The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Weather Lore: The Fact and Fancy Behind Weather Predictions, Superstitions, Old-Time Sayings, and Traditions

``Frost or dew in the morning light / Shows no rain before the night''; ``Always plant seeds by the full of the moon''; ``Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.'' These statements belong to a centuries-old body of weather lore that ranges from pure superstition to reasonably accurate. Dolan, author of Animal Rights and other children's books, examines this literature. He discusses weather phenomena, noting that much of the lore originated with farmers and seafarers. Everybody knows the one about the wooly-bear caterpillar, for example: the width of its brown band foretells the severity of the coming winter. Dolan notes that this prediction is usually accurate, and that scientists can't explain why. He also gives a formula for determining the temperature at any given moment by counting cricket chirps. All this is agreeable trivia, especially attractive to readers who enjoy the Farmer's Almanac. (September)