I agree with the previous reviewer's writeup of this book. It is full of very useful information.

I bought my copy when it came out almost ten years ago, and I am dismayed to find that the authors have not been encouraged to create several more-current editions during all these years.

Bob Hall and Mary Lee Kerr have done an exceptional job compiling useful information in this volume. The book includes the topics of air- and water quality, use and abuse of energy - including automobiles, toxic and hazardous waste, chemicals and other factors that affect us in our homes and workplaces, and governmental policies in place to help clean up our act. It also includes information and statistics on state parks and forest, fishing and hunting, water-front activities, and other leisure-time topics.

The information is laid out in an easy-to-read format with maps, charts, and statistics in each section. Every subject has a separate scale by which the states are ranked as well as an over-all ranking. Another section listing the best and worst environmental aspects of each state is also included. If you are wanting one or two quick facts about the environmental health of a certain state, these maps and ranking charts are a terrific way to find them. Quick and painless.

A list of indicators is given for each topic (i.e. air sickness lists 18 indicators and sources), as well. These "indicators" are the different types of pollution/problems that exist and their sources. In addition to the maps, charts, statistics, and rankings, is a very informative narrative further explaining the research findings. For those of you wanting a little more information, you'll find it here.

This book is a good resource for anyone, whether you're looking for the healthiest place to live or curious about the environmental health of your current home. I'd recommend it to anyone concerned about the air they breath or the water they drink. Be warned, however, the truth can sometimes be painful (and frightening). Perhaps more of us need to be aware of these statistics.

The authors have done a great service by putting this book out. My only wish is that there were a more current index. Well, Bob Hall and Mary Lee Kerr, when can we expect it?

I can't think of a better book for young kids who love pulleys and other mechanical gadgets. This is not just about science (though it's lurking in the wings), nor about push-button machines which seem to do everything by magic.

Each double-spread forms one scene, showing the character describing his actions, and including notes on the actions of the various mechanisms he has set up to get up, get dressed, and catapult himself to the shops...yes, the gadgets ARE the plot, and for the kids who really love this stuff, they're probably the "love interest" as well!

If your house wasn't already festooned with strange string pulleys and gadgets, it soon will be -- the illustrations are detailed and attractive, in big, clear spreads flooded with color.

The perpetrator of all this Newtonian motion is "Harry Newton", who provides a brief speech-bubble narration to accompany the pictures. He won't tell you where to find the screwdrivers though...