Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet

by Curtis Manley, Jessica Lanan (Illustrator)

Overview

Do you wonder if humans

are the only beings who wonder

if they are alone in the universe?

Our sun is a star.

In the night sky are all kinds of stars,

and orbiting those stars are planets like the ones in our own solar system.

Could those planets have life like we do on Earth?

Planet Earth is not too big,

not too small, not too hot,

and not too cold. It’s just right.

Our very own Goldilocks planet . . . .

Follow a young girl as she explores these questions in this gorgeous book about the wondrous search for another Goldilocks planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250155337
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	01/29/2019
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	1080L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Curtis Manley grew up in Pennsylvania, where there were bears in the woods (and perhaps a few dinosaurs at school). But he never had to outrun sharks during recess—though he’s absolutely certain he could have. He is the author of Shawn Loves Sharks and Just Right. Curtis now lives near Seattle, Washington.

Jessica Lanan has long been enchanted by the mysteries of the cosmos. Exoplanets are too far away for her to visit, but illustrating them is the next best thing. Jessica currently lives in her native state of Colorado with her husband, three-legged cat, and baby daughter, who was born during the making of Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet.

Jessica's illustrations can also be found in Finding Narnia: The Story of C. S. Lewis and His Brother, The Lost Package, and Jumper.

Editorial Reviews

★ "The enthusiastic main character lightens what could be weighty scientific information, providing an entry point for newcomers. Lanan’s pleasing, watercolorlike artwork moves between expansive visions of outer space and panels that highlight key concepts. VERDICT An ideal addition for libraries building or updating STEAM collections."—School Library Journal, starred review

"Richly informative prose and intimate yet expansive art show a child’s contagious enthusiasm for the book’s subject." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2018-10-28

A young girl looks out her window, pondering the universe. A subsequent family trip to the planetarium gives her a lot to think about.

Are we alone in the universe? Are there other "Goldilocks planets" out there capable of sustaining life, planets that are "not too hot and not too cold, not too big and not too small, not too soft and not too hard" but "just right"? Older adult readers might hear the voice of Carl Sagan in the narrative, an authoritative, planetarium-movie voice explaining the universe with a focus on "exoplanets," planets that orbit stars outside of our solar system. Kids may imagine Neal DeGrasse Tyson. Woven through the text are the twin narratives of the girl and her family's visit to the planetarium and its "Searching for Exoplanets" exhibition. The illustrations, suffused with glowing light, are dynamically varied, including a colorful double-page spread of the Milky Way galaxy, panels carrying information, fanciful visions of other worlds, and an all-black spread with just one stark sentence in white: "Or maybe it's like nothing we can even imagine." Lanan effectively balances the girl's visual narrative with the heavier scientific exposition of the text. The girl, who has exuberantly kinky hair, and her family present black; other planetarium guests are a diverse group. Thorough backmatter includes books, websites, astronomy clubs, and various websites for further exploration.

An attractive and informative volume for young stargazers. (Informational picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews