The ground beneath your feet is solid, right? After all, how could we build houses and bridges if the land was moving all the time? Actually, the ground beneath us really is moving very slowly all the time! In Fault Lines and Tectonic Plates: Discover What Happens When the Earth's Crust Moves, readers ages 9 through 12 learn what exactly is going on under the dirt.
When slowly drifting continents bump up against each other along fault lines we experience earthquakes, volcanoes, and tidal waves! Mountains and trenches are visible results of the slow movement of the earth's crust, as tectonic plates create the landscape of our world over time.
With science-minded projects such as a homemade earthquake "shake table" and edible tectonic boundaries, this book makes the complex and fascinating topic of plate tectonics accessible for kids. Readers learn the geological reasons behind earthquakes and also practical ways of behaving in those types of natural disasters. Links to online primary sources and videos make concepts clear and encourage kids to maintain a healthy curiosity in the topic. Guided reading levels and Lexile measurements place this title with appropriate audiences.
Kathleen Reilly has written several books for Nomad Press, including Planet Earth: 25 Environmental Projects You Can Build Yourself; Explore Weather and Climate! With 25 Great Projects; Explore Soil! With 25 Great Projects, and Natural Disasters: Investigate Earth's Most Destructive Forces. Kate lives in Raleigh, NC.
Chad Thompson is a graduate of Columbus College of Art and Design and has worked at Walt Disney Feature Animation studio in Florida animating movies. He illustrated Micronations: Invent Your Own Country and Culture for Nomad Press. Chad lives in Kissimmee, FL.
School Library Connection
This title begins with a timeline that traces plate tectonic history from the formation of the supercontinent Pangaea, through the construction of the Glomar Challenger research vessel, and concluding with a chapter about the future of plate tectonics, all the while expanding on Earth science theories that help explain earthquakes, volcanoes, ridges, and trenches. The format and style is similar to a textbook, filled with numerous teaching and reading aids such as boxed and highlighted vocabulary, QR codes that direct readers to additional resources, Fun Facts, charts and graphs, diagrams, and essential questions. After each chapter there are several hands-on activities that help explain specific concepts, though not always the central concepts of the chapter. A few require adult assistance. All illustrations are cartoon-style drawings. Upper elementary students who are fascinated by the forces of nature may find this title filled with the information they crave, though general readers may find the book too much like a textbook. Teachers will find helpful activities to use in their classrooms. Additional Resources. Glossary. Index. Recommended
Explore Solids and Liquids! With 25 Great Projects
Library Media Connections
With a frog-like creature with Albert Einstein face as the guide, each chapter provides background material leading the reader to a series of well-constructed hands-on activities." Recommended
Booklist
"Experimenters are asked to make predictions, try multiple variations, and record observations. . . This should provide inspiration and insights into scientific exploration for students, teachers, and budding mad scientists.
Cities: Discover How They Work with 25 Projects
2014 Silver Moonbeam Award
Booklist
"Propounding the emerging interdisciplinary paradigm of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and design, and mathematics), this hands-on informational book discusses how cities; complex structures and systems function together . . . Reilly helps foster an appreciation for the way that cities function almost as organisms with vibrant systems and interdependent structures."
School Library Journal
According to the 2010 Census, 80% of Americans live in urban areas. But do they know what it takes to make a city run? From this well-organized and engaging text, readers will learn how cities developed and grew. . . this is a worthy title for any library collection."
Planet Earth: 25 Environmental Projects You Can Build Yourself
2008 Bronze Moonbeam Award
National Science Teachers Association
"This delightful and informative guide to the natural world is sure to captivate the attention of young readers. . ."
Booklist
"Both comprehensive and approachable, this title in the Projects You Can Build Yourself series combines explanations of science concepts and environmental issues with hands-on projects. . ."
Curriculum Connections: School Library Journal
". . . presents background material and easy-to-replicate activities that focus on the basic elements of the natural world and environmental issues."