Earth-Shattering Events: Volcanoes, earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis and other natural disasters

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Earthquakes are explained as a process, with examples of extreme events, details of measuring devices, the retelling of related myths from around the world and a map of the world’s tectonic plates. BOOKTRUST REVIEW: *Book of the Day* Each section of the book describes a different phenomenon, gives the different types - for instance, there are two different types of avalanche, with wet and dry snow - and looks at examples of the biggest and worst ones recorded. It then gives tips for safety and survival. A lot of the time, it's not easy to be prepared for something like a tsunami, which comes out of nowhere and is hard to predict, but it is at least good to know what one could do in that situation. Featuring clear information about a comprehensive range of events such as tsunamis, avalanches, earthquakes and volcanoes (grouped under geological disasters), and tornadoes, blizzards, wildfires and tropical cyclones (meteorological disasters), this colourful and fascinating guide is a real eye-opener. Most often uses aquatics, but can be Jurassic sometimes (typically when the other PvE events are not). All rounds are the same dino type. ROBIN: It’s a look at the science behind natural disasters, including volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones and tornadoes. We look at why these things happen, what the impacts are and what to do if you have the misfortune to get caught in one!

ROBIN: A tsunami starts off as a very low but very long wave. Its crest is only around 40cm high. It’s only when it hits the shore and concertinas up that it becomes a mega-wave. BOOKS FOR TOPICS REVIEW: We often get asked about books to support the 'Awesome Earth' or 'Natural Disasters' topics for KS2 and we think we may have just found the perfect one. Each event is explained in a way that is easy to understand for junior children without compromising on presenting the underlying scientific facts. A real strength of the book is how highly visual it is, with appealing diagrams, large illustrations, maps and charts contributing greatly to the reader's understanding of each topic. This is a wonderful book with a high level of appeal and certainly one to recommend for KS2 classrooms as a topic book or a really interesting read for pleasure. Typically the rounds will require 1, 2 and then 3 herbivores with mods against other herbivores with mods. ROBIN: I think it’s very important to teach children to respect our planet, and having a sense of the power of nature could be a good launchpad from which to talk about other environmental issues. Besides, I find that kids are often enthralled by the thought of something even more powerful than grownups! We’ve made some information sheets for teachers to use. THE LITERACY TREE REVIEW: This brilliant book around natural phenomena - sometimes causing natural disasters on mass-scale is fascinating and slightly sobering in equal measures: the geography and physics of tsunamis, volcanoes, blizzards, earthquakes and a whole plethora of other ways that mother nature will, from time-to-time, show who's boss are all covered. This is such a brilliantly written and illustrated book that we feel fits so well within our year 3 Literary Curriculum theme of Pride and Downfall that we've turned it into a Literary Leaf which will be available to subscribing schools in early January.SOPHIE: I think getting the kids to read this book in the classroom will make them excited about to learn some of the wonders of our planet and hopefully help them to understand and respect nature! Having a physical book to interact with is great for engagement and hopefully the bright illustrations and characters will keep them interested. Teachers could potentially use each different chapter as a different lesson, maybe the children could quiz each other and all the interesting facts they’ve learned or make a poster/presentation on their chosen natural disaster. The final chapter, climate change is particularly relevant and important for children to lean about and begin to understand form an early age. If you like this book you might also like Natural Disasters through Infographics (Super Science Infographics) by Rebecca Rowell, Natural Disasters: Investigate Earth’s Most Destructive Forces with 25 Projects (Build It Yourself) by Kathleen M Reilly and Tom Casteel, The Great Fire of London: Anniversary Edition of the Great Fire of 1666 by Emma Adams and James Weston Lewis, Alastair Humphreys’ Great Adventurers by Alastair Humphreys and Kevin Ward Incredible Journeys: Discovery, Adventure, Danger, Endurance by Levison Wood and Sam Brewster. Today we talk to Sophie Williams and Robin Jacobs about volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and how they worked together to create their brand-new, engaging geography book EARTH-SHATTERING EVENTS, which manages to be accessible, fun and informative! What I think the book does particularly well is simplify and explain some complicated ideas for children. How difficult was it to do this and how important were the illustrations in achieving this? Jurassic World: The Game has battle events that are scheduled each week. These PvE (player vs. environment) events allow the player to see their opponents for each round and select their teams according to the requirements for the event.

This event consists of 1-5 rounds in which you battle a dinosaur that is exactly the same as yours, each with an increasing rarity of land dino to use. Typically on the last battle you use a hybrid. SOPHIE: It was a definitely a team effort, I would receive a document of text for each section of the book and each important piece of information would be broken down into an illustration. I would be constantly sending over my illustrations to Robin and Lisa. Often illustrations would need to be edited, extra images would be needed and bits of text would need to be handwritten to make the book flow and for the text and illustrations to work together. This brilliant book around natural phenomena - sometimes causing natural disasters on mass-scale - is fascinating and slightly sobering in equal measures: the geography and physics of tsunamis, volcanoes, blizzards, earthquakes and a whole plethora of other ways that mother nature will, from time-to-time, show who’s boss are all covered. The fascination comes from the magnitude of events over history and the power that they have to destroy and devastate all that lies in their wake. But in this equation, humans are neither completely powerless nor completely innocent... The format and approach of this book are ideally suited to KS2 topic work. Each section covers the science principles – ie the physics and chemistry behind extreme events; the cultural aspects, for example, myths, stories, and ancient beliefs; and for all topics – fun and powerful examples of the ‘biggest and worst’.From a Caldecott and Sibert honoree, an invitation to take a mind-expanding journey from the surface of our planet to the furthest reaches of the observable cosmos. I wondered what the process was like for you both working on this? I know, for example, that the writer of a picture book doesn’t always get involved with the illustration side of things, but the text and artwork work so well together in this book that it seems like you needed to work quite closely together?

SOPHIE: It’s a book that will tell you everything you need to know about natural disasters. Each section guides the reader through a different disaster, explaining the details, variations and what do to in the worst case scenario. The information is laid out in a fun and easy to understand way, making this heavy subject matter accessible for all ages! The rounds will require your Herbivore against theirs, then your Carnivore against theirs, your Amphibian against theirs and the same with Pterosaurs, on the last battle you use a team against their team of 3.This British publication retains British spellings, ex. "centre", which does not pose a problem. Confusion could arise by retaining metric measurements in the book, ex. Japan moved "2.4 m" after the 2011 Tōhoku Tsunami will likely be read by American students as 2.4 miles and not 2.4 meters (or 8 feet). Tornado wind measurement is done in kmh - reading much higher than U.S. mph. Interestingly enough, the chart measuring storm surge is given in feet, not meters. ROBIN: It’s something that I had to work really hard at. I have a degree in earth sciences, but even I found some of the scientific explanations hard to wrap my head around. I had a really good advisor alongside to help me out, and then it was a matter of making sure the facts were there in their clearest and simplest form. Working alongside Sophie was a godsend, because some of the elements we were describing are actually much more clearly conveyed in pictures. Sophie has such a good tone to her drawings – they’re fun but they’re so informative as well. While not bad, there are better presentations of this browsing-type material available for the American market. Avalanches are dissected and explained through physics, physical geography and meteorology. Children will know what to look out for if they find themselves on a mountain or a ski slope. And there’s more – meteorological disasters – cyclones, tornadoes, blizzards and hailstorms, wildfires and the impact of climate change. Complete 1-3 battles in which you have to defeat 7 or 9 opponents in each. The opponents will start off very weak and get stronger to the end.

This children’s book is ideal for: extended home learning projects and wider reading for children aged 7-12. Earth-Shattering Events seeks to understand exactly how human agency and great earthquakes have interacted, not only in the short term but also in the long perspective of history. For over the long term, the impact of a great earthquake depends not only on the chance factors of its epicentre, magnitude and timing, but also on human factors: the political, economic, social, intellectual, religious and cultural resources specific to a region's history. While physical devastation has in some times and places led to permanent decline and collapse, elsewhere earthquakes have presented opportunities for renewal, the cities they destroy proving to be extraordinarily resilient. After its wholesale destruction by an earthquake and fire in 1906, San Francisco went on to flourish, giving birth in the 1950s to the high-tech industrial area on the San Andreas fault now known as Silicon Valley. We humans take our domination of the planet for granted, but sometimes nature reminds us that this is an illusion. Tectonics rip open the earth, vast waves sweep away coastal towns, magma spews from volcanoes and hurricanes lay waste to entire countries. This book explores nature at its most destructive. Clear, coherent explanations break down the science behind phenomena including hurricanes, tornadoes, avalanches, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes, alongside fascinating facts about the biggest and the worst.

Is this an area of the natural world that has always interested you? What sort of research did you carry out while writing the book? Note that these descriptions are based on typical experiences in the game with them, and can be subject to changes at any time.