WONDER WHY

Questions and answers in prose and verse about clouds, rainbows, and other atmospheric phenomena.

Perron poses queries about why the sky is blue, what makes winds blow, and other meteorological topics. Quick explanations are provided in the next verse, and somewhat fuller ones are included toward the end. Throughout, the refrain “How I wonder, wonder why” anchors the text. Some rationales are clear enough: Winds arise when cool air rushes in to replace warmer air that has risen; lightning’s heat creates atmospheric shock waves that we hear as thunder. But Perron throws in terms such as wavelength and Coriolis effect without defining them. She states that rainbows appear “when sunlight hits a water droplet” but that clouds, made up of water droplets, “usually look white because they scatter all colors of lights equally”—which may leave readers more confused than enlightened. Still, the author’s invitation to marvel at the wonders overhead is compelling. Henderson’s vividly hued illustrations add drama as well as detail as they track a thunderstorm’s progress from sunny skies to darkening clouds, jagged lightning bolts amid heavy rain, arcing rainbows afterward, and at last a shimmering nightscape. When not portrayed as silhouettes, tiny human figures peering quizzically up at the sky’s natural beauties vary in skin tone.

Strong visuals, but the topic gets, at best, a hasty once-over.