Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3^-6. 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
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Rockwell introduces the basics of geography to the youngest child. The simple text explains how the earth was formed, the difference between continents and islands, and how small streams, bigger rivers, and the vast ocean are connected. Bold, flat watercolor and gouache illustrations depict the earth's different habitats, from lush jungles to sandy deserts. From HORN BOOK Spring 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Rockwell (One Bean, p. 501, etc.) joins simple lines of text and soft-colored, rudimentary drawings to convey some of the important concepts in geography. The line, ``Our earth is where I live,'' accompanies a cozy cottage and yard; ``It is a big, round globe'' appears with a shot of the earth in space. Among the topics, given a page each, are the North Pole and South Pole, the work of glaciers, the formation of volcanoes, the flow of streams to rivers, and various habitats and biomes. The transition from page to page may be troublesome for some readers, who are not given any sense of passing time or consistent perspectives. For example, dinosaurs in a swamp appear opposite a tree-covered hill and daisy-covered meadow that are part of a discussion of glaciers, past and present. One page shows the continent of North America in outline, while the facing page shows a close-up of a tropical island as if viewed from a boat offshore. The stylized drawings make geography accessible and relevant; pair this book with more straightforward treatments to avoid confusion, and expect plenty of discussion. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-7)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
