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Dear Katie, the Volcano Is a Girl


by Jean George
by Daniel Powers

List Price: $14.95
1 New starting at: $29.99
7 Used starting at: $9.50
3 Collectible starting at: $37.50
Sales Rank: 1471419
Studio: Hyperion
Binding: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Pages: 32
Publication Date: September 15, 1998
Publisher: Hyperion


CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 8 reviews)

Beautiful but Factually Flawed  
While searching with increasing frustration for a narrative text about volcanoes for a fifth grade class I held great hopes for this title by Ms George. Knowing of her natualist bent I expected her book to be frankly better than all the other titles I'd tried. I was also excited to contrast one of the myths of volcanic landscapes with the actual mechanics of eruptions. Sadly, Ms George neglected the factual side of her story to a degree that is astonishing. Its perfectly obvious that she did not consult a geologist or look into a geology textbook before presenting her "geophysical phenomenon". A hot spot has nothing to do with subduction, there is no "sand" in lava and worst of all there is no such thing as a tidal wave. Huge waves called tsunamis are generated by ocean floor earthquakes and landslides. They have nothing to do with the tides. Its no wonder I have such a hard time teaching geology at the college level when children are raised with beautifully illustrated but factually incorrect books.
September 15, 2004

Trip to Hawaii  
Katie and grandmother visit a Hawaiian volcano together. Katie's grandmother explains to her the scientific explanation of what she is seeing, but Katie won't hear any of it. Instead, she tells her grandmother all about the Hawaiian legend of Pele, the goddess of the volcano. The book is not scary. It would be good to read when preparing for a family trip to Hawaii. It may also prove a good starting point for comparing myths and reality. And kids who love volcanoes adore the book. It has about 800 words.
March 05, 2004

Good, not totally satisfying  
This fine story is another example of Jean Craighead George's close bond with nature, elegant writing, and her grandchildren. The Newbery Medal-winning author has written several picture books for her grandchildren--ARCTIC SON, a magnificent book, tells the story of her grandsons Luke and Sam who live in Alaska; DEAR REBECCA, WINTER IS HERE is written in the same format as DEAR KATIE, THE VOLCANO IS A GIRL, and that book, which I liked better, is the story of Katie's sister Rebecca asking the grandmother (Ms. George, we presume) what winter is all about. DEAR KATIE, THE VOLCANO IS A GIRL, is an intriguing tale, in which Katie and her grandmother go to Hawaii to see the great Kilauea Volcano. As the fire explodes around them, the grandmother remarks, "A volcano is a geophysical phenomenon," to which young Katie responds, "The volcano is a girl." So begins a daylong quest to find the truth behind the mysteries of Kilauea. Katie tells her grandmother the story that the native Hawaiians tell, of a fiery goddess who is mad at her sister, the tidal waves. The grandmother insists that the secrets of the volcano is explained using pure science. Following their journey, Daniel Powers's colorful illustrations go along nicely with Ms. George's writing. Young children, especially, will find the pictures exciting. In the end, the grandmother writes to Katie telling her that the legend and the scientists' story are the same. Ms. George has a gift for sharing legends and culture with her readers--in her young adult novels, the JULIE OF THE WOLVES books, she describes with great detail the lives of Inupiat Eskimos, and in SHARK BENEATH THE REEF, the story of a little-known town in seaside Mexico. If you're wondering why I gave this book only 3 stars, the reason is because I think Ms. George's other picture books are more satisfying. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who love Ms. George's nature writing--her other picture books, such as the ones mentioned above, are better. Of course, she has written almost 100 books for children, young adults, and even grown-ups, so there's an endless supply to choose from.
December 11, 2001

Science and Religion  
In reading this book, I am reminded of how often I have found that myths that explain how the world works are often merely a symbolic explanation that when cut down to bare bones are exactly the same as science claims. My belief that religion and science have no need to clash is reinforced. They are two different explanations for the same fact. Religion and science can work together, in fact. Science answers our need for an intellectual explanation and religion fulfills our spiritual nature. For me, science has never undercut my faith as it only reinforces the miracle of our world.

I also find it amazing that these ancient myths have such basis in fact. It seems to me that the workings of this world our something a human being can know inately and are not solely the knowledge of the wild animals.
June 23, 2001


A great religious teaching tool  
We used this as a teaching story at our local Unitarian Universalist sunday school, showing that Humanist and Pagan beliefs can indeed coexist. In this story, the girl tells her grandmother about the Goddess Pele and Her sacred mountain, while the grandmother tells the girl about volcanoes and geological activity. At the end of the book, the grandmother says "I told you the scientific story, and you told me the religious story, and *they were the same*".

Beautiful illustrations and very respectful treatment of Pele and Her mountain. Highly recommended.
August 30, 2000
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