The Weather Detectives ANNOTATION
Three children take a journey to Mars and Venus, encountering various meteorological phenomena along the way. Includes weather-related experiments and other activities.
SYNOPSIS
Follow the trail of The Weather Detectives as they discover pizza-sized snowflakes, see how a sudden temperature change can make a tree explode, and learn how to tell the temperature in the night sky by how fast the crickets are chirping. As kids read about the adventures of Bryan, Rudy, and Olivia, they learn all about the wonders of the atmosphere, barometric pressure, the sun, clouds, rain, wind, and snow. There are also fun and easy experiments to conduct on condensation and evaporation, making a rain gauge, and much more. Tag along with these delightful characters as they encounter a sandstorm on Mars, careen through the earth's atmosphere to witness a swirling hurricane, and dodge a treacherous tornado, a raging flash flood, a rumbling avalanche, and more-all as they learn fascinating and memorable lessons about weather! With dozens of interesting weather facts and safety tips, kids will never want to come back inside the house!
Author Bio:Mark Eubank graduated from the University of Utah in 1972 with a bachelor of science in meteorology. For twenty years he owned and operated WeatherBank Inc., a weather consulting firm. Mark was the weatherman for KUTV for twenty-two years and is currently the weatherman for KSL TV in Salt Lake City, Utah. Eubank also served as chief meteorologist for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
Mark A. Hicks is an award-winning illustrator who has done work for many books, magazines, advertising firms, puzzles, and games. He lives with his family in Arizona.
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6-Two young weather detectives traveling with an astronaut friend begin their investigations on Mars. After escaping a dust storm by calculating its speed, the group explores assorted weather phenomena on Earth. The three go from Florida, where they learn about cloudbursts and hurricanes, to Alabama to find out about freezing rain. As they crisscross the U.S., they experience the highest and lowest recorded temperatures, huge hailstones, snowflakes as large as pizzas, and the Chinook winds. Tips for surviving tornadoes and hurricanes are included. Simple experiments, activities, and additional facts are set aside in boxed sections. Playful cartoon watercolor-and-pen illustrations, dialogue bubbles, and the enthusiastic writing style add to the fun. There is a table of contents, but no index, thus consigning this accessible book to browsing.-Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Travel around the planet and beyond at lightning speed with three kids, investigating weather phenomena like the causes of tornadoes, hurricanes, ice and hail storms, flash floods, Northern Lights, and more. Meteorologist Eubank includes plenty of oddities-raining frogs and hailstones as big as baseballs-as well as useful information: tips for tornadoes, highest and lowest recorded temperatures, and some simple experiments to make sense of weather systems. Without index or sources, though, the serious weather researcher will need to look elsewhere, but the title, which reads like an early chapter book, will spark the interest of science enthusiasts. Cartoon-like watercolor-and-pen drawings show an interracial trio of elementary-age kids interviewing experts and getting in the middle of weird weather. Kids are upbeat, enthusiastic, and curious, except for Rudy, the poor redhead who spends most of his time whining, hiding under chairs, or pacing nervously; maybe next time they should leave him at home. For the popular-science section. (Nonfiction. 8-10)
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