This Is the Earth

by Diane Z Shore, Wendell Minor (Illustrator), Jessica Alexander

Overview

Young readers learn how they can create a greener, healthier world in this powerful nonfiction picture book from authors Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander, with art by award-winning illustrator Wendell Minor.

This Is the Earth explores hundreds of years of changing landscapes and the positive and negative impacts humans have had on the environment. Even the smallest actions can help save the world, and this lyrical, rhyming read-aloud text shows how smart and simple everyday habits can protect the planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060555269
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD1010L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Diane Z. Shore is an award-winning children’s author and read-aloud advocate. Her books have been translated into many languages. Diane loves to visit schools, and she travels across the US inspiring the most reluctant kids to read and the most hesitant students to write. She lives in Georgia with her husband and cat. You can visit her online at dianezshore.com.

Wendell Minor is nationally known for the artwork he has created for over sixty award-winning children’s books. His many collaborators include Jean Craighead George, Robert Burleigh, Buzz Aldrin, Tony Johnston, Nikki Grimes, Mary Higgins Clark, and, last but not least, his wife, Florence. He is also the author and illustrator of My Farm Friends.

Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander have collaborated on several children's books, including This Is the Dream and This Is the Game. One thing they have learned while cowriting stories is that when people work together, great things can happen. Both authors live with their families in metro Atlanta, Georgia.

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR THIS IS THE EARTH:
“This noteworthy picture book—a mix of verse, paintings, history, and environmental science—demonstrates the impact humans have had upon Earth. A fine selection for reading and sharing, with curriculum connections to science, social studies, and language arts.” — School Library Journal

“Minor’s precise renderings of wildlife and flora are characteristically lovely.” — Publishers Weekly

“Shore, Alexander, and Minor have created an ode to the earth.” — ALA Booklist

From the Publisher

2015-10-19
A beautiful natural world, spoiled by modern industrialization, can be restored through "green" activities. In this misguided picture book, initially cheerful rhyming stanzas with "The House That Jack Built" cadence introduce the glories of our natural world, and then they go on to show its degradation and to suggest simple methods for people to help. Minor begins his series of gorgeous watercolor images with the iconic portrait of Earth from space. This is followed by a series of three "peaceable kingdom" spreads showing animals sharing the savannah, salmon leaping from a river, birds soaring, and Native Americans living in harmony with their world. These give way to agriculture, the introduction of transportation infrastructure, and a busy city-street scene with cars and workers. Then comes the upsetting part, developmentally out of sync with young readers and listeners, who are more likely to be overwhelmed by the images than galvanized by them: a landfill, a sewage pipe emptying into the ocean, a smoky steel-mill floor, a rain forest being despoiled, and melting Arctic glaciers. "Fumes and exhaust choke the air that we breathe, / endangering nature, creating despair." No amount of recycling, riding bicycles, releasing turtles, turning off lights, and using reusable bags is going to cure these large problems. It is dishonest to suggest they will. The inaccurate premise of this book appears in the authors' note: " 'Going green' can be easy." Not really. Fantasy in history and prescription, missing its intended audience and everybody else. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

Shore, Alexander, and Minor have created an ode to the earth.

ALA Booklist