Awesome Forces: The Natural Hazards That Threaten New Zealand is Te Papa’s most popular book, and it’s easy to see why. Packed with information about storms, landslides, earthquakes, tsunami and volcanoes this glossy book tells you everything you need to know about the forces that created, and continue to sculpt, our country.
First published in 1998 this edition has been completely revised and updated, and includes extensive information about the 2010-11 Canterbury quakes.
I’m liking
The editors and authors of this book are experts in their fields and write with passion and clarity on their subjects. The book is loaded with photographs, all well captioned, and there is a good index at the back.
This book is a pleasure to dip into at leisure, making it a candidate (in our home, anyway!) for a coffee table book. Every time I have opened it I have learnt something new. It also contains enough information about each topic to satisfy the in-depth questioner of the house.
The conclusion
This book is a great choice for anyone interested in natural disasters and the science of nature behind them.
It is probably most appropriate for children 12+ in terms of language used and complexity of subjects, but it would be a useful reference for younger children if their interest levels are high.
