El Nino: Stormy Weather for People and Wildlife - Hardcover

Caroline Arnold always loved books, but as a child she never thought of writing as a career. Born in Pittsburgh, she grew up in Minneapolis and studied art at Grinnell College and the University of Iowa. "It was only after my children were born that I became acquainted with children's books and it occurred to me that I could use my training to become a children's book illustrator. I soon realized that I needed a text to go with the pictures, and the more I wrote, the more I realized that I liked writing as much as or more than drawing. I've always been fascinated by the natural world and love to go to the parks and museums. Perhaps that is why so many of my books are about scientific topics." Arnold is now the award-winning author of more than 100 books for children. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, a neuroscientist, and teaches writing at UCLA Extension. For more information visit www.carolinearnoldbooks.com.

Grade 5-9-The phenomenon known as El Ni?o (and its cooler sibling, La Ni?a) have apparently been upsetting the meteorological applecart on a relatively regular basis for many centuries, but it is only recently, with the use of modern technologies, that scientists have correlated these oceanic effects with disconcertingly dramatic weather on a global scale as well. Arnold has drawn on this body of scientific knowledge to present a picture of the atmospheric and ecological import of such shifts in oceanic temperatures. Her readable, informative text describes the physical symptoms of El Ni?o and La Ni?a and their widespread effects, ranging from a quiet hurricane season in Florida to severe drought in the rainforests of Indonesia, and what this means both to animal/plant habitats and human economies. Full-color photos, a computer-image series, diagrams, and Internet sources bolster the narrative. (Unfortunately, the text is sometimes printed across page-size photos, making deciphering difficult.) While the latest, very powerful El Ni?o has made headlines for over a year, this is seemingly the first book for young people in this important area of study. And though La Ni?a now seems to be in the ascendancy, El Ni?o will return-as will demand for information on the topic.
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.