From School Library Journal:
Grade 3-6-- The children's book industry is aflame with titles on the Yellowstone Fire of 1988, and this third book to come out this season is the most informative and best suited for reports. Patent's slow, careful development and simple sentences convey her logical approach to the subject. Her statistics on acres burned and growth of the fire show how quickly things got out of hand on "Black Saturday." The threat to nearby Montana towns and tourists gives spark to Patent's writing, which midway through the book comes to life to describe the danger. This is the only book which covers some financial issues, the media depiction of the fire, and the animals and birds disturbed or killed by firefighters. Definitely the most thorough book on the fire, its main emphasis is on the plant life. Patent offers the most careful explanation of policies regarding fire fighting and the fire's widespread impact. Marked by simple writing, the book makes the coverage of the history of weather conditions and their relation to forest and fire growth easy to understand. Bold headings, lots of white space, large margins, and smaller photos make for easy reading. The index carries italics for illustrations. Clear, colorful photos illustrate points covered in the text, but most of them carry no visual impact or human interest. Many are National Park Service photos found in other books, and one photo conflicts with the text. Librarians who need more than one book on the subject will want this text along with Vogel's The Great Yellowstone Fire (Little, 1990). While Patent's scientific coverage is excellent, Vogel's book will have more appeal to young readers because of the livelier writing style. --Susannah Price, Boise Public Library, ID
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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