Our Planet! There's No Place Like Earth

by Stacy McAnulty, David Litchfield (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A necessary addition to Stacy McAnulty's Our Universe series, Our Planet! There's No Place Like Earth is the natural blending of gorgeous David Litchfield art (The Bear and the Piano, Lights on Wonder Rock) and important, timely facts about the Earth and our impact. With Earth as the narrator, each page looks at our current life and uncertain future. Our Planet! There's No Place Like Earth is a must have to round out the bookshelf with Moon! Earth's Best Friend, Sun! One in a Billion and Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years.

From writer Stacy McAnulty and illustrator David Litchfield, Our Planet! There's No Place Like Earth is a nonfiction picture book about the Earth, told from the perspective of Earth herself.

Meet Earth. Planet Awesome! And your awesome home! Actually, Earth is home to all the plants and all the animals in the solar system, including nearly eight billion people. Humans have accidentally moved Earth's climate change into the fast lane, and she need your help to put on the brakes. Earthlings need Earth, and Earth needs Earthlings, so let’s save Earth together!

With characteristic humor and charm, Stacy McAnulty channels the voice of Earth in this next celestial "autobiography" in the Our Universe series. Rich with kid-friendly facts and beautifully brought to life by David Litchfield, this is an equally charming and irresistible picture book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250782496
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Series:	Our Universe , #6
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Stacy McAnulty is the author of many books for children, notably the nonfiction picture book series Our Universe, which includes titles, Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, Mars! Earthlings Welcome, and Moon! Earth's Best Friend, among others. She's also the author of picture books Brains! Not Just a Zombie Snack, A Small Kindness, Beautiful, Brave, and Love, and she writes books for middle grade readers including The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl and Millionaires for the Month. Stacy lives in North Carolina with her family and as many dogs as she can sneak in the house.

David Litchfield is the author-illustrator of the award-winning The Bear and the Piano, as well as the illustrator of numerous picture books, including Miss Muffet, or What Came After by Marilyn Singer. He lives in Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/01/2022

PreS-Gr 1—Earth loves its Earthlings, especially humans, and it hopes we love it back. After sharing facts about itself and the changes it has gone through over millennia, Earth explains the dangers of the climate crisis and offers some hope for change. The latest addition to McAnulty's "Our Universe" series focuses on celebrating and protecting the planet. Concise, accessible text offers a wealth of information about Earth while imbuing the planet with a warm, friendly, and funny personality. Concepts such as the difference between weather and climate are effectively explained for young minds, while, in this example, Earth plays the role of meteorologist. Lush and emotive illustrations are filled with vibrant colors and packed with details to explore. When the impact of climate change is addressed, the illustrations are saturated with dark hues and frightening elements like fires and flooding. The normally friendly face of Earth is fearful, staring out of bloodshot eyes while its edges are frayed and melting. These illustrative choices effectively drive the mood to a somber place so the text can continue to focus on efficient information delivery. Importantly, after raising the alarm, the book offers multiple suggestions for improvement through alternate energy and lifestyle choices. The last illustrations feature a joyful, verdant Earth, who is clearly choosing hope over despair. VERDICT Offering a helpful primer to difficult concepts, this engaging picture book is recommended for first purchase.—Elizabeth Lovsin

School Library Journal

2022-04-27
The sixth in McAnulty’s Our Universe series focuses on Earth’s human-caused problems, offering some family-level activities for mitigation.

Vivaciously narrated by “Planet Awesome,” the text establishes facts about how Earth’s location with regard to the sun allows life to flourish, the roles of the ocean and atmosphere, and the distinctions between weather and climate. McAnulty clearly explains how people have accelerated climate change “because so many human things need energy.” Soft-pedaling, she avoids overt indictment of fossil fuels: “Sometimes energy leads to dirty water, dirty land, and dirty air.” Dire changes are afoot: “Some land is flooding. Other land is too dry—and hot. YIKES! Not good.” “And when I’m in trouble, Earthlings are in trouble, too.” Litchfield’s engaging art adds important visual information where the perky text falls short. On one spread, a factory complex spews greenhouse gases in three plumes, each identified by the chemical symbols for carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Throughout, planet Earth is appealingly represented with animated facial features and arms—one green, one blue. The palette brightens and darkens in sync with the text’s respective messages of hope and alarm. Final pages introduce alternative energy sources—wind, hydro, solar, and “human power—that’s from your own two feet.” Lastly, Earth provides excellent ideas for hyperlocal change, from buying less new stuff to planting trees. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Informative yet optimistic, this cri du coeur from Planet Awesome deserves wide attention. (author’s note, numerical facts, atmospheric facts, ideas for action, sources) (Informational picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews