Our Air

by G. Brian Karas, G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

Overview

A lively, enlightening look at the role the air plays in our lives and our world

It’s easy to take the air for granted. Although it’s always around us, we don’t often give it much thought. We can’t see, smell, or hear it, but we can certainly feel it move—and that breeze you feel on a windy day is part of a larger air current circling our planet and bringing us all kinds of weather. Our air gives us life, and it makes up the atmosphere that protects us. And because everyone here on Earth shares it, it’s important to take care of our air.

With striking art and an expressive text, G. Brian Karas brings our air into focus and will give readers a new appreciation for this precious substance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593625514
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/21/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

G. Brian Karas (GBrianKaras.com) is the award-winning author-illustrator of many books for children, including As an Oak Tree Grows, On Earth, and Atlantic. He also illustrated The Boy Who Loved Maps (by Kari Allen); Lemonade in Winter (by Emily Jenkins); Clever Jack Takes the Cake (by Candace Fleming); and The Little Library, The Dinosaur Expert, and How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (all by Margaret McNamara). He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Editorial Reviews

* “Narrator the Air gently but firmly reminds readers that while it may be invisible, it’s keeping them—and everything else on the planet—going. ‘I am the perfect combination of nitrogen and oxygen for life on Earth,’ writes Karas (The Power of Yeti), explaining all the heavy lifting that air does—carrying matter, moisture, and sounds; orchestrating ‘rivers of atmosphere’ that become climate and weather patterns; and more. Gouache and pencil illustrations in the creator’s signature style move from intimate human moments . . . to more expansive depictions of air at work in jet streams and wind turbines. But a view of Earth from outer space attends a powerful view of the subject’s cosmic rarity: ‘You can see just how little of me there is.’ Wearing its messages lightly, the work delivers a profound truth with a final scene that shows a panoply of life: ‘Everyone is sharing me with everyone else.’” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A very simple introduction to what air is and does. Addressing both readers and the book’s cast of racially and culturally diverse youngsters, the gaseous narrator begins by distinguishing itself from the things it carries. . . . Likewise, though we can’t hear air, we can feel the moisture it contains. . . . Air helps to shield the planet from harmful rays and other hazards, rivers of it circle the Earth, and its energy can be harnessed. . . . Most importantly, because air connects every living thing, it’s vital to care for it. The chain of logic is unassailable. Karas deftly adds informational content visually with (among other things) a world map of labeled jet streams and prevailing winds, as well as a gallery of airborne particulates such as soot, seeds, and spores. He goes on to fill in more detail about air’s dynamic relationship with our planet and biosphere in a short afterword. Light, refreshing, and clear.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2025-05-16
A very simple introduction to what air is and does.

Addressing both readers and the book’s cast of racially and culturally diverse youngsters, the gaseous narrator begins by distinguishing itself from the things it carries: “You can’t smell me. (That’s not me you smell!)” Likewise, though we can’t hear air, we can feel the moisture it contains. Its particles can “change the color of the sky—and sometimes make your nose itch.” Air helps to shield the planet from harmful rays and other hazards, rivers of it circle the Earth, and its energy can be harnessed. Air has changed over time and is still changing. Most importantly, because air connects every living thing (“Everyone is sharing me with everyone else”), it’s vital to care for it. The chain of logic is unassailable. Karas deftly adds informational content visually with (among other things) a world map of labeled jet streams and prevailing winds, as well as a gallery of airborne particulates such as soot, seeds, and spores. He goes on to fill in more detail about air’s dynamic relationship with our planet and biosphere in a short afterword.

Light, refreshing, and clear.(Informational picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews