Our Earth

Features

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Cover Type: Paperback with 24 pages
• Published by: Voyager Books March 6, 2000
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0152023836
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0152023836
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.8 x 0.1 inches
• Weighs: 4 ounces

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-The statement "Our earth is where I live" appears under a picture of a suburban home with dandelions on the lawn. On the opposite page, a picture of the planet is labeled, "It is a big, round globe." So begins this first look at the development of the earth and its geographic components. Simple sentences state very basic information about the North and South Poles, how an island is born, the path water takes to the sea, hot deserts, damp caves, high mountains, and tropical forests. Grasslands are not included. The watercolor-and-gouache illustrations are colorful, in Rockwell's typical flat, uncomplicated style. The pictures extend the text with appropriate details-an ocean teeming with brightly colored coral and fish, a tranquil cow pasture with rock walls and a red barn, lizards in the desert, and bats in a cave. After such an introduction, preschoolers can move on to Jack Knowlton's Geography from A to Z (Crowell, 1988).
Martha Gordon, formerly at South Salem Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Rockwell takes on an ambitious project as she introduces the earth to young children. Although the illustrations succeed in suggesting the variety of physical features and landscapes on the earth, the text is a mundane accompaniment. The subject is so large and complex that writers attempting to express it in a picture book must chart a course between two hazards: telling too much and losing the audience, or telling too little and sounding simplistic. Rockwell veers toward the latter, and the result is a sentence like this: "Some islands are coral reefs that grow and grow until they poke above the water, and birds bring seeds to them." Children who have no idea what coral is, how or why birds bring seeds to the coral, or what seeds have to do with making an island will need further interpretation. However, the watercolor-and-gouache illustrations are very accessible. The pictures should provoke questions; parents and teachers can use the answers to provide kids with more information. Useful for many library collections. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reader Reviews
Rockwell follows her tried-and-true pattern of anchoring the subject by beginning and ending at the narrator's home, thereby leading the audience to relate themselves to the earth. She then briefly discusses various aspects of geography and geology, including the poles, dinosaurs, glaciers, islands, continents, volcanoes, water sources, forests, deserts, caves, mountains and canyons. The text is accompanied by colorful and detailed watercolor and gouache illustrations, including two maps. The subject of this book is much broader than those of other Rockwell books like Trains and On Our Vacation, and the text is suitable for an audience of older preschoolers and primary grade students. Given the number of concepts in the book, Rockwell can not go into much detail about any of them; fans of her one-concept books may be disappointed with the necessarily shallow coverage here. This book, however, provides a good overview of geographical and geological concepts, and exposes the reader to concepts with which they may not be familiar. It would be very useful to support a school unit on the earth, and would be enjoyed by the many children aged 4 to 8 who are interested in science and the earth.