Oil makes the world go round. Wars are fought over it, countries are embargoed due to it and our day to day lives depend on it much more than the average person realizes. The issues of oil and oil exploration are in the North American news daily, and not only that but oil spills and the effect they have on the environment.
Eyewitness Oil is an excellent resource for children and parents alike to learn the basics of oil. Starting with of course, what oil is and where it comes from, the book delves into the production and refining aspects as well.
The products that surround us daily are also covered such as plastics and polymers, giving children a sense of how important oil is and gives us all insight into why it’s such a big deal. The first thing that pops into most peoples minds is our cars and powering them when considering oil and not much further than that. The books shows otherwise.
Thankfully there are chapters on substitutes such as solar,water,wind and nuclear power, educating our future generation on these options which we can only hope become more and more prevalent.
I consider this book a must have in your home collection and think it should be a requisite resource for schools as well. The topic is one that affects us all so very much and is such an important one to learn about.
Reading level: ages 8-17
Page Count: 72 pages
Publisher: DK Publishing
Publisher’s synopsis: Eyewitness Oil is a brand new and up-to-date look at petroleum—why we need it, where we get it, and how we use it. By tracing its roots from 6,500 years ago in the Middle East through the Dawn of the Oil Age in 1853 and finally to present day, find out why oil truly is king. Stunning real-life photography of oil tankers, refineries, and spills lets you be an eyewitness to the substance long referred to as “black gold.” This book also includes a CD with additional clip art as well as a pull-out wall chart to take you deeper into the world of fossil fuels. See the inner workings of a car engine, find out how geologists locate underground oil deposits, and get an insider’s look at the controversial substance responsible for the beginning—and, if we’re not careful, the end of life as we know it today!
* Includes CD with clip-art and wall chart—at the same price as the original editions
* Includes spectacular, detailed full-color photographs and illustrations
* 72-page format includes 8 bonus pages full of amazing facts
* Library-bound editions available without CDs for all titles
About the Author:John Farndon is the author of many popular reference books on a wide range of topics, including the best-selling Dorling Kindersley Pocket Encyclopaedia and the Collins Children’s Encyclopaedia. He has been short-listed three times for the Aventis Science Book junior prize.