BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
The Earth is Big is all about relative comparisons. The page on measurements goes from miles to nanometers, showing examples of each Amazon River compared to the Great Wall of China, a lady bug to a pinhead, a blood cell to the coronavirus. The age of the the Earth is used to plot a timeline including the age of the moon, through evolution, including Dinosaurs, early man; the lifespan of a person (122 years) is compared to the lifespan of a Giant Sequoia (2,500 years) Red Sea Urchin (200 years) Mayfly (1 day) among other examples. It's cold, it's hot, it's wet, it's dry, there's even a spread about things that make it unique.
No! The size, why? Fully 12 inches high! I know it's about the earth being big, but if it won't fit on the shelves . . . it's like the publisher is angling for permanent display spots and that's not fair to all the other books that would like that placement. I expected huge illustrations (or at least big ones) instead I found that it is very fact heavy, with the pages divided into info boxes. So many comparisons, and so much information . The illustrations: colors are not vibrant at all, maybe they are going for an antique art look? 18 chapters in 41 pages, then a glossary, source notes and an index. Earth is Big is best read in pieces, opened anywhere and explored. A bit much to take in all at once.
Lisa Librarian
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