Why are icebergs more dangerous to ships than they look? 

REVIEWS:

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Perhaps Simon’s nonfiction for children is so successful because he gets readers involved in the environment around them, with both arresting and accessible facts. In this new book, he tells readers that the largest glacier ever measured is 200 miles…

Perhaps Simon's nonfiction for children is so successful because he gets readers involved in the environment around them, with both arresting and accessible facts. In this new book, he tells readers that the largest glacier ever measured is 200 miles long and 60 miles across; but it's also "bigger than the state of Vermont or the country of Belgium." And those glaciers move. Simon also covers how ice fields form and become mobile, and why they are dangerous. Readers who put icebergs and glaciers in the same category as dinosaurs from a time long ago learn of the relatively recent tragedy of the Titanic, and that icebergs someday may be used as fresh water sources in deserts. The facts are coupled with clear, full-color photographs; the correlation between text and illustration is direct and obvious, making captions unnecessary. Simon suggests that readers take a look at landscapes around them they may just see a place where a glacier has passed by. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, Jonathan Betz-Zall, Sno-Isle Regional Library System, Marysville, Wash.

Grade 3-6. This treatment of glaciers and icebergs is beautifully illustrated, and the text is clear and well-written. Simon describes the physical composition and properties of glacial ice, including new findings of how glaciers move: either by sliding on films…

Grade 3-6. This treatment of glaciers and icebergs is beautifully illustrated, and the text is clear and well-written. Simon describes the physical composition and properties of glacial ice, including new findings of how glaciers move: either by sliding on films of water or by internal flows``creeping.'' He presents facts at a basic level, without much explanation or detail, and uses fairly simple vocabulary. Every spread is illustrated with beautiful color photographs, including one computer-colored photo of Iceland that shows temperature variations. Type is large, with lots of white space. In comparison, Tangborn's Glaciers (Crowell, 1965; o.p.) is illustrated with expository drawings, has a lower vocabulary level, and discusses mostly the effects of glaciers (rather than the process). The Nixons' Glaciers (Dodd, 1980) and Robin's Glaciers and Ice Sheets (Watts, 1984), which are for older readers, have much more information. This one would almost be worth adding to collections for the spectacular illustrations alone, but Simon's lively and informative text makes the book even more impressive.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

For most of us, it is hard to believe that ice and snow cover almost one-tenth of the Earth all year round. Even harder to believe is that there was a time when ice and snow covered most of the…

For most of us, it is hard to believe that ice and snow cover almost one-tenth of the Earth all year round. Even harder to believe is that there was a time when ice and snow covered most of the U.S. What is it like in Antartica and parts of Alaska, Greenland, Canada, and Iceland, where glaciers always exist? How do they form? Where do icebergs come from? Will the ice age ever return? This insightful book answers these questions and more. Beginning with the description of the snowflake, the book explains how a glacier moves, how scientists study them, and how icebergs appear. Ice caps, rock flour, and ice sheets are also discussed. Photographs on every page capture some of the most amazing sights on Earth.

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