Review by Booklist Review
Do you live in a big city or a suburb? In the 101-story Princess Tower in Dubai or a Brazilian favela? This book examines the myriad factors that affect where we choose to live and if we have a choice. Kids will learn how technology enabled the rise of cities and how access to food, water, and jobs impacts their location. Peppy, upbeat second-person prose broken into bulleted paragraphs or short sections encourages kids to think about their own homes in terms of their features, such as geographic location, topography, or population density. Meanwhile, clearly drawn illustrations in cheerful, bright colors reinforce the friendly tone. Occasional sidebars define key concepts (famine, climate) and highlight interesting facts. It can be tricky to explain geography to young people without seeming to take sides on issues such as immigration, sprawl, or urban planning, and this book manages to present facts in an impartial way, giving kids a foundation on which to begin to form their own opinions.--Willey, Paula Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Why do we live on Earth and not Jupiter? How do water, energy, and money affect where we live? Vermond examines these and other questions as she looks at how humans have built communities and cities, resettled around the world, and dealt with environmental and socioeconomic problems. Twenty topics get spreads of their own, framed by McLaughlin's bright cartoons, which keep the mood fairly light, even as Vermond discusses food shortages, climate change, and troubled cities ("Today more than one billion people live in slums"). An accessible primer on the development of human civilization, with plenty of potential to spur classroom activities and conversation. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-An ambitious look at the various settings humans inhabit and how they have adapted. Vermond attempts to pack a ton of information on climate, the environment, and human effects into a fairly slim volume. The book starts by explaining why humans live on Earth and near the end includes a section on the possibility of branching out to other planets. Short chapters address issues that affect where people choose to live, such as food distribution, availability of water, comfort, electrical power, money, commuting, and more. The tone is chatty, and the writing is clear and accessible. Abundant cartoon illustrations throughout pop with color. Though there's a lot of material to cover, Vermond does a decent job explaining why people live where they do. Suitable as a starting-off point for further research.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2014. 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 Kirkus Book Review
Why do people choose to live where they do in our world? Vermond's introduction to that big question points out that humans adapt: They use their big brains and work together to make places livable. A comfortable climate, readily available food and water, power for heat, light, transportation and communication, people who speak the same language, nearby families and plentiful jobs are just some of the things people are looking for. From the "Planet Perfect" to making your hometown one of "The Happiest Places on Earth," the author considers human needs, briefly surveys the development of cities, explains what urban planners do, considers the reasons for living in a dangerous place as well as the reasons for moving, and touches on the effects of climate change and the possibility of living elsewhere in the universe. Each spread covers a separate topic. The extensive, conversational text is often set in columns and broken down into short segments, each with a heading, moving along quickly. A lively design and humorous illustrations add appeal. Unfortunately, there are no sources or suggestions for further reading. This unusual book offers a surprising amount of information, organized and presented in an appealing way for upper-elementary students. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
