Weather and Climate Through Infographics (Super Science Infographics)

By: Rebecca Rowell
Publisher: Lerner Publications
Publication Date: August 2013
ISBN: 978-1467712927
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: December 2013

Perhaps you watch your local meteorologist each night on the news when he or she gives the weather forecast. If you’re fascinated by the weather, perhaps you’d like to “explore the wonders of meteorology and climatology.” What you really will be checking out are the “sun, Earth’s location and rotation, the sky, and water.” There’s a lot to learn, but if you love looking at things like graphs and charts rather that reading piles of information, you’ll enjoy this book. If you think weather and climate mean the same thing, you’ll have to rethink that idea a bit. “Weather is what’s going on in Earth’s atmosphere at a particular place during a brief period of time” and “climate is weather over a much longer period.”

The difference is fairly easy to understand, but there’s more to learn about climates. There are different types and “the categories are based on temperature, precipitation, and vegetation.” If you check out the world map on a two-page spread in this book, you’ll be able to see a lot of interesting things. There’s a climate key with colored types from Type A (tropical humid) to Type H (highland). When you look back at that map you’ll easily be able to spot those colors. Little sidebars, which have those colored backgrounds, give you more information about the climate. Do you know how many different climates there are in the United States? You’ll know after you look closely at that map!

What about seasons? You may live in a climate where there isn’t a lot of change. However, “some climates have distinct seasons that are very different from one another.” Check out the representation of the sun and look at the Earth as it passes through the year. You can easily see some very interesting things about the Earth. For example, did you know that on December 21 or 22 that it’s the “first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere.” Can you see where the sun is in relation to the equator? It’s really pretty cool to learn all about our climate. Do you know what westerlies are? You will after you read this book!

This is an amazing look at weather and climate through a combination of infographics and text. The layout of the book is very vibrant and pops with colorful graphics and a swirl of information. The text moves quickly through the explanations of the difference between weather and climate, the sun, seasons, on through to a section on how the National Weather Service (NWS) gathers and distributes weather data. Young readers, especially reluctant ones, who have difficulty absorbing large amounts of written information, will quickly be able to see the larger picture through weather and climate infographics. In the back of the book is an index, a glossary, and additional recommended book and website resources to explore. Additional complementary, downloadable resources can be found on the publisher’s website.

Quill says: The Superscience Infographics series is perfect for the young reader who needs to get the whole picture!