I love these books… well that’s not true. These books bore me to tears. .. I guess that is not entirely true either. These books are ones I would never have touched until I had this kid (my Big M). This kid who runs through the library in search of a “fact book”. This kid who has so many questions about the world around us. This kid who gets excited about how things work and why things happen. So now (because of this kid) I am also on the hunt for awesome fact books, curious about the answers he is searching for, and excited by things like how a volcano comes to be.
Reading Tip ~ Remember that all readers have book preferences. Introduce a wide variety of books, but make sure to include books from your kids’ favorite section… even if you wouldn’t normally pick it up.
Volcano Book Review
Witness to Disaster: Volcanoes
Judy & Dennis Fradin
Do you know how a volcano comes to be? I do. At least I know how Paricutin came to be. The story is laid out in Witness to Disaster: Volcanoes very first chapter. I love how easy this story is to follow and understand… so simply written.
We started reading this while hubs was making breakfast. He just couldn’t resist interrupting with frequent excited comments. It’s so fun when a book can interest a 6 year old and a 30 year old with the same information.
Volcanoes
Elaine Landau
This one offers a wide range of Volcano focused topics. We learned about how volcanoes occur, how volcanoes are useful and how robots are used to help study volcanoes.
The pictures in this book explain a lot without the kids needing to know how to read. (Important for my brand new reader… who loves fact books.)
If you think these Volcano Books are cool… make sure to check out the volcano lesson plan they inspired. (Starting tomorrow.)
Sign up to receive playful learning ideas and parenting tips in your inbox… you don’t want to miss a thing!
Delivered by FeedBurner
I know what you mean about the books that you wouldn’t touch otherwise. I let my daughter take her own picks in the library. Luckily, she is reading fluently enough, and I don’t have to read her books that I cannot stand, like those Rainbow Fairies stories 🙂
Ugh! I know just the books you are talking about… I love books like Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Poppy. So glad Little M hasn’t gotten hooked on the Rainbow Fairies yet!
Im a geography graduate, and a primary School teacher, I get SO excited by these books:) I have passed all my encyclopaedias from my childhood on to my eldest boy (he’s 3). He also has my teachers book of science experiments.
The other night when I asked him to choose his bedtime story he picked up the geography encyclopaedia and chose the page about mountains. I was So happy;)
Ahhh! What a happy Mommy you must be! What a lucky kid to have those books at his fingertips and a Mom who appreciates them!
Thank you for these reviews. I have been meaning to have a look for some books about volcanoes and plate tectonics as my daughter is fascinated by them. I look forward to your lesson plan too.
Perfect! She will probably love these books. Big M loves natural disasters. Tornadoes are his favorite subject.
I remember taking a class about picking the BEST books for children, all the qualities to look for in those perfect books. I also remember thinking that the best books are the books that each child loves the best, not the ones that might fit the criteria that adults pick.
Very well said! It doesn’t matter how wonderful a book is if a kid doesn’t pick it up!