Why Does Lightning Strike?: Questions Children Ask About the Weather (Why Books, 1)

Answers some basic questions about the weather including why lightning strikes and why rainbows appear

Kindergarten-Grade 2. These titles look exciting and promising, but prove to be disappointing in content. They use an appealing question-and-answer format to discuss color, nature, the human body, and weather. Full-color photos are splashed on the pages surrounded by blocks of text in a kind of scrapbook layout. However, the explanations assume a great deal of background knowledge. For example, "Why do things come in lots of different colors?" is answered with, "Most objects are colored by dyes or pigments. Dyes dissolve in water and color things like clothes, paper... Pigments coat surfaces and are found in things like paint." What are dyes? What is pigment? No glossary is provided and these questions are unanswered. "Why are pink flamingos pink?" "Flamingos eat so many shrimp and other pink creatures that it's no wonder they're pink from beak to toe." Although it's true that shrimp affect a flamingo's coloring, the reasons are far more complex. In Why Do We Laugh?, readers are told that "Laughter is one way of releasing tension when you find something funny." "Why do I cry? A good long cry is another way to release tension." While these answers might be true, they don't adequately explain the natural occurrences behind the questions. This series seems hastily put together with more thought given to the photos and layout than to providing accurate information. Joyce Pope's Do Animal's Dream? (1986; o.p.) and Why do the Seasons Change? (1987; o.p., both Viking) provide a better handling of similar subjects.?Helen Rosenberg, Chicago Public Library, IL
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