Author: Chris Robertson
Publisher: Xist Publishing
Rating: WORTHY!
Errata:
The pages are not numbered, but there is one where "it's" is used in place of the correct form for the context: its.
There's also a page prior to this where lava is described as "most dangerous liquid known to man". I had a couple of issues wioth this, but the important one is the use of 'man'. Is it necessary to exclude woman so rigidly? Could it not be (hoever inaccurate it might be) "most dangerous liquid known to life", or "to humans" or somethign less exclusive? There are almsot four billion women on this planet. Can we not remember them a bit mroe often?
This is a very short children's picture book, so there isn’t a lot to review. It’s about a kid with a delightfully wild imagination (he reminds me of my own kids whose imaginations, thankfully, have never deserted them even though they're now way too old for a book like this), who appears to be stranded amidst hot lava which is invading his home from all quarters. Can he leap to freedom? Where will he land? (You might be surprised!)
The drawings are rudimentary but very colorful, and really evocative. The book is as full of excitement and danger as Harry is full of ideas and wild descriptions, but he never panics, and is always planning his escape. This is definitely something your kids will want to play - perhaps after exploring what real lava looks like - not in person of course - but from the safety of a TV documentary or something on the web.
Who knows, perhaps you have a budding vulcanologist in your family? I recommend this book for a fun read alone, but it’s also a great starting point for a chance to stir your child's imagination about the wonders of planet Earth and it's geology and inner structure.
Of course, you don't want to load them up with learning, learning, learning and nothing else, so it occurs to me that a whole day could be themed around this as they're encouraged to explore the idea, starting with the book, then a video, then perhaps go looking for rocks in the yard or at the park (assuming your park isn't buried under snow at this point!), and imagine how hot things would have to be to melt an actual rock! You can have them practice their motor skills emulating Harry's escapes (with due safety precautions, of course!), have them develop confidence and cool-thinking skills, and also have them appreciate a little more the wonderful and complex planet on which we're all privileged to live.
