Our Patchwork Planet: The Story of Plate Tectonics

Grade 5-8?Sattler discusses the formation of the Earth's plates, their locations, and how their movements affect what happens on our planet's surface. She explains how earthquakes and volcanoes occur, and gives detailed descriptions of "hot spots" in the world. Clear, full-color illustrations, including excellent-quality computer-enhanced photo-maps, help clarify concepts that are difficult to visualize. While all of this is informative, the presentation is dry. Another problem is the syncing of illustrations to text. In one instance, the author talks about Mount Saint Helens, but what readers see is New Zealand's volcano Ngauruhoe. Another example shows Mexico City, but the text talks about the Pacific plate. One last gripe. Sattler's occasional use of analogy works when the science in the analogy is good. But sometimes, it isn't. For example, in describing islands, she says "they collided and stuck, freezing together like ice cubes in a pitcher of Kool-Aid." Ice in a pitcher doesn't freeze up that way. These slight flaws make the book less readable, but overall, the presentation is still a cut above the norm. John McPhee's Assembling California (Farrar, 1993) covers similar territory and includes riveting tales of earthquakes, the formation of gold veins, and the dynamics of the plates.?Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.