by Stacy McAnulty and Illustrated by David Litchfield
Hi! I’m Earth! But you can call me Planet Awesome.
Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, tells the autobiographical story of Earth’s history, from the beginning of time to the present. This text takes you on a walk through geologic time from the perspective of Earth, herself. Though Earth, as the central character, has been through a lot, she has the support of a big family, lots of friends, and has a great sense of humor.
She shares that humans have been some of her most fun and thoughtful inhabitants, but have created a critical need to take care and clean up, so that she can continue to be “Planet Awesome.”
But sometimes humans forget to share and play nice and clean up after themselves.
Still, I bet you humans will turn out to do really great things.”
Kindergartners reacted strongly to this book’s conversational tone and heart-felt message. After hearing Earth! one student remarked, “If you can’t understand the earth, you won’t understand how to help it! I loved this book and my parents would like it too.”
Another kindergartner said, “This book shows the scenes of the history of the earth in a super fun way.”
Older students love Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, just as much. One third grader commented that, “People should really listen because the book will help you understand Earth so that you can save Earth. It’s cool that the book is from the perspective of the Earth.”
Teachers love McAnulty’s innovative take on informational text. They say that it is a must for any nonfiction text set. It is an energizing way to teach point of view to younger readers. Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, begs to be read aloud to audiences of all ages.
Earth as a young, hip main character, humanizes earth’s history and plays to the readers sense of empathy. Readers, young and old cannot help but heed the call to action to save our planet, our friend, Earth!
