Buildings, trees, and the ground sway when the earth gives way. Shaking earth is caused by earthquakes. In clear picture book text, Ellen Prager explains what earthquakes are, how they happen, and what damage they can cause. Simple language and clever explanations make complex geology concepts understandable for the K-2 set. Kids will learn that rocks in the Earth can break like a rubber band that has stretched too far. When a rock breaks, where does the energy go? It causes the ground to move and can become an earthquake. The basics of plate tectonics are clearly conveyed as the reader pictures the earth's surface as a giant jigsaw puzzle of bumping and moving plates. Susan Greenstein's illustrations are vibrant and vigorous, full of detail and capturing a sense of movement that's very important when imagining an earthquake. A sleek crow is the character guide for the book, a silent presence who provides a bird's-eye view of earthquakes in action and always manages to escape disaster. The book includes safety tips on what to do if an earthquake occurs near you and a do-it-yourself experiment on how to create your own earthquake.