Customer Reviews

What's So Bad About Gasoline?: Fossil Fuels and What They Do (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)

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In What's So Bad About Gasoline, young readers find out what uses oil--cars, airplanes, boats, factories, and countless other machines. The world is dependent on oil as its main source of energy. Although oil is plentiful right now, the supply will eventually run out, and even worse, burning oil is very damaging to the environment.

This book in the Let's-Read-And-Find-Out Science series begins with a picture of cars and trucks jammed packed on a bridge that anyone who has been stuck in traffic will cringe at. Then it begins with everyday people filling up their cars with gasoline and goes on to explore what gasoline is, where it comes from, and why petroleum was known, but not valued until the late nineteenth century. Readers will learn how fuels have become widely used and depended on and have contributed to damaging our environment. The book is laid out in a simple and easy to understand format and the cartoon-like ink drawings make a difficult and serious subject fun for young readers.

But what good would a book like this be if it didn't offer alternatives and suggestions on how to cut back our gas consumption? Rockwell does just that and points out alternatives such as solar power, wind power, nuclear energy, and alternative fuels. The closing pages offer fast facts about gasoline and list related Internet sites. In a history section that moves quickly through the centuries, Rockwell presents facts that may intrigue adults as well as children.

When one of my kids asked me (almost verbatim) the question in this book's title, I had a hard time giving a satisfactory answer. So I was happy to find such a thorough explanation written in a way that kids will understand. The book covers pretty much every question a curious kid can ask, from the formation of petroleum, to the history of using fossil fuels, to the greenhouse effect, to the many ways we use petroleum products today, to how we get petroleum and coal, and even alternative energy sources. But it doesn't read like a textbook, and it never sounds preachy or biased. The illustrations are great, too.

Yes, this book makes some valid points about fuel consumption and it is done in a good format it overall misses the mark. It really should change the title into Fuel and Global Warming. I found it went a little too much into global warming and offered only limited solutions. It also basically blames global warming on primarily cars which is a falsehood. It does mention factories as a source as well but not nearly enough. It never says word one about airplanes as being a source of carbon emmisons though they are a significant factor. I would pass this book by in wanting to have your child learn about fossil fuels. Also, my child seemed pretty bored with it so not a winner in my household.