Blue Planet (Wide World Series) - Hardcover

Hehner, Barbara Embury; Maxwell, Ted A., Ph.D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152004238 ISBN 13: 9780152004231

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 1992

Synopsis

An illustrated survey of planet Earth and its characteristics, features, and processes explains how creatures interact in diverse ecosystems, the planet's efficient recycling systemes, weather phenomena and seismic activity, and more.

About this title

Reviews

Grade 5 Up-- Like Embury's The Dream Is Alive (HarperCollins, 1990), this is a big, eye filling look at our planet, based on an IMAX film and featuring huge, sharp, full-color photos, many taken from orbit. While describing the Earth's surface structure, climate, plate tectonics, and natural disasters, the author adds shots of a burning rain forest, silt-laden rivers, etc., to show the effects of the thoughtless treatment of the environment and sounding a clear warning that disaster is at hand. She emphasizes the fact that the biosphere is a closed system, that there is no ``away'' to throw things. It's an important observation, but the pictures make a stronger impression than the text; the photo of Krakatoa erupting, or the unusual aerial view of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake, are likely to evoke more response than the general references to food chains and webs, the Rio Summit, or various reclamation projects; further, Hehner offers neither a definite plan of action, nor sources of further information. While visually stunning, this title is intellectually less impressive. Lauber's equally beautiful Seeing Earth from Space (Orchard, 1990) surveys the same ground, so to speak, in more memorable ways. --John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Visitors to the nation's science museums are often treated to the extraordinary films created for the gigantic IMAX film technology, which is designed for "screens up to eight stories high and eighty feet wide." These oversized companion books, perhaps best suited for sale in the shops in museums showing these features, are a hodgepodge of admittedly compelling "pure science" (contained mostly in shaded sidebars), coupled with texts that, because they are film-script based, sometimes seem disjointed and lacking in a unifying narrative line. The most striking features of these handsomely designed and packaged volumes are their attractive, open pages featuring often spectacular color photos selected from the films. Blue Planet concentrates on the earth's ecosystems and devotes particular attention to its waters and the fast-disappearing tropical rain forests. To the Limit focuses on the human body and the uncommon levels of skill and endurance required by such high-risk sports as mountain-climbing and downhill racing, and explores the special demands on the body imposed by classical ballet and marathon running. Best for browsing, these involving works should appeal particularly to scientifically minded readers. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152004238
• ISBN 13: 9780152004231
• Binding: Hardcover