Its Raining Frogs and Fishes

How many of us have an answer ready when our children ask that tough and inevitable question: "Why is the sky blue?" It's Raining Frogs and Fishes is a generously illustrated inquiry into dozens of the natural world's most interesting and baffling phenomena: Where do meteors and comets originate? What causes rainbows, mirages, and the colors of the sunset? Why does it rain from some clouds and not from others? Is it true that no two snowflakes are alike? What are the mechanics of such spectacular events as blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, and thunderstorms? Why do some birds migrate, and how do they navigate over hundreds - sometimes thousands - of miles to do it? How have civilizations throughout history dealt with such powerful and seemingly inexplicable occurrences as the aurora borealis, windstorms, eclipses, and the bizarre but well-documented cases of fish, reptiles, snails, and even snakes that have rained to earth? Author Jerry Dennis and illustrator Glenn Wolff approach such troublesome questions with curiosity and wonder, and suggest ways to observe firsthand extraordinary weather, astronomical anomalies, and odd and interesting wildlife of the skies. Each subject is arranged by season and discussed in a concise, lively, and entertaining essay that blends the most recent scientific findings with historical anecdotes, personal observations, and examples of the lore and superstitions that have always surrounded phenomena of the natural world.