National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks

Following coverage of the U.S. parks system as a whole, this gorgeous guide from former ranger Waterman explores all 61 national parks, 33 of them in depth. Sites in the latter group were chosen for this detailed examination because of their “scenery or features so extraordinary as to be of national importance,” the same criterion, the book notes, used to establish the parks. Visitors to these wonders, as well as browsers and students in middle school and up doing assignments, will find a wealth of information on the natural history of the destinations; the flora, fauna, and geological features to be found there now; and numerous other details, from social history to vital statistics, such as location, size, and highest point. The work offers plenty of well-researched and effectively written textual material, as well as numerous crisply detailed photos, maps, and illustrations per spread, in color and black-and-white as appropriate.