WL Rating
My 9 year-old son unearthed this book at his school book fair and thought it was cool enough for me to review. In Waves, super surf editor Drew Kampion has teamed with illustrator Jeff Peterson to create an approachable and interesting exploration of all sorts of wave action. Geared for kids between 9 and 12 years of age, the book is packed with illustrations, photos and explanations of various wave forms. Kampion provides some very basic science on wave origin, tides and shape, but he mostly offers short summaries on all the different wave permutations he could think of including backwash, tidal bores, rogue waves, beach breaks, point breaks, tubes, tsunamis, etc. Basically, if you took heady classics like Waves & Beaches and Beyond the Moon and cut out the esoteric science, then threw in a bunch of great photos and illustrations, you’d be left with Waves. So, if you’ve got a stoked little gremmie in your family somewhere, then this would be a nice gift. (November 2009)
