Ages 7-12: Grand Canyon

Description

Rivers wind through earth, cutting down and eroding the soil for millions of years, creating a cavity in the ground 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and more than a mile deep known as the Grand Canyon.

Home to an astonishing variety of plants and animals that have lived and evolved within its walls for millennia, the Grand Canyon is much more than just a hole in the ground. Follow a father and daughter as they make their way through the cavernous wonder, discovering life both present and past.

Weave in and out of time as perfectly placed die cuts show you that a fossil today was a creature much long ago, perhaps in a completely different environment. Complete with a spectacular double gatefold, an intricate map and extensive back matter.

At 277 miles long, more than a mile deep, and up to 18 miles wide, the Grand Canyon is a stunning sight. But it’s more than just rock layers—this canyon is home to a wide variety of organisms, and is a great map of geologic history. Jason Chin’s Grand Canyon, takes readers on a hike out of the canyon, starting at the hot Inner Gorge and climbing all the way up to the outer rim, ending in the cooler shade of the nearby Ponderosa pine forest. Did you know that there is evidence of dragonflies with 8-inch wingspans in the Hermit formation? Chin’s illustrations transport you back in time, to visualize the history of the canyon held in fossils from the different rock layers.

Activity

Look at the history of a rock. More complex than you might think, neat rocks tell cool stories. To get started, check out the #neatrocks from Science Friday’s Science Club, take a virtual visit to the Columns of the Giants in California, and interpret the memories found in the mud of Belize’s Blue Hole.