This book gives a great explanation of how the earth's crust moves. It details all plate tectonics on earth. It explains continental drift, mountain building and the types of faults. It includes many diagrams, scientific photographs, and maps with map symbols. This is a great book for a study of volcanoes and earthquakes in the classroom. The book gave accurate information; however, no sources were listed by the author. In the acknowledgements, the author stated that the complete manuscript was read and corrected by the chief geophysicist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey Observatory. This would lead the reader to believe that the book contains accurate information. The author also includes a "For Further Reading" section; however, the majority of the articles listed are from the same journal source (Scientific American). I liked this book for its images and diagrams and clear explanations of complicated geological topics. ( )

Geophysics is explained in a well organized understandable way in "Our Patchwork Planet". Models could easily be made from some of the explanations written of how tectonic plates move and shape our Earth ( )

Lauren Fields
Our Patchwork Planet is a wonderful geology book for children. It presents highly technical information in a strait forward and not condescending fashion. The drawings were very clear and used effectively to help the reader understand the material. I would recommend this to ant student who wanted to have a thorough understanding of plate tectonics. ( )