Lightning strikes the earth more than a hundred times every second of every day of the year.

REVIEWS:

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, Blair Christolon, Prince William Library, Manassas, VA

Grade 1-5. A purple-hued cover photo attracts readers to this fascinating topic. The stunning, vibrantly colored photographs help to explain the text, illustrating points such as the differences between the three kinds of lightning. Short, simple sentences make this topic…

Grade 1-5. A purple-hued cover photo attracts readers to this fascinating topic. The stunning, vibrantly colored photographs help to explain the text, illustrating points such as the differences between the three kinds of lightning. Short, simple sentences make this topic accessible to younger readers but do not talk down to older report writers. Simon emphasizes precautions about lightning (for example, "If you are in water, get out as soon as possible"). He also lists safe places to be if you are caught out in the open during a lightning storm. Libraries that own Stephen Kramer's Lightning (Carolrhoda, 1992) or Jonathan Kahl's Thunderbolt (Lerner, 1993) may not need an additional title covering similar material, but the outstanding photos make Simon's book a striking selection.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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BOOKLIST, Chris Sherman

Gr. 3-6. Simon’s simple yet dramatic description of lightning as a "river of electricity rushing through an ocean of air" sets the tone for this excellent photo-essay. The subject is exciting, the information is amazing, and the full-color photographs are…

Gr. 3-6. Simon's simple yet dramatic description of lightning as a "river of electricity rushing through an ocean of air" sets the tone for this excellent photo-essay. The subject is exciting, the information is amazing, and the full-color photographs are riveting, each spectacular picture more exciting than the last. Simon's explanations are concise but thorough. He includes plenty of information for student researchers--incredible statistics about lightning strikes and storms, explanations of different types of lightning (including some recently discovered ones), and information on how lightning occurs and is studied by scientists. There are also some intriguing anecdotes to add texture to the facts. The book will be a valuable addition to science classrooms and library collections serving a variety of age levels. Even students older than the target audience will enjoy browsing the wonderful pictures, some of which were taken by storm chaser Warren Faidley, whose career is explored in Kramer's Eye of the Storm, reviewed elsewhere in this issue.

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