Natural Disasters through Infographics

November 1, 2013

Gr 3-5-A well-designed infographic simultaneously conveys facts and presents their interrelationships in visual ways. With but rare exceptions (such as a graph of multiple star characteristics in Solar System, a representation of the water cycle in Weather, and the occasional pie chart elsewhere), the silhouettes and other figures in these volumes may be done in a pictorial graphic style but are really just illustrations or images inserted to add visual interest. However, each title does offer sheaves of basic information in particularly concentrated form, including topic-expanding closing spreads ("10 Ways to Live Green" in Life Science, for instance), and the resources lists are above average.

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Grades 3-5 This introduction to seismic events, from earthquakes to tsunamis, features brightly colored illustrations that give the title high visual energy. Along with maps showing tectonic plates and the locations of various hot spots and historical catastrophes, the images include schematic views of four kinds of volcanoes, quake-resistant features in San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid, and demonstrations of how the shape of a tsunami changes as it rolls over a continental shelf. Short descriptions of record-breaking disasters, the earth scientists who study their causes, survival techniques during disasters, and other high-interest topics are interspersed throughout the spreads. Eye-catching but limited in scope and level of detail, this entry in the Super Science Infographics would be best read as a supplement to more comprehensive titles, such as Claire Watts' Natural Disasters (2012) and Lydia Bjornlund's Natural Disaster Research (2012).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)