Stickmen's Guide to Earth's Atmosphere in Layers

November 1, 2016

Gr 4-8-Chock-full of information, these guides will intrigue browsers. The organizational layer-by-layer strategy works well for the most part. From the sunlight zone to ocean trenches, readers learn about plants and animals as well as the methods and tools scientists use to study each subject. Atmosphere considers satellites, weather forecasting, ozone depletion, and more, from exosphere to troposphere. Mountains and Valleys loses some focus by including topics as varied as plains, tectonic plates, and the earth's core. Stick figures appear on most spreads among the detailed drawings and diagrams. Many unfamiliar terms are defined in the text rather than in the brief glossary. Lack of source documentation means that readers will need help locating additional resources on specific topics.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2016
Grades 3-6 The Earth's atmosphere is a busy and crowded place. Rockets, satellites, and gases are moving between the layers, from the exosphere (quite far away) to the troposphere (the air that we breathe). This entry in the Stickmen's Guide to This Incredible Earth series is busy as well: the information is organized from the top layer of the atmosphere to the bottom. Each layer is allocated four pages, and those pages are jam-packed with content, to the detriment of the layout. The Stickmen are not so much guides as part of the landscape, floating on the fringes of the artwork and text blocks. An overuse of arrows between the text and illustrations creates the feeling that the reader is pinballing through the book. Some readers will no doubt be attracted by the highly visual nature of the book, but others might find it overwhelming and best suited to browsing. Still, the information is suitable for reports, and a glossary and an index complete the volume. Recommended for libraries where the series is already popular.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)