Weather

Close to the Wind

Author(s): 
Peter Malone
Sometimes your casual pick-up-what-looks-good from the library hits jackpot--last week it was one of those instances for us. Close to the Wind by Peter Malone gets very close to being the picture book par excellence. In every aspect, this gem brings the very best of the world of picture books: beautiful, detail-rich illustrations, a captivating story, plenty of educational content, and great use of visual diagrams, side notes and explanatory illustrations. Good picture books, I am always exclaiming, are so helpful in the homeschool. What did we know about the Beaufort Scale before this find?

Storms

Book cover: Storms
Author(s): 
Seymour Simon

Like Seymour Simon's book on Lightning, reviewed above, this text combines incredible photographs with very interesting text to introduce young readers to some basics of severe weather. The text concentrates on thunderstorms, lightning, hail, tornadoes, and hurricanes. The statistics and little stories about these storms are weird and fascinating and you'll also find lots of solid scientific content.

Flash, Crash, Rumble and Roll

Book cover: Flash, Crash, Rumble and Roll
Author(s): 
Franklyn M. Branley
Illustrator(s): 
True Kelley

This simple, nicely illustrated (cartoon-like pictures) children's book explains important concepts of science in a very easy-to-understand fashion. The reader is introduced to the way thunderclouds form and where thunder and lightning come from. The scientific content is substantial and very accessible. The story line is rounded out with tips for staying safe during a storm. My children have been fascinated by the details about the inside of a thundercloud, how fast sound and light travel, how you can measure the distance thunder travels and more.

Lightning

Book cover: Lightning
Author(s): 
Seymour Simon

Seymour Simon, famous for his children's science books illustrated with stunning photography, hits another home run with Lightning. This fascinating book details facts and fascinating statistics about lightning with lots of the "wow!" effect that helps keep middle-schoolers interested in science. Did you know that scientists have discovered new types of lightning within the past ten years? How long would the electricity from one bolt of lightning power one lightbulb? These and many more fascinating photos and facts await the reader of this very nice science book.