Basher Science: Climate Change product reviews

This book is presented in a fun, clever way to introduce the reader to some heavy scientific facts about climate. I would say that it would be suited to students who are 10 or older. Having said that, I sat down to read it myself and Mr 5 snuggled up beside me and I found myself reading the book to him. He was very interested in the information and we discussed several of the topics after reading the text. Mr 5 is now extremely interested in the different levels of the earth's atmosphere and keeps referring back to them when he is talking about his own space adventures (he and his Grandad have a role play which has spanned months about their trips to outer space!).

I found that each page/topic had lots of information for me to absorb and even as an adult, I learned a considerable amount but reading the text. The book is divided up into short, page long sections so that the reader can read and understand one concept before moving on to the next. There are also references throughout the book which direct you back to previous (and future) sections so that you can see the links between the various concepts.

I loved the cute illustrations throughout the book. They were fun and entertaining but also provided a visual reference to assist with making sense of the text. The poster at the back of the book is another great reference for children to be able to make sense of the text in the book. It assists them with transfer the knowledge about the carbon cycle into their real lives and the environment that we live in.

As a teacher, I often think about how a book could be used in a classroom setting. I think that this book would easily lend itself to use in a school. Perhaps each student/small group could take on a single concept, research it further and then present it back to the class in an interesting way so that everyone had the chance to fully understand all the information in the book.

From the back of the book, I see that there are other books available in the series. I am sure that these books would be just as much fun and breathe some life into the serious scientific facts that students need to learn during the course of their education.

After reading the book, Mr 5 and I have started a dialogue about our planet and how we can make a difference to the world. We already recycle, reuse and compost in our house. There are many things that we have no control over, however, after sharing the book with me, Mr 5 is now aware of some other ways that we can make a positive difference. I think we might be on our bikes now a bit more than we have been and the car can stay at home! I think that when I know that we should make changes in our family, the best way to do it is to educate our children as they will be the constant reminder to us as to what is right and what we SHOULD be doing. They will not let us get away with being lazy!