...drawings by Glenn Wolff
. . . 
by Jerry Dennis...
...drawings by Glenn Wolff
How many of us have an answer ready when our children ask that tough and inevitable question: "Why is the sky blue?"
It's Raining Frogs and Fishes is a generously illustrated inquiry into dozens of the natural world's most interesting and baffling phenomena:
-Where do meteors and comets originate?-What causes rainbows, mirages, and the colors of the sunset?
-Why does it rain from some clouds and not from others?
-Is it true that no two snowflakes are alike?
-What are the mechanics of such spectacular events as blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, and thunderstorms?
-Why do some birds migrate, and how do they navigate over hundreds - sometimes thousands - of miles to do it?
-How have civilizations throughout history dealt with such powerful and seemingly inexplicable occurrences as the aurora borealis, windstorms, eclipses, and the bizarre but well-documented cases of fish, reptiles, snails, and even snakes that have rained to earth?
Author Jerry Dennis and Illustrator Glenn Wolff approach such troublesome questions with curiosity and wonder, and suggest ways to observe firsthand extraordinary weather, astronomical anomalies, and odd and interesting wildlife of the skies. Each subject is arranged by season and discussed in a concise, lively, and entertaining essay that blends the most recent scientific findings with historical anecdotes, personal observations, and examples of the lore and superstitions that have always surrounded phenomena of the natural world.
We wanted to know the world and how it works - not to conquer it, but because the knowledge enhances our pleasure and deepens our appreciation. Someone once said that watching nature is a feast for the heart while understanding nature is a feast for the mind. Children, poets, and scientists have made it apparent that humans are hungry in both heart and mind. Watching is not enough. We crave answers.This book is our effort to answer some of the questions kids ask, that adults would ask if we weren't quite so afraid of sounding childlike. We've tried to make the book as useful as possible, dividing it by season into four sections, so it can be used as a kind of field guide. Hopefully it will anticipate some excellent questions. Perhaps it will make heroes of a few parents. With luck it will add to the enjoyment of a most bountiful feast.
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