What’s So Special About Planet Earth? by Robert E. Wells
Sometimes Earth can be uncomfortable with weather that’s either too hot or too cold, and huge storms seem to come out of nowhere. In this introductory book about the planets, author Wells invites kids to pretend they’re visiting each of the planets in our solar system to find a new place to live. (As he says, “If you’re thinking about moving, you’d want to visit first, to see if the planet was right for you.”) The journey brings us to all eight planets in our solar system, Earth included, and at each we learn about distance from the sun, planet diameter, orbit time, number of moons, temperatures, and more. Each planet is interesting, but none seem to quite fit the bill for what humans, plants, and animals need in a home. When we finally travel back home to “our” planet, Wells explains why Earth is just right for us and the animals and plants we live with. He also tells us that we haven’t always taken good care of our home (pollution, etc.) and there are ways to make it better. He talks about recycling, reducing use of resources, and reusable energy. After all, planet Earth is pretty special–we’d better take care of it!
Bright, cartoon-like illustrations make the book fun, and some pages are written and drawn at different angles so readers have to rotate the book, which makes it interesting. In some ways, What’s So Special reminds me of The Magic School Bus series with its bright colors, conversational tone, and educational content. (I grew up with Ms. Frizzle and her crazy field trips–I still love them!) That said, Wells’ book is more basic and has less of a story and less information overall, so it would probably sit better with a slightly younger audience with a shorter attention span.
With advice like, “If you like trees, Mars is not for you,” Wells keeps the writing accessible, and I think that for kids who are interested in outer space, this is a good book to start on. While Wells assumes a modest understanding of outer space (he mentions meteors and planet days without definitions), he includes basic introductions to the greenhouse effect, water cycle, and aquifers. The last page discusses planetary orbits in more detail as well as information on the search for other Earth-like planets. It would be a fun book to read alongside a kid, and it will certainly open the door to more questions and, hopefully, more reading. Overall, it’s a good book, though I can’t help but wish for a glossary or index at the back, no matter how small. That said, any author who includes notes such as “not to scale” with his illustrations is fine by me! (I’m a sucker for that kind of thing.)
Ages 7-10
Copyright September 2010
ISBN: 9780807588161
Image from www.barnesandnoble.com
