Mars Is: Stark Slopes, Silvery Snow, and Startling Surprises

Gr 2-4–Mars is a planet where the surface has more to it than meets the eye. This book provides factual information about Mars paired with gorgeous photos of the geographic wonders that envelope various parts of the red planet. From bubbling gasses to cliffs and canyons, readers will be enthralled by these aspects of our neighboring planet. The book starts out with a simple “Mars Is…” and then begins listing all of the different landforms and movements happening on Mars’s surface, accompanied by detailed and colorful close-up photography of the mentioned geological features. The large text of the book carries on a simple narrative of the wonders of Mars, while each spread also includes a brief descriptive paragraph detailing the scientific phenomena behind that particular geological feature. The simple narrative and the pictures alone could work well for a younger elementary reader, while older readers could benefit from the additional information.