Volcano Rising

by Elizabeth Rusch, Susan Swan (Illustrator)

Overview

Volcanoes are a scary, catastrophic phenomenon that creates mass destruction as far as its deadly lava can reach, right? Not quite . . .

Elizabeth Rusch explores volcanoes in their entirety, explaining how they’re not all as bad as they’re made out to be. Using examples of real volcanoes from around the world, Rusch explains how some volcanoes create new land, mountains, and islands where none existed before, and how the ash helps farmers fertilize their fields. Simple, straight-forward prose provides readers with the basics, while a secondary layer of text delves deeper into the science of volcanoes. Susan Swan’s bright and explosive mixed-media illustrations perfectly complement the subject matter—they depict volcanoes in all their destructive and creative glory.

Complete with a glossary and list of further resources, VOLCANO RISING is a unique look at a fierce, yet valuable, scientific process.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580894098
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	49,722
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	NC1090L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Rusch is a writer and journalist with a strong interest in volcanoes. Her children's books include THE MIGHTY MARS ROVERS: THE INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES OF SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY and FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC: THE REMARKABLE STORY OF MARIA ANNA MOZART. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Editorial Reviews

Rusch (Will It Blow?, Sasquatch, 2007) writes again of volcanoes, this time focusing on their ability to create as well as destroy. Her two-layered text offers a simpler wording for younger readers and another with more complete information for older ones in a smaller font below. Readers learn that most volcanoes are both destructive and creative, with creative eruptions happening three times more than destructive ones. What's created? Mountains, islands, new lava domes, repaired scarred land. Rusch starts with an explanation of magma and lava (but curiously never defines volcano for the younger set) and goes on to explain it is gas that determines if the eruption is creative or destructive. Creative eruptions happen slowly all over the world and can continue over extended periods of time. Her concrete examples help make clear the variety and positives of eruptions, detailing the formation of the Hawaiian islands, Paricutin, and Surtsey, the rebuilding of Mount St. Helens, and the smoothing of the Yellowstone caldera. The text for the younger set is filled with action nouns and verbs, with plenty of onomatopoeia mixed in. A glossary (aptly called ?Volcano Vocabulary'), a selected bibliography of books and websites, and suggestions for learning more round out the text. There is no index. Swan's colorful, vibrant collages, a digitally manipulated combination of objects and textured papers show much more than just volcanoes; her double-spread images include plants, wildlife, and people. When appropriate, images are clearly labeled; terms used are well-defined in the glossary. It would have been helpful to highlight these terms in the smaller text, alerting readers to turn to the glossary. This is but a minor quibble in an otherwise interesting, exciting book. It is perfect for science class and could be used as an excellent example of the integration of arts and science as well. Reviewer: Peg Glisson

Children's Literature - Peg Glisson

09/01/2013
Gr 3–4—Rusch offers a twin-sided look at the power of volcanoes-their capability for destruction, and, surprisingly, of creation. Her informative text continues the split in personality with, on one side, an easy sentence or two dramatically describing eruptions with a heavily accented "POW!" or "SPURT." On the other is a longer, more complex paragraph giving further data for older readers or for teachers and homeschooling parents. Included are such topics as the Yellowstone supervolcano, the emergence of undersea volcanoes, and the creation of Paricutín in a Mexican cornfield. All of this information is placed on a backdrop of Swan's dramatic artwork, a combination of hand-painted papers, digital paintings, and Photoshop scans that include a puffin taking off from the sea near Surtsey and Kilauea's pahoehoe lava flowing violently into the cold Pacific waters. Pair this book with Lisa Westberg Peters's Volcano Wakes Up! (Holt, 2010) for a lava-full celebration of vulcanology.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

Blowing their tops off, growing taller and wider, and forming new mountains and islands, volcanoes can be both destructive and creative. Extraordinary illustrations complement this description of eight extraordinary Earth events. A dual-level narrative provides both a simple explanation of how volcanoes work and longer paragraphs that go into greater depth. Rusch offers as examples eight volcanoes from around the world. From barely perceptible swellings of the land in central Oregon to a whole new island in Iceland and the vast caldera left by explosions in the Yellowstone area, the variety of volcanic activities may surprise readers. The text is set on gorgeous full-bleed images, sometimes realistic and sometimes allusive. Swan has digitally manipulated collages of found objects, textures and hand-painted papers, putting them together in ways that suggest the varied scenery of her examples. Palm trees, puffins and people give depth to vast landscapes. The colors are particularly striking: jade and turquoise waters, red and orange magma and hot lava, shades of gray and brown for the ash. In her read-aloud text, Rusch makes plentiful use of onomatopoetic words: "Pow!" "Hisssss!" "Gurgle," "Tssss." The fuller explanations introduce, define and, when necessary, offer a suggested pronunciation for more technical words: pahoehoe (a kind of cooled lava surface), tephra, lava bombs. A clever and appealing introduction to a remarkable natural phenomenon. (glossary, bibliography, further reading) (Informational picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews