The Earth Notebook : The Story of Planet Earth

IN THE BEGINNING . . . The Earth started out four billion years ago in the huge explosion that scientists call the Big Bang. What was once a vast, molten ball of fire and gas is now an endlessly fascinating, ever-changing planet that supports life as we know it. Fun, educational, and interactive, The Earth Notebook explores this fine planet of ours, spanning the globe with facts and figures and little-known trivia. Young readers can learn about climates and weather systems, plate tectonics and mountain ranges, oceans and waterways, plants, animals, and so much more. A special section addresses the topic of global warming and the issues confronting scientists today. Author Claire Hawcocks lively, easy-to-read text is accompanied by photographs and illustrations throughout, as well as a paper model and three large-scale pop-ups by paper engineer David Hawcock. Youve never seen Earth like this before!

Fun facts from The Earth Notebook: The solid inner core of the Earth reaches temperatures of over 5,000 degrees Celsius . . . The Earths liquid outer core generates a magnetic field as it moves, resulting in an aurora, or charged particles in the atmosphere that shimmer in the night sky . . . In the Earths forests, only about two percent of available light reaches the ground, so fungi growing there have adapted to feed on waste from animals that live higher up . . . Two hundred and twenty million years ago, Earths landmasses formed a single giant continent; over time, they s-l-o-w-l-y broke apart, forming what would later become the seven continents . . . Most of the Earths volcanoes lie in a circle of volcanoes called the Ring of Fire, which surrounds the Pacific Ocean . . . And thats only the beginning!