Witness to Disaster: Earthquakes Hardcover – April 8, 2008

Nobody really knows how many earthquakes we have in any given year because many go unrecorded, but when the earth shakes, rattles and rolls we really take notice! Just why the earth does this is one of the many questions pondered in this book.The book is divided into four chapters:Chapter 1: "The Ground Would Not Stop Shaking": Alaska, 1964Chapter 2: "As If a Giant Foot Had Stepped On It": Why Does the Earth Quake?Chapter 3: "The Heart of This Old Earth Was Broken": Famous EarthquakesChapter 4: "Only a Matter of Time": Predicting and Preparing for Earthquakes.I enjoyed reading about some of the lesser known facts about quakes. Did you know the Mississippi flowed "backward for several hours" after a serious quake in 1812? Did you know that sometimes mysterious earthquake lights (EQLs) sometimes appear in the sky before an earthquake? Did you know that one time in China a serious loss of life was prevented because a large quake was predicted? Many young people's eyewitness accounts are included.This book is wonderfully illustrated with color photographs, maps, a glossary (words are italicized in the text), a bibliography and additional recommendations for reading. Five websites to explore are also included, three specifically geared toward children. This book would be a great classroom, home school tool or for those who are just plain old curious about earthquakes.