What natural occurrence can transform a landscape in minutes and affect the global climate for years? If you answered volcanoes, you’re right! Kids will enjoy getting down to the nitty-gritty with these explosive phenomena, which can blow the tops off mountains and flatten forests, as well as build islands in the space of days. They all disgorge the same hot stuff: tons of molten lava, ash, smoke – and valuable minerals too – whether they erupt on distant planets or moons, under the sea, or in our own backyards (like Mount St. Helens in 1980). First, the inner workings of volcanoes, for kids, are exposed in a section that explains how they form and why they explode, and also details the role played by hot spots and subduction zones.

Then survey some of the most violent volcanic activity throughout history, including the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, which buried the entire Roman city of Pompeii in ash and turned it into a time capsule. And what about the weird and wonderful side of volcanoes, which includes 12-foot worms that live near underwater volcano vents, a volcano that spews baking soda, and good ol' geysers like Old Faithful? Top it all off with a look at Dante, the volcano-diving robot, and a write-up on the people who study volcanoes. For kids, there is no cooler scientist than a volcanologist!