The Planets

by Gail Gibbons

A nonfiction favorite for more than twenty years, The Planets has been updated to include some of the latest discoveries in space exploration.

From the burning surface of Venus to the freezing darkness of Neptune, Gail Gibbons takes children on a tour of our planetary neighbors—which are very different from each other in size, shape, orbit, and even weather.

Since its original publication in 1993, The Planets has been a home and classroom staple for introducing our solar system to the youngest readers. With her signature blend of clear, bright illustrations and accessible text, Gail Gibbons takes readers on a tour of our planetary neighbors, near and far.

From the burning surface of Venus to the freezing darkness of Neptune, the bodies in our solar system are named, described, and illustrated in clear, well-labeled spreads that give a strong sense of shape and scale to our skies.  Each entry is full of intriguing details about their composition, behavior, and moons.

Genres: Science, Space, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, Astronomy, Nature

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

Reviews

[Kacie Winfield]

This book introduces the overall concept of planets and then breaks down each planet. Students are taught about scientist that study these planets through telescopes. I would have students to create a replica of the planets and incorporate facts from the book.

[Amina Madesko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary
This book is an informational book on the planets that uses pictures and captions to interest the reader. It discusses the discovery of the planets, the orbits of planets around the sun, how to observe the planets from Earth, and the fun facts about teach planet. These fun facts include the rotation, size, color, temperature, moons, and more of each planet.

Evaluation
I give this book a 5/5 rating because it uses fun visuals to interest the reader. The book also includes various vocabulary words and definitions. The new vocabulary words are also presented with a guide on how to pronounce that word. It is a great tool for students to use due to the great amount of information that is presented for each and every planet.

Teaching Idea
This book is great for students to learn in depth information for each planet. It would be a great addition to a text set about planets. A great teaching idea would include that all students pick one planet to research. Students would interact with various texts from the text set and gather their information. They could be asked to create a model of the planet and present the fun facts they have gathered. By presenting to the whole class, all students get access to the fun facts of all the various planets.

[Allie Maziarz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as it was very well organized with a page about each of the planets. It laid out facts about how big each planet was, how far from the sun it is and its orbit and rotation times relative to earth. Then each planet had a very specific fact that was only unique to that planet. It was great to learn new facts that even I had not known as a future teacher! One thing I learned was that on Venus, a day is longer than a year because it rotates very slowly! I would use this book in my classroom as a class read aloud. I would have students put the planets in order in their solar system as we read!

[Sidney Shiflet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because it was an informational book about the solar system and I find the planets interesting. I also think that children enjoy learning about the solar system so I thought that finding a good informational book on the topic would be good for future reference. I enjoyed this book as there were a lot of good facts throughout the book for each planet. I liked that each page talks about a different planet and compares it to Earth so that it is easier to understand. I think that this book would be a good book to have in the classroom for many purposes.

[Mrs. Melaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth edition of Gibbons’ well-executed introduction to the planets and solar system for young learners. Several pages of major discoveries in astronomy lead in to a double-page map of the solar system. The bulk of the book consists of two page spreads for each of the eight planets and Pluto (with an explanation that Pluto is now classified as a dwarf planet). Each spread contains a large image of each planet along with selected facts.

[Gabrielle Palmisano · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had no main characters or a plot. This is a fantastic book to read to children to introduce them to the planets in the solar system. The illustrations were hand drawn and digitally outlined and colored. The book explains what planets are made of, how they got their names, and how the solar system works. Each planet also gets a double page spread on information about the planet and beautiful illustrations of the planets themselves.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Planets", updated in 2018, is suitable for about 2nd through 5th grade students. "Planets" mentions Pluto's demotion to dwarf planet, and gives a brief overview of each of the planets in our solar system. It is heavily illustrated in Gibbons' signature style. It is a solid science book for young students.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gail Gibbons' books are extraordinary. My almost five year old is currently obsessed with all things having to do with space so we have really enjoyed this book as well as her books on the moon and galaxies.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

32 pages. Reprint - 2018 - 4th edition) What an excellent resource on our solar system! I learned a lot. The illustrations are great. There are lots of illustrations showing the orbits of planets and the relative size of each. Highly recommended for Grades 2-5.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pulled this out of our science book collection thinking we had outgrown in as 5th graders, but it turned out to be quite informative and interesting for this age group. It conveys facts clearly and succinctly, so I think we will hold onto it until junior high.

[Alicia Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know that on Venus a day is longer than a year! Simple, interesting, concise.

[Asher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the page with the whole solar system.

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really hope they update this book. It's full of wonderful information, but it counts Pluto as a planet. For now I have to use it as an example of out-of-date information.

[Hanlin Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book a 5 because I like the nonfiction sections. I also liked the planets and I learned a lot. One random fact I learned was that Venus is the closest planet to Earth.

[Nolan Brendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it because it’s just a good book in general and because I like space.

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent as always. Thank you, Ms. Gibbons!

[Kristiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview. Nothing outstanding, but overall solid.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be a great introduction to the planets. It provides fun facts and could serve as a jumping off point for more detailed exploration into one planet (for individual student projects) or to make decisions about the next step in terms of exploring outer space and what captures the interest of your students. The illustrations show, to scale (I am not sure how accurate this is), the planets, providing students with a nice visual aid. The back of the book has a great section called "More About Our Nine Planets" which lists some extra fun facts. The one drawback to this book is that it is a bit outdated- pluto is no longer considered a planet. Although, this could lead to the discussion of what it actually means to be a planet, how those requirements changed, and what pluto is currently classified as.

[Sarah Wurster]

The Planets is a great non-fiction book with a great explanation of the difference between a planet and a star. This book begins by giving the history of how planets were discovered and how the planets orbit. Next, it gives a brief but thorough description of all nine planets in order of their closeness to the sun beginning with Mercury. The illustrations are well labeled on all pages. The planet of Pluto does not contain the most current findings that Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet. I think this book could be used as a good introduction to learning about space and the planets. I think that the concept of how the planets orbit is a bit complex and could be better described with a model along with this book.

[Kathryn Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

To some, outer space is a world of the unknown. Gail Gibbons explores this unknown in her book entitled, "The Planets." With factual information and vivid pictures, Gibbons explains each planet that makes up the solar system individually and describes how they function in the solar system. This book also highlights the history of the solar system from early times to present day. This book discusses astronauts and how they view outer space in comparison with the average person. Find out about the unknown of outer space by reading this great book.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Level: 2nd grade
This nonfiction picture book titled The Planets by Gail Gibbons is a great book to introduce children to the subject of the solar system. It gives a general over-view of all the planets in our solar system and has interesting and eye-catching illustrations. The Planets provides some great facts and goes through each individual planet to give really detailed information. This text would set the stage in my classroom for a deeper look into space and the planets since it captures a lot of details and gives a fantastic and intriguing view of the Solar System.

[Kelly Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to use when studying the planets it is filled with facts and wonderful pictures. It is easy to read and understand and can be used for reading and science. The fact that Pluto is no longer considered a planet must be discussed. But I think it provides a wonderful opportunity to talk abnut what does and does not qualify as a planet. Also it teaches students that our knowledge is always changing, science is about constantly discovering new information and that is what makes it so exciting.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides excellent factual information about our solar system, from the history of the study of planets to modern times. (The edition I picked up still lists Pluto as a planet, so I would recommend finding a newer version if planning to use it in the classroom.) Simple facts paired with vivid illustrations cover the basics of our solar system and provide a framework for future study in the field.

[Sheniqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a factual book about the nine planets in our solar system. It includes definitions of words, such as telescope and what the world planet derives from. It includes the amount of time it takes to rotate around the sun and how long it takes for it to rotate on its axis. I would use this book for fourth grade to help students demonstrate the relative size and order from the sun of the planets in the solar
system.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really excellent book for an introduction to the planets. It doesn't go into great depth, mostly because there are 9, not 8, no 8 1/2 planets, but each one gets a small section.

Use with actual pictures for greater impact. This is a good jumping off point for learning about each planet separately.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure you're tired of me saying this but we love Gail Gibbons books around here.

This one is a bit dated now that they've gone and demoted Pluto. The book is a good, solid introduction to the planets, but you will need to talk about the new classification for Pluto. Or pair it with a more current book or internet resources.

[Laura Cheek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gail Gibbons has excellent non-fiction for the younger set. I love the factual information presented in small and easy to understand pieces. If you need a little more than Gibbons offers, check out Seymour Simon, who was books (like Gibbons) on many, many subjects. His are a bit more text heavy and have excellent photos.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Gail Gibbons
Grade Level: 1-3
Content: Solar system, plants, outer space

This is a factual book regarding the planets. It refers to each planet's characteristics. It is very colorful. I would have student make books about the planets and this book could be used as a reference book.

[Chris Cherney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informational book was published in 1993. Gibbons does a wonderful job of engaging the reader using a variety of text features. There are numerous facts that keep the reader interested in the story and can be used for grades K-8.

[Ouida Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author: Gail Gibbons

Title: The Planets

Plot: This is a book about the planets. It describes and explains all the of planets in the solar system.

Theme: Science

Style: Nonfiction

Notes: This is an excellent book to teach the solar system.