What's So Bad about Gasoline?: Fossil Fuels and What They Do (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2 Series) »

Anne and Lizzy Rockwell have collaborated on all the Mrs. Madoff books and Who Lives in an Alligator Hole? Anne is the author of Brendan and Belinda and the Slam Dunk!; Why Are the Ice Caps Melting?; and Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth. Lizzy is the author-illustrator of Good Enough to Eat; The Busy Body Book; and Hello Baby! Both Anne and Lizzy live in Connecticut.

Look around to see what uses oil—cars, airplanes, boats, factories, and countless other machines. The world is dependent on oil as its main source of energy. Although oil is plentiful right now, the supply will eventually run out, and even worse, burning oil is very damaging to the environment. What alternatives can help us use less oil and how can we protect the environment? Read and find out!

Children's Literature

For years, the books in the "Let's Read and Find Out" series have been mainstay references for young children thirsty for information. In this case, Rockwell begins with the ordinary experience of a trip to the local gas station, and then goes on to explore where the gas that fills the tank and keeps the car moving came from. After explaining its origin in prehistoric time, we are given some information about why petroleum was known but not valued until the late nineteenth century. The next section of the book goes on to look at how the excessive use of this resource now threatens the environment. The text is accompanied by illustrations that are labeled and captioned to help children understand the concepts. While this book is targeted for primary grades, first- and second-graders are likely to need an adult with whom they can read and discuss the information page by page. Like others of this series, this is a good classroom resource. A stage 2 "Let's Read and Find Out" book. Reviewer: Mary Hynes-Berry