is set up in four sections. "Section one: Where We Find Clues About Climate Change" shows how data has been collected and research is being done about the changes in bird, butterfly and penguin populations as well as the changing tundra and landscapes in different parts of the world. "Section two: Fitting the Clues Together" tells how the facts and data collected in Section One are used to create models and computer programs showing changes that have already occurred and modeling and predicting what other changes will take place if the trend in global warming continues. "Section Three: What Scientists and You can Do" lists a whole array of things that can be done to reduce our "climate (carbon) footprint". "Section Four: Resources" gives all the resources used in the book and tells where readers can go for more information.

A Teacher's Guide is available from the publisher for teachers who would like to use this book in their classrooms. I believe this book would make an excellent classroom resource. There's lots of information about student groups worldwide that are helping scientists with their data collections.

There are so many good things to say about this book I hate to even mention the bad ones. But, alas, almost every book seems to have at least one thing about it that could be improved; this book has three. Let's not call them bad things, though; let's just say there are a couple of things I would do to improve the book.

First, I would correct the typo on page 39. (See if you can find it!). Then, I would add a glossary to the end of the book. There are a lot of science terms that are used throughout the book that are both italicized and defined in the text, keeping the text flowing and the narrative going. But, I think a glossary would be an added bonus for both students and teachers. If you want to find the meaning of a term, say tree cookies, you could leaf through the pages until you came to it on page 22; but, wouldn't it be easier to just go to a glossary at the back of the book and find the term listed there? Just a thought. . .

Even if you don't believe in global warming, you should appreciate the beautiful photos and the rich text of this fact-filled book. I give it 4 stars.

One of the worst things about reading global warming books is that feeling of helplessness that sets in as statistic is added to statistic. Now, at last, Lynne Cherry has produced a well illustrated text that tells us how we can help by observing and documenting changes in the world around us. There are no grand claims, no easy solutions, but the hope that as we know more about what is happening, the better we will know what to do. At the back of the book, Cherry lists where we can submit our observations. As one who works in community service, I am impressed at how this book takes education into the real world. I have given it to our 5th grade faculty for service learning.

How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate is highly recommended.

I purchased the book to serve as a reference for my First Lego League robotics team as our 2008 challenge is about climate and global warming. The text and format are engaging and the photos are awesome. As a former teacher, I can see how this could serve as an effective instructional tool and informational resource for teachers and students.

). "Global warming" and "climate change" are terms related to a subject that has been in the news quite a bit lately. After a brief discussion of "What is Science?" with an explanation of hypotheses, theories, facts, and belief, authors Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch present evidence from birds, flowers, butterflies, tropical rain forests, trees rings, boreal forests, the tundra, the North and South Poles, glaciers, the ocean, coastlines, carbon dioxide measurements, mud layers, and ice cores, gathered by scientists all over the world, sometimes with assistance from young "citizen scientists," regarding our changing climate. Subsequent sections present what can be done to learn about climate change and to take action to make a difference.
In doing some background research for this book review, I found that there really is no argument regarding the evidence so ably presented in How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate. The facts are there for all to see. It is hard to deny that our climate is somewhat warmer right now than it has been at various times in the past. The debate rages over the interpretation of the evidence. Many scientists believe that our current climate change is the result of human activity and must be reversed by taking steps to lower our "carbon footprints." Other equally qualified, reputable, and serious scientists are convinced that the present "global warming" is simply part of a natural cycle of earth's meteorological patterns and there is really not much that we can do to alter it. Whatever one's opinion of global warming is, the book does raise some important questions, so each person can read it and decide for himself.

Very nice composition, art work and presentation. A beautiful book.

Unfortunately, herein is a lot of valid science that is irrelevant to the central thesis. Yes, climate change is probably real. Yes, humanity is contributing to the concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. However, together these observations do not scientifically demonstrate that humanity is destroying the earth and must retrogress civilization or die. In fact, there are other potentially valid explanations and possible outcomes.

I wish all the kids subjected to this stuff had the insight to parse it properly. Without that, charting when the leaves turn, or when birds migrate, could make many young minds paranoid.

(real name withheld to avoid the inevitable "Denier" flaming)