Changes

This book, as you can probably tell from my lead -in, goes further than that. It is an in-depth look at weather patterns and seasons, and it was surprisingly interesting. This isn't a story book storybook about the weather. There's no plot, no characters experiencing the changing temperatures for example. Instead, it's a factual look at how things work, and it goes into a fair bit of detail. For example, we learn the names for different types of clouds like ''Cirrus'' and ''Altocumulus''. We learn how hailstones are formed, and what has to come together for a hurricane to hit. There's a section on droughts and one on floods (though sadly without a picture of a famous French art gallery being evacuated).

Because this is a children's book, it needs pictures to take it from dreary to accessible reference, and these are in abundance with lots of international scenes showing everything from the Equator to the Arctic. There's nice detail too – snowboarders , as well as skiers , descend the mountains when we're talking about snow fallsnowfall.

The book jacket unfolds into a poster. It's the sort of thing you might find on a classroom wall, and is a bit superfluous for a book to have at home, but it's a harmless if slightly oddly thought out addition.

This book would be a good addition to any family's non-fiction stash. It's incredibly informative but it's fun to read too – the sort you could pick up at any time, not just when a weather -themed report is due. Parents and children alike will learn from this one. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending us a copy to review.

For more on this topic, check out [[50 Things You Should Know About: Wild Weather by Anna Claybourne ]]. Adults might appreciate [[Weatherland: Writers and artists under English skies by Alexandra Harris]].