Customer Reviews
Candy-coated junk science is still junk science. 
2008-08-21
The book was given as a gift to my son, who found it rather boring, quickly discarding it in favor of books about soccer and American football. This allowed a careful perusal of the book and its content, which, truth be told, I found lacking as well.
In order for its suggestions to be relevant, in order for its impact to be felt, the science behind Ms. David's book has to be correct. As has already been mentioned, this book has a major flaw, which it has carried over from the related movie An Inconvenient Truth - e.g. the data sets for temperature and CO2 are reversed. When one learns that simple fact one discovers that temperature leads CO2 concentrations - not the other way around - which makes sense when one considers that CO2 is less soluble in water at higher temperatures. And the lag is fairly consistent and predictable between the two.
That Ms. David, a non-scientist, has opted to perpetuate this rather glaring error suggests one of two things - either that she really is a vapid celebrity of little brain or that she perhaps has some other reason for inducing nightmares in children than the good of Planet Earth. It could be, perhaps, that she would like for us to forget about her jet-setting narcissistic lifestyle and her own huge carbon footprint - and also her opposition to renewable energy projects when they impede her view from Martha's Vineyard.
Ms. David has stated many times that "the debate is over" - and for her it probably is, but our children will have to live with the results of the smothering policy initiatives she proposes as the solution to this non-existent problem. They will be affected by the inevitable reductions in standards of living in David's new era, where every Carbon atom is counted.
The debate for the rest of us is NOT over - not by a long shot. Some of us remember what we learned about geology - that the carbon got underneath the ground somehow or other, and that it was floating around in the Earth's atmosphere at far higher levels than we see now (as evidenced by ice core data David does not mention).
One star because zero was impossible to give.
To solve 80% of global warming, the world needs to go veg! 
2008-07-29
Potential of unlimited methane gas can release from the ocean in a couple yrs. 2/3 of the population might be gone if we don't go veg or at least cut down on meat info. Don't believe me. Check this out.
youtube. com/user/StopClimateCrisis
Best book introducing Global Warming: for kids and those new to the subject 
2008-07-06
I bought this book for my 9 and 10 year old boys. Both are above average students and were vaguely familiar with the concept of global warming. This book was PERFECT for them. It was easy to read, held their attention and was about as clear and consice as it gets. As my 9 year old told me after reading it: this books tells you (1) what is causing global warming (2) what we can do to stop it (3) and what is going to happen because of global warming. Our kids are going to have to deal with this issue. As parents it is up to us to help them begin to understand it. This book is AN EXCELLENT place to start.
great for adults and kids of all ages 2008-04-05
This is a wonderful book, chock full of information about what we are doing to our Earth, as well as great tips for making a difference, all in a very USER FRIENDLY FORMAT. Forget the doom and gloom, just do something! I bought several to give out as gifts (I usually only borrow books from the library, but this is printed on recycled paper...).
great pictures! 2008-03-05
As the title summarizes, this book discusses the topic of global warming. The book is split up into chapters that describe what global warming is, how it can effect our planet and everything living on it, and what we can do to stop this problem. A glossary and an index are included. To fit with the earth-friendly subject material, the book is even printed with soy inks on recycled paper.
This book is a great introduction to the topic of global warming. Since this topic is something that people sometimes disagree on, readers can use the information in the book to form their own opinions. I think that the authors do a very good job of not only discussing their opinions, but also using facts to back them up. I think the best chapter in this book is the one discussing what we can do to help the earth. The ideas in this chapter are ones that young people can do on their own, like not leaving the chargers for their cell phone or mp3 player plugged in when the device is not connected to it. The bright bold pictures are what drew me in to this book and they would definitely keep readers interested.
inconveniate truth 2008-02-11
Irreverent and entertaining, DOWN TO EARTH is filled with fact about global warming and its disastrous consequences, loads of photos and illustrations, as well as suggestions for how kids can help combat global warming in their homes, schools, and communities. Engagingly designed, DOWN TO EARTH will educate and empower, leaving readers with the knowledge they need to understand this problem and a sense of hope to inspire them into action.
Insightful and very kid friendly 2007-12-04
This was a very well written and illustrated book that is not only easy to go through with my kids but very thought provoking for all of us. It is really nice to see something so well done that was targeted to the audience that will be left with the bag if we don't step in and do something and quick....It maked us all realise we ALL need to be a part of the solution.
Don't let the facts get in the way! 2007-11-06
This book directly competes with "The Sky is Not Falling". The best thing to do is to read both books and make decisions on your own.
The point is (few people dispute it), the earth is warming. There are conflicting opinions on why. This book presents the "mainstream" belief that is rightfully under attack. The integrity of the data does not stand up to presenting solid "proof" that human generated CO2 is causing global warming. The planet is warming and CO2 has increased. We know one is driving the other based on the 650,000 year chart. The real chart tells us that CO2 rises after temperature rises. Even in the face of this recognized fact the alarmists believe the debate is over.
The point of this entire debate is what we do about Global Warming. If you believe that we are causing the rise in temperature, then you must believe in the rules set forth in the Kyoto treaty. Most people don't have any idea what the Kyoto treaty is, what it will force us to do, what impact it will have on the economy and that only the "wealthy" countries have to act on the treaty. If you believe we are impacting the climate, read what you can about the treaty and ask yourself if you are ready and willing to sacrifice your job and your future ability to support your family as the cascading effects of regulation destroy the world economy. If you believe, therefore, we all must act, you are destroying your child's economic future.
If you are of the mind that the earth is warming because of a natural cycle and that there is nothing we can do about it, that should not mean that we need to live an unnecessarily gluttonous lifestyle. Teaching our children to recycle, to turn off lights, to utilize more efficient energy sources is responsible and does not have any negative impact.
The problem with the arguments right now is that they are polarizing. You either "love the planet" or you "hate the planet". I can love the planet, yet believe that we are going through a natural cycle that we will have to adjust to. I'm not willing to destroy our economy or my children's ability to support their families under the premise that some scientists using questionable data tell me the world will end. I do believe that we are wasteful and that there are responsible things we can do to reduce. I will teach my children how to conserve and be responsible while telling them the facts of this debate.
Let's begin to question what is going on in reality. The people who are preaching to us, Al Gore, Hollywood and others are not impacted by any negative economic events that will fall upon us with the realities of the Kyoto treaty. Al Gore uses 20 times the electricity of the average household and flies on private jets. The hollywood elite lead their extravagant lifestyles while preaching to us to conserve. Being wasteful and then purchasing Carbon Credits (from companies he is invested in) is about the most hypocritical thing a person can do. That is Al Gore.
Did you know that the countries who have signed onto the Kyoto treaty are being paid cash for planting trees? In order to find land to plant trees on, they are clear cutting old forests and replanting to get the money.
Politicians always have good intentions. What they are not good about is understanding the economics of the unintended consequences of their actions. The point made above is a perfect example of this.
Be a good citizen of this earth. Read all sides of this and all issues. Make an unemotional conclusion, understanding all of the impacts of that conclusion and ACT. Don't be lazy and follow the mainstream and let yourself be sucked along without knowing the facts or the possible outcomes. The mainstream accepted the "facts" of Iraq and we now have a bad result in Iraq. We are heading down a similar path with the global warming debate.
The mainstream is eliminating debate. That is unacceptable.
Great so far! 2007-10-22
I haven't gotten through the whole book yet, but I have sat down with my 4-year-old son and read some. It's written very well to make it easy to understand what Global Warming is all about. Since my son is only 4, I easily skipped over some of the bigger words and still got the points across. I will be ordering more for Christmas gifts.
Global Warming 2007-10-12
This is a fascinating and easily understood explanation of global warming. Concrete examples will enable children to understand the phenomenon of Global Warming: a popsicle stays frozen at 32 degrees F but falls off the stick at 33 degrees F. Just a one degree difference in earth's average temperature is already causing major changes in climate patterns. Photographs, cartoon illustrations, graphs are eye-catching: there is a picture of an abandoned house on stilts that is now rests at the edge of the ocean because twelve feet of this North Carolina beach are lost each year. Participatory activities like a "connect the dots" and a "match the quote" game. This book also suggests many easy things that kids can do to save energy like unplug the chargers used for cell phones because they use valuable energy even when there is not a phone recharging. Extensive back material includes: a glossary, index, source notes and a list of current material, both books and web sites for further exploration. Every library should have multiple copies.
