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Underworld: Exploring the Secret World Beneath Your Feet
With the intriguing idea of exploring what lies below the surface of the Earth as its broad theme, this fascinating book cleverly dices up the subject into small, more manageable pieces ready to be devoured by young readers, particularly boys. The basics are covered in detail, such as the physical properties of the Earth's crust (including its unusual features such as volcanoes and caves), as well as animals with underground habitats. There is a treasure trove of information on the uses humans have made of the underground --- from bunkers used during wartime, to burial sites, to the Paris Métro --- as well as possibilities for the future, even on Mars! What makes this book truly unique, however, are the less expected subjects it covers --- fully examining, for example, the subterranean city of Cappadocia, where early Christians hid from Roman soldiers; King Tut's tomb and its alleged curse; and the underground dungeons used for torture in medieval castles.This is an extraordinary resource for earth science or social sciences lessons covering any number of diverse subjects, from paleontology to archaeology, from mythology to ancient civilizations and from engineering to agriculture. The format is conducive to browsing, with every topic covered on a two-page spread. The text by Jane Price is easy to read and accessible, and engaging illustrations by James Gulliver Hancock, along with many photographs, help to visualize the sometimes-complicated concepts. Boxes, fun facts and funny captions keep things lively and entertaining. A generous index helps with navigation.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2012
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339 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 12, 2015
I usually don't mark kids NF for my goodreads reading but this one was too good to forget I wanted to make sure I remembered it. Such a fascinating exploration of underground worlds. Whether it was natural or man made, the interesting facts, great illustrations and real photos all really drew me in. I can't remember being so engrossed in the minutia of a book since a family friend gave us kids a copy of Steven Biestly's Cross-Section Castles. The kind of book that I love--one you can pore over for hours and still learn something new about the world. It also had some creepiness to it--(things like the Naked Mole Rat and the Catacombs) that I thoroughly enjoy. Overall a wonderful NF kids book that any adult could also enjoy.
October 30, 2014
This book does an amazing job of sharing so many different facts about so many things underneah our feet: caves, animals, mysteries, government secrets, etc. There is a lot of text, but it’s laid out incredibly well around detailed illustrations and interesting photographs. I learned a lot from this book.
June 3, 2017
This is excellent nonfiction about all things "underground". I am not sure why the summary on Goodreads (written by the publisher, I am assuming) indicates this is particularly appropriate for boys, because I think all of my students would enjoy learning both science and history from this fascinating book.
October 9, 2014
What lies beneath us. Informative, interesting, and visually appealing.
February 16, 2018
An excellent non-fiction book that introduces a lot more topics in history and science than you would think under the subject of what’s going on underground. From geology to earthquakes to paleontology to volcanology to archeology to mining to biology to ecology to spelunking and all the way to space exploration, surprisingly, and more, a great way to introduces all sorts of topics and show how interesting the subjects can be.
August 10, 2019
A fun read with large page drawings exploring all kinds of underground stuff: tunnels, catacombs, caves, animals.
July 24, 2014
I received this book for free from a First Reads giveaway on Goodreads.
I loved reading this book! One of my favourite subjects has always been science. This book goes over many underground-themed topics such as gems, underground cities, animals and insects that live underground, tombs, volcanoes, earthquakes, and more.
This book has plenty of exciting drawings, photographs, and fun facts that would be interesting to kids and adults both. There are also cute jokes and fun comments included that make it easier to remember some of what's said in the book, and it also has things that would keep the attention of most.
This book is short enough that I was able to read it in only a few hours, but it has enough information inside that I know it will be able to entertain me or anyone else who reads it long after they finish. There are easy to understand and easy to follow sections, and you can also look up different parts of the book whenever you want to go over anything again.
This book may be short, but I also found that it has more about some of the topics listed than an average science class would go over. Some sections could have used more information, but several had more than I expected to find, so it evens it out a bit.
Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in science, no matter what their age may be.
My only problem with this book is that in the description listed above, it says that this book is for boys. I don't agree with that, I think that this book would be good for anyone of any gender to read, there's no real reason for it to only be read by boys!
I loved reading this book! One of my favourite subjects has always been science. This book goes over many underground-themed topics such as gems, underground cities, animals and insects that live underground, tombs, volcanoes, earthquakes, and more.
This book has plenty of exciting drawings, photographs, and fun facts that would be interesting to kids and adults both. There are also cute jokes and fun comments included that make it easier to remember some of what's said in the book, and it also has things that would keep the attention of most.
This book is short enough that I was able to read it in only a few hours, but it has enough information inside that I know it will be able to entertain me or anyone else who reads it long after they finish. There are easy to understand and easy to follow sections, and you can also look up different parts of the book whenever you want to go over anything again.
This book may be short, but I also found that it has more about some of the topics listed than an average science class would go over. Some sections could have used more information, but several had more than I expected to find, so it evens it out a bit.
Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in science, no matter what their age may be.
My only problem with this book is that in the description listed above, it says that this book is for boys. I don't agree with that, I think that this book would be good for anyone of any gender to read, there's no real reason for it to only be read by boys!
September 2, 2014
Readers might not think there's much to explore beneath their feet, but as this book proves, there are all sorts of intriguing activities and places underground. The author uses nine chapters to cover different underground features, appropriately starting in the first chapter with the Earth's surface and moving inward to the fossils that have lain buried for millions of years. In the subsequent chapters, readers learn about crystals and caves, animals that live in the underworld, and the underground of Paris and Tokyo, the first containing catacombs filled with bones, and the latter hiding an underground farm where fruits and vegetables are grown without sunlight. The introductory page of each chapter contains an illustrated overview of the subsequent pages, which show each of those elements up close. The illustrations are incredibly detailed and fascinating, and the spare text is enticing enough to prompt readers to keep moving through the book's pages. Anyone who finishes the book will never see what lies beneath his/her feet in the same way again.
June 21, 2014
This wonderful book is filled with information that will keep students completely occupied for weeks and months. The book is divided into 9 chapters and each chapter has not only detailed illustrations by talented James Hancock, it also has wonderful and relevant writing, delivering short informative bites of information for inviting readers to explore more on their own. The first chapter, Earth’s crust and below, includes information about the crust, volcano, continental plates, and dinosaurs. Chapter 3 deals with Animals that live underground. Details about lifetime of darkness, bats, dens and burrows and a spread about naked mole rat form this chapter. The illustrations are accurate and labeled. This is a great book for any library and classroom.
October 11, 2014
Thank you for sending this book free for my review. The information is richly fascinating, expertly researched, creative, and well-written. It's possible that not one aspect of subterranean activity, secrets, hideaways, or habitats weren't unearthed in this wildly illustrated and annotated account. The loss of one star in my rating is due to the quality of reproductions. It was discouraging to see dull photos of such awe-inspiring and beautiful objects, such as the face mask of King Tut or the British crown jewels.
The blurb suggests young boys as the primary audience, but who wouldn't be intrigued to learn how a Chinese farmer dug a well one day and uncovered a "life size terra-cotta soldier, and a burial site where more than 7,000 warriors stood at attention in the earth"?
The blurb suggests young boys as the primary audience, but who wouldn't be intrigued to learn how a Chinese farmer dug a well one day and uncovered a "life size terra-cotta soldier, and a burial site where more than 7,000 warriors stood at attention in the earth"?
March 13, 2015
Underworld: Exploring the Secret World Beneath Your Feet by Jane Price, illustrated by James Gulliver Hancock
Kids Can Press, 2014
Nonfiction
96 pages
Recommended for grades 3-8
With such a span of information, this book will be found interesting to a wide range of readers! The layout and illustrations are engaging. While the pages might appear busy, with a closer look you will notice that there are helpful tips on how to read the information. I plan on using this book in class during my nonfiction unit to support readers as they navigate their own nonfiction texts.
What will you learn by reading this book? How about taking a trip to underground caves, crypts, cities, dens, bunkers, gardens, and on and on! Tons of fun!
Kids Can Press, 2014
Nonfiction
96 pages
Recommended for grades 3-8
With such a span of information, this book will be found interesting to a wide range of readers! The layout and illustrations are engaging. While the pages might appear busy, with a closer look you will notice that there are helpful tips on how to read the information. I plan on using this book in class during my nonfiction unit to support readers as they navigate their own nonfiction texts.
What will you learn by reading this book? How about taking a trip to underground caves, crypts, cities, dens, bunkers, gardens, and on and on! Tons of fun!
July 23, 2014
Most kids like to dig in the ground to see what they can find. My own son likes to pretend he is looking for dinosaur bones or a mysterious underground city. When I was a little girl I always thought I could dig my way to China. Regardless of what kids think with their imagination, the real world under our feet is a fascinating source of history and science. This book does a fabulous job of showing everything with photographs and illustrations. This is a book to spend some time with, lingering over each section to find every little bit of information.
November 14, 2014
I could not get enough of this book. This book explores the world beneath our feet. It not only teaches us about center of the earth but the animals that live in the ground. It explains underground cities in Paris and Tokyo. It teaches us about different burial sites and how man has dug for riches underground. I expected it to teach us about dinosaurs and volcanoes. What I did not expect learning the history of King Tut and Qin’s Army of Death. The layout is magazine style making it easy for kids to learn tidbits of information. I can see boys especially getting into this book.
February 17, 2016
A cute, informative little book but not what I had hoped for. I had expected more "under the city" scenes and information. There are sections regarding underground Paris and underground Tokyo, but I had hoped for more.
December 24, 2014
A very informative and interesting book of what we walk over everyday.It is amazing to think of all that goes on that we don't see.Good for every age.
January 5, 2015
Explores a wide variety of what can be found under the surface of the earth: animals, human transportation, minerals, etc.
March 4, 2015
What a fun look at the world beneath our feet!
March 7, 2015
Lots of information with great illustrations.
May 2, 2017
Such a fun book to read with my kid! All the little details and stuff made for a great time and lots to learn. Some of the stuff in the book is worth taking a better look at on Google like the underground church. Lol
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews