This series about natural disasters includes descriptions of historical events and brief discussions of scientific causes and scientists' attempts to refine predictions. The descriptions, however, linger a bit too much on the death tolls and massive destruction caused by major events. Safety tips and websites are included along with color photos and illustrations that oversimplify scientific principles. Glos., ind.

Designed to introduce students to the parts of a nonfiction book (table of contents, headings, sidebars, maps, glossary, index, etc.), the books in the Disaster Zone series reveal types of natural disasters through relatively short texts and large, color photos. Each book ends with suggestions aimed at preventing these events when possible and preparing for those that are unavoidable. The back matter includes an activity, which might be simple (placing two ice cubes on a plate, sprinkling salt on one, and observing what happens) or more involved but less engaging (using the Internet to research a topic and answering a series of questions). Floods looks at the 1974 flooding in Bangladesh and the 2005 deluge of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. The colorful page design and clearly reproduced photos are appealing, but little space is allocated to text, limiting the books' usefulness. Attractive supplemental material for science collections.