The words “weather” and “climate” are often used interchangeably. But while they both tell us something about what to expect when we head out the door and help us answer important questions such as, “Is this a good weekend to go camping?” they are far from synonymous terms.
Merriam Webster distinguishes between the two in this way: weather is “the state of the atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness,” whereas climate is “the average course or condition of the weather at a place usually over a period of years as exhibited by temperature, wind velocity, and precipitation.”
Here at DBRL, we offer a wide variety of books and materials for all ages to help you learn more about weather and climate (as well as climate change and global warming). Here are a few suggestions for our younger patrons!
Elementary
- “A Warmer World: From Polar Bears to Butterflies, How Climate Change Affects Wildlife” by Caroline Arnold
- “What is Climate?” by Ellen Lawrence
- “Global Warming” by Ellen Lawrence
- “The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge” by Joanna Cole
- “All About the Weather” by Mack
Middle School
- “It’s Getting Hot in Here: The Past, Present and Future of Climate Change” by Bridget Heos
- “Extreme Weather: Science Tackles Global Warming and Climate Change” by Kathleen Simpson
- “Science vs. Climate Change” by Nick Hunter
- “Weather: Air Masses, Clouds, Rainfall, Storms, Weather Maps, Climate” by Paul E. Lehr
- “Climate Change” by John Woodward
- “Oceans and Climate Change” (in-library use only)
- “Understanding Climate Change” (in-library use only)
- “Natural Cycles and Climate Change” (in-library use only)
DVDs:
- “Bill Nye the Science Guy: Climates” by Bill Nye
- “Bill Nye’s Global Meltdown” by Bill Nye
