The Sierra Club Book of Weatherwisdom - Hardcover

This ``Complete Guide for Young Forecasters'' consists of a meandering description of weather and climate, together with experiments and activities to illustrate weather principles. McVey suggests that anyone can be ``weatherwise'': able to predict weather by paying attention to natural patterns and figuring out how they work. As examples, she briefly describes an Inca boy who bases his prediction of a rainy growing season on the size of Tacarari spider eggs; a boy in the Sahara who is alerted to a coming sirocco by the strange yellow of the sky; and an elderly Puerto Rican whose aching joints presage a hurricane. Unfortunately, there's little effort to explain how these ``natural observations'' are based in science. In addition, readers hear about ``Molly Molecule'' drifting to earth, then learn how to read a weather map and how to make a hydrometer, terrarium, and weather vane. A hodgepodge of facts, stories and activities, presented in a colloquial tone and adding up to a less-than-satisfying introduction to the topic. Glossary; index. (Nonfiction. 10-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Grade 5-9-- This book on weather wisdom uses a personalized style to reach readers. Climate in various parts of the world and weather survival skills are told through the stories of fictionalized children. The hydrologic cycle is explained by following "Molly the Molecule" from the Pacific Ocean to a cloud to a rainstorm in Minnesota to the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. There is some hard science here, both in explanations and in the instructions for building a terrarium and simple weather instruments. The emphasis is on using scientific observation to predict the weather through watching both the atmosphere and the plant and animal kingdom. Some black-and-white pen-and-ink drawings support explanations, while others are merely decorative. Some are too unscientific for the intended audience. The book's most valuable contributions are the instructions for the instruments and the stress on the need for careful observation of the natural world. --Margaret M. Hagel, Norfolk Public Library System, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.