I’m a Volcano! (Science Buddies)

If you want to know about something, go to the source. This cute picture book is written in the first-person point-of-view and narrated by a volcano. He explains the different layers of the earth and where lava comes from. This is followed by information about the plates that are on the move around the earth.

Our narrator is a gray volcano, and he tells how the lava causes gray volcanoes to suddenly explode and what happens when they do. He goes on to introduce red volcanoes and what causes them to become active. Volcanoes are not just negative forces. They create islands and new, fertile places on the land that surrounds them.

This is supported by good back-matter. One spread gives excellent information about six famous volcanoes, followed by a spread that fascinatingly covers four volcanoes that changed history. A third spread has a cutaway illustration of a volcano with explanations for all the segments. A good glossary, a list of further readings, and a select bibliography finish things off.

The writing by Bridget Heos is lively and filled with humor to keep youngsters engaged. The illustrations by Mike Ciccotello are bright, imaginative, and the perfect complement to the text.