The horrific disaster in Haiti has raised many questions concerning our earth and the natural conditions that affect it. I have assembled a list of some outstanding new non-fiction books that will help all ages better understand our earth and the many natural phenomena that occur with some frequency.

Planet Earth, by Barbara Taylor, and published by Kingfisher, covers the major aspects of the make-up of the earth from natural calamities to the huge variety of landscapes and animal life. The visual lay-out and format of the book is colorful, full of renderings, photos and makes it easy to disseminate facts. The first chapter shows the earth in space and shows the seasonal changes. The next chapter takes you inside the earth demonstrating the layers inside making the perfect segue into the following chapter about earthquakes. There are 23 chapters in all, but each chapter has only two pages making this simple format a great overall easy read to digest and understand our planet earth.

Scholastic has an easy read about our world in Planet Earth: Guide to the Planet, by Steve Murrie. This paper back edition has a similar lay-out with kid-friendly information and pictures throughout. The photography alone makes this book worth purchasing because the pictures are amazing. There are even quick facts found on each short chapter, along with an easy question to tempt your knowledge.

If you’re not familiar with the “Ask Dr. K. Fisher” series, you’re missing out on a great science book for younger kids, ages 4 to 8. The newest book in this series, About Planet Earth, uses animals to answer questions that animals would experience. For instance, a viper asks Dr. K. Fisher if the vibrations he feels in the ground may just be his imagination as other animals haven’t noticed the movement. The Dr. answers in a letter format and explains in just a paragraph the earth’s crust, plates and the melted rock far below to explain the earth’s vibrations. The format has the question in a letter on one page and the answering letter on the opposite page. Other chapters include “Chinchillas and volcanoes”, “Penguins and climate” and “Mussels and the tides”.

Everything You Need to Know About Science, by Dr. Mike Goldsmith, is a great overview of the components of our earth and space. This is the perfect book for the curious minds of children as they inquire about how things work or why occurrences happen creating changes on the earth or in space. The headings of each of the five sections are “Numbers and Shapes”, “How the World Works”, “The World of Materials”, “Living Things” and “Space”. Once again, this book, (although much bigger with more information than the previously mentioned books), has brightly colored pictures, drawings and photographs found on every page.

Every Minute on Earth: Fun Facts That Happen Every 60 Seconds, by Steve and Matthew Murrie, and illustrated by Mary Anne Lloyd, takes you through a minute of time where events happen on earth. Each page has a subject broken down to a minute of time that could happen while reading about it in the book. There’s a page about earthquakes and by the time you finish reading that page, (which should take about a minute), there could be about 5 slight quakes not felt by humans that could have occurred. Other sections include “The Human Body”, Technology” and “Sports”. This is an excellent book to teach how quickly many things happen – within in a minute.

The Curious Boy’s Book of Exploration: 100 Challenges, Puzzles & Experiments, by Sam Martin, takes you back to yesteryear when kids had to create their own inventions instead of sitting in front of a computer or television. The activities in this book are many and are full of promising enlightenment where boys and girls are sure to enjoy, learn from and experiment. This would be a perfect book for scouts of all ages.

Extreme Scientists: Exploring Nature’s Mysteries from Perilous Places, by Donna M. Jackson, will surely give some kids ideas for possible future occupations. These scientists go to the extreme to investigate and better understand our planet. Each of the 4 chapters takes the reader through the life of a scientist as he or she investigates hurricanes, deep caves and the tallest trees.  Beautiful photographs are found throughout.

And lastly, from the “I Wonder Why” series, here is Records Are Broken: and Other Questions About Amazing Facts and Figures, by Simon Adams. This is another book that correlates time with events, (such as the “Every Minute on Earth” book found above”). The book is filled with questions (2 per page) and they are answered with 2 or 2 simple sentences. Some include “What gives Earth the shakes?” and “How do waves get as tall as houses?” This type of book is very effective for kids as they will likely ponder each question posed and then desire to read the answers with a curiosity that will effortlessly whet their appetite.