Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground

March 15, 2020
A view of the "important jobs" that soil and all the things that live in it have. Considering the uncountable plants, animals, fungi, and microbes that live there, soil is a busy place--as the page design goes overboard in reflecting, with floating labels, teeming dollops of fact in diverse typefaces, snippets of photographs, and larger images done in a printlike style shoveled together in high-density arrays of angled or undulating lines on every spread. After opening with an overview of soil's roles, particularly in regulating climate, the discourse plows through its organic and inorganic elements, how it varies in different environments, the living things that populate it, and, in broader context, how the dusty surfaces of the moon and Mars compare. Earthworms are such major players that they get two spreads of their own, six mentions of their "poop," and instructions for setting up a catch-and-release "worm hotel." Because the visuals are more about flash than furthering understanding, and the authors too seem bent on cramming in the dazzle ("Astronauts tried tasting moon dust!"), readers with a yen to dig deep may just scuff through this before going on to more fertile surveys like Marc ter Horst's Hey There, Earth Dweller, illustrated by Wendy Panders and translated by Laura Watkinson (2019), or Tom Jackson's Earth Sciences (2019). Peeks under lots of rocks and logs but barely scratches the surface. (projects, glossary, index) (Informational picture book. 7-9)

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May 1, 2020

K-Gr 3-Reminiscent of The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain and Yuval Zommer, Stroud's book explores soil, burrowing creatures, climate change, and other topics related to the natural world. The text details the many ways soil impacts plant and animal life, the food humans eat, global warming, and more. Stroud and Royal Horticultural Society author and consultant Redmile-Gordon provide several ideas for hands-on activities. Though the book is certainly eye-catching, with a beautiful blend of illustration and photography as well as an engaging design, the pages are quite busy. The numerous spot illustrations and blurbs of text on every spread compete for readers' attention and contribute to a somewhat chaotic reading experience. The authors favor quantity over depth of information, often rushing from one topic to the next. While a brief foray into moon dust and Martian soil allows for an interesting point of comparison, segments like this feel a bit out of focus. Still, readers who spend time with this book will extract a wealth of well-researched knowledge and could be encouraged to explore other comprehensive books on geology. A glossary and an index are included in the back matter. VERDICT Though it is perhaps overly ambitious in the amount of information it attempts to offer, this book can be a starting point for readers to explore the world beneath the Earth's surface. A good choice for general purchase.-Lauren Hathaway, Univ. of British Columbia

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2020
Grades 2-5 Whether you dig soil or not, this book gives the scoop on dirt, sand, and the critters that live just beneath our feet. In typical DK style, double-page spreads focus on broad topics with smaller chunks of text highlighting specific information. For instance, The Stuff of Soil has a paragraph overview of soil composition; each ingredient (minerals, air, water, and organic matter) is then explained in more detail in its own short passage. Other topics include soil horizons (or layers), how soil affects water quality and global warming, soil care, and soil types around the world. Many spreads are also dedicated to soil inhabitants, including worms, moles, ants, and microbes, and the roles they play in soil production. Even more spreads cover unusual aspects of soil, such as bogs, fungi, and growing plants on Mars. While this volume continues DK's commitment to visually pleasing layouts, fans will notice a change: real-life photos of soil components and inhabitants combine with heavily illustrated backgrounds. The overall effect remains engaging for reluctant readers, browsers, and budding soil scientists.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)