Danger! Earthquakes by Seymour Simon

Bibliography
Simon, Seymour. 2002. Danger! Earthquakes. San Francisco: Sea Star Books.

ISBN: 0-329-27815-0

Summary
Danger! Earthquakes discusses the causes, destruction, and locations of earthquakes in an easy to read presentation.

Critical Analysis
Seymour Simon has written over 200 children's books and is an award recipient for numerous awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Science Books.

Simon has a vast array of children's books. One of his endeavors is a series for the younger reader. This series is called SeeMore Readers. Danger! Earthquake is one book of this series.

Simon's information about earthquakes is accurate and informative. Readers learn how earthquakes are measured, where earthquakes are located, and what to do in an earthquake. Danger! Earthquakes is organized well. Simon introduces earthquakes, then explains how they are measured. Next, Simon discusses specific earthquakes: the 1811 earthquake in Mississippi, the 1964 earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska, and the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City. Simon concludes the book with information on what to do if you are in an earthquake.

The book is easy to read, and simple enough for the young reader or reluctant reader. Danger! Earthquakes is fashioned after a more advanced edition by Simon, Earthquakes (1991). The text is not as detailed as the earlier version, but Simon does maintain the integrity of the information presented. Simon makes it easier to understand for the younger reader by reducing the amount of text on each page and providing careful word selection. The text on each page is less than 10 sentences and written in an easy to read font.

The book is attractive and interesting with full page photographs and pictures. The pictures provide support to the text, making it easy to comprehend. Some of the pictures are found in both of Simon's earthquake books. Unfortunately, a few of the pictures in Danger! Earthquakes appear to be lesser quality than his first book. In comparison, they are slightly grainy.

It is exciting to have a prolific writer provide books for even the youngest of readers. These books are perfect for the young and inviting enough for the reluctant reader, encouraging a foundation for curiosity about the things around them. Danger! Earthquakes, along with the rest of the series is necessary for a library collection.

Review Excerpts
Horn Book reports, "In two books in this series for beginning readers, clear, color photos and maps show the range and effects of these natural phenomena. The easy-to-read, informative text extends the illustrations and exhibits a knowledge of not only the subject but also the audience" (2002).

Edith Ching with School Library Journal states, "These easy-readers are dominated by large, colorful photographs. Many of those in Danger! appeared in Simon's Earthquakes (Morrow, 1991) and some are poorly reproduced, often grainy. A few lines of generally clear and informative text accompany the illustrations on each page " (2002).

Review excerpts accessed from http://www.titlewave.com/.

Connections
Danger! Earthquakes is part of the See More Readers series, level 2. Other books in the same series include:
Bridges
Cool Cars
Danger! Volcanoes
Giant Snakes
Skyscrapers
Super Storms