Asha and Baz Meet Katia Krafft
Asha and Baz Meet Katia Krafft
“You know, I’ve lived through a volcano eruption,” said Ms. Wilson. “In 2010, a volcano erupted in Iceland. It blew ash all over Europe. I got stuck in France because they closed all the airports.”
“Volcanoes are real?” asked a student.
“Very real,” said Ms. Wilson. “There are volcanoes all over the world.”
“And they erupt?” asked another student.
“Some of them do,” said Ms. Wilson.
“How are volcanoes born?” asked Asha.
A student at the front of the class rolled their eyes. “Volcanoes aren’t born,” they said.
“Asha is not wrong. Volcanoes are created,” said Ms. Wilson. “Does anyone know how?” (Pp. 2-3)
In this fourth book in the “Asha and Baz” series, their science teacher, Ms. Wilson, has assigned them the Great Volcano Challenge. “This might get messy,” Ms. Wilson warns the class as she provides supplies to each team to build their own volcano. The winners of the challenge will receive a real-life lava rock. Before the challenge begins, the class discusses how volcanoes are formed. They discover that the Earth’s crust is made up of plates which can pull apart to create openings which allow rock and molten liquid from the center of the Earth to rise to the surface. The result is volcanoes. Sometimes, there can be violent eruptions, such as the one in Iceland in 2010 which stranded Ms. Wilson in France because the ash that spread over Europe impacted air travel.
Asha and Baz cannot figure out how to make a volcano from the supplies they are given: vinegar, baking soda, dish soap, an empty plastic water bottle, a funnel, a tablespoon, a measuring cup, a pie plate, and a clean cloth. Once again, they decide to use their magic stick to travel back in time to find an expert on volcanic eruptions. Previously they had travelled back in time to meet a rocket scientist in Asha and Baz Meet Mary Sherman Morgan, an inventor in Asha and Baz Meet Elizebeth Friedman, and a code breaker in Asha and Baz Meet Hedy Lamarr at different times and places. This time, they land in Iceland in 1973 to meet Katia Krafft, a famous volcano researcher.
Posing as volcano students, Asha and Baz work with Katia at the site of an active volcano in Iceland. At first, they are worried about the smoking and groaning volcano, but Katia assures them that they will be safe with her. She explains that volcanoes can have various shapes and can look like small mountains, tall mountains, domes, or mountains with missing tops. She also explains that volcanoes are at various stages of activity. They can be active, dormant, or even extinct. Katia and her husband, Maurice, are in the process of filming the eruption of this particular volcano. She is a very determined, knowledgeable, and courageous researcher who takes calculated risks to further the science of volcanic activity.
Asha and Baz Meet Katia Krafft explains the science of volcanic activity as well as giving readers a portrait of a brave and resourceful researcher. There is lots of detail about volcano formation, eruption, and structures. The black and white illustrations by Dharmali Patel provide readers with detailed information about volcano structure in addition to showing Katia’s “volcano uniform”. The excitement of the volcanic activity is evident in the intriguing and detailed text and illustrations.
Once again, Caroline Fernandez has provided readers with historical information about a scientific topic and a famous scientist. The STEM content features in this accessible book with short chapters allows readers to grapple with the topic of volcanic activity and its impact on human life. Readers will definitely enjoy learning about volcanoes in the context of ecosystems, chemical reactions, and Earth sciences. Perhaps the most fascinating issues discussed are the benefits and dangers of living near live volcanoes.
Myra Junyk, from Toronto, Ontario, is a literacy advocate and author.