How to Make a Mountain: in Just 9 Simple Steps and Only 100 Million Years!

Gr 2-4–In this illustrated information book about mountain formation, readers join a girl and her raccoon friend as they work, like young earth scientists, through nine steps that will guarantee the creation of a mountain that supports plant and animal life. While the passage of millions of years is cited in these key steps, readers with a solid introductory grasp of earth science concepts, the water cycle, and basic geological features will build a deeper understanding of the effects that climate patterns, water, and time have on this grand phenomenon in nature. At times, the second-person viewpoint reads like a cheerful how-to guide about adding the necessary features and processes that form a mountain, while a crisp, descriptive tone connects the scientific information. Short phrases, metaphors, and exclamations color the illustrated demonstrations of geological concepts and changes, emphasizing an engaging mix of large, shaded swatches of watercolorlike blends and finer details from colored pencil lines and textures. This is for careful readers. The “steps,” which are labeled with large print letters, are designed to be read in strict sequential order; the text is sprinkled liberally with geological terms, though not all are defined; the small, thin font becomes lost at times in expansive illustrations. Other relevant geologic terms are introduced in the back matter, as is a reflective afterword.