Books in Planet's Most Extreme series

Few people enjoy a rainy day, but many places around the globe are in great need of rain. Readers will learn why rain and other forms of precipitation are so important to people, plants, and animals. They'll visit the driest places on Earth, including the Atacama Desert, Antarctica's Dry Valleys, and Death Valley. Maps and photographs of these remarkable sites and others aid in geography skills, while topics such as irrigation, water conservation, and even mummification will further interest and inform readers.

Everyone has experienced hot days in which it's hard to move without sweating. Readers will realize those days were cool compared to some of the sweltering locations vividly described within the pages of this volume. Death Valley, the Sahara, and Ethiopia are highlighted in text and on maps in this trip around the globe in search of Earth's hottest places. Why some locations are so hot, different ways of measuring temperature, and the health risks of extreme heat are just a few of the topics touched upon in this book, compatible with any science and social studies collection.

Many people know that Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth, but they might not know why. Readers of this globetrotting volume will learn how the sun's rays affect our planet's surface. They'll also discover other bitter cold places around the globe and how people manage to live there. In one town in Russia, people leave their glasses at home so they don't freeze to their face! Science and social studies topics combine to present some truly absorbing and chilling peeks at some of the world's most fascinating and frigid places.