Pluto!: Not a Planet? Not a Problem!

by Stacy McAnulty, Stevie Lewis (Illustrator)

Overview

Hot diggity dog! Meet Pluto! The runt of a litter of eight planets. Pluto may not be the biggest or fastest planet to revolve around the Sun, but it has a unique story to tell. From the tale of how it was found by humans to its naming as a dwarf planet, it’s Pluto’s turn to take the spotlight and properly re-introduce itself.

With characteristic humor and charm, Stacy McAnulty channels the voice of Pluto in this next celestial "autobiography" in the Our Universe series. Rich with kid-friendly facts and beautifully brought to life by Stevie Lewis, this is an equally charming and irresistible companion to Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years and Sun! One in a Billion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250813466
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	05/02/2023
Series:	Our Universe , #7
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	200,333
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD490L (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.

Stevie Lewis has been living on the road, furthering her passion for climbing, art, and the outdoors. Striving to live simply and tread lightly on the earth, she gathers inspiration from a variety of places, be it climbing in the high desert in central Oregon, hiking in the wilderness of Alaska, or sharing laughs with fellow travelers around a campfire. After working for four years in animation, she now illustrates children's books and creates art based on her travels.

Stevie's books include A Week without Tuesday, Finding Serendipity, and Lost in the Library.

Editorial Reviews

* "Fans of McAnulty’s Our Universe series will be thrilled with her latest entry on dwarf planet Pluto. Add this, along with the other books in the series, to your very likely outdated solar system collection." —starred review, School Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2023

Gr 2–5—Fans of McAnulty's "Our Universe" series will be thrilled with her latest entry on dwarf planet Pluto. Exuberant illustrations show pale orange Pluto as a self-described "lovable family pet" with big black eyes and winning smile. Each of the eight planets—also depicted with friendly faces—is introduced with a simple identifying characteristic, such as "Mars, the red one, Jupiter, the big one, Earth, the one with ice cream and books." The real focus, of course, is on adorable Pluto, which is shown spinning (orbiting) and waving to other planets (to show the relative distance from each other as well as the orbit's path). Pluto also shows us that it has real heart—an actual heart-shaped area of ice—that makes it "frozen but friendly." A brief foray into history shows how Pluto was added, then removed, from the lineup of planets. Pluto assures readers that there are no hard feelings, however, as it proclaims itself a "proud, playful and popular non-planet." Facts are presented in large readable text and clear language, with just enough information to convey concepts without becoming overwhelming. Back matter includes an author's note, additional information, and a list of sources. VERDICT Add this, along with the other books in the series, to your very likely outdated solar system collection. Highly recommended.—Sue Morgan

School Library Journal

2023-03-14
Meet Pluto, a “proud, playful, and popular non-planet.”

Today’s young readers likely grew up learning that there are only eight planets in our solar system, a fact that sets them apart from generations past. Pluto may well have been stricken from the planetary record, but in “his” own words, “Not a planet? Not a problem!” McAnulty’s chipper text seems torn between a multitude of directions. It could have been a story about identity and how it’s OK not to fit in. It could have been an exploration of the solar system, what’s in it, and how humans have studied it. It could have offered knowledge about dwarf planets and what makes them special. It somehow manages to do all and none of these things, likely limited by the young age of its intended audience. What stands out most are the facts, interspersed throughout the text and also found in the backmatter; the story itself, conversational, bubbly, and littered with misplaced dog metaphors (Pluto dubs himself both a “runt” and a “stray”), isn’t quite as engaging as it attempts to be. The highly anthropomorphized art is bright and cute, although the occasional floppy ears are somewhat disconcerting. Backmatter is highly informative, containing those juicy specialized details sure to please space-loving readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An endearing but unfocused look at everyone’s favorite dwarf planet. (author’s note, statistics on Pluto, information on what makes something a planet, sources, “Pluto or Earth or Both?”) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews