من زمین هستم؛ یک سیاره‌ی چند میلیارد ساله

Our Universe #1

by Stacy McAnulty, آناهیتا حضرتی (Translator)

یک کتاب هیجان‌انگیز درباره‌ی زمین از زبان خودش، همراه با یک سواری جانانه ... روی زمین

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

36 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 2017

About the author

Stacy McAnulty is a children’s book author, who used to be a mechanical engineer, and dreams of someday being a dog therapist, a correspondent for The Daily Show, an astronaut, and a Green Bay Packer coach. She has written over 40 books, including the Indie Bestseller novel, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, and the 2017 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor book Excellent Ed, illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach. Her other picture books include Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, illustrated by David Litchfield; Moon! Earth’s Best Friend and Sun! One in a Billion, both illustrated by Stevie Lewis; Love, Brave, and Beautiful, all three illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff; Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He’s the Favorite, illustrated by Edward Hemingway; and 101 Reasons Why I’m Not Taking a Bath, illustrated by Joy Ang. She’s also authored the chapter book series The Dino Files. When not writing, Stacy likes to listen to NPR, bake triple-chocolate cupcakes, and eat triple-chocolate cupcakes. Originally from upstate NY, she now lives in NC with her 3 dogs and family.

Reviews

[HaMiT · Rating 5 out of 5]

این مجموعه‌ی جهان ما از مک‌آنلتی برای بچه‌ها عالیه
چی میگم اصلا؟ حتی برای خودمم عالی بود :))

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this fun little book about the history of our planet. It’s a great way to learn about Earth’s family, you know Mars, Venus and so on. Pluto is their pet. They found a very fun and fresh way to tell this story. Seeing Earth as a baby was so cute and also so informative about how much the planet changed. There was no breathable air for 2 billion years. It’s fascinating. There was even a page about how dirty she has become and people need to be more conscious. Still, it was upbeat, hopeful and fun.

Both kids enjoyed this interesting and exciting book. I want to read more by Stacy. This was fantastic. The niece liked the little bits of information. She gave this 5 stars. The nephew was even interested and he asked if there were stuffed animals of the planets he could get. He gave this 4 stars. Neither could believe the Earth was not always hospitable to life as we know it. It is hard to conceive. What a wonder life is on this planet.

If you read this and see what it took for 2 billion years to get ready to begin to bring life onto this place, it’s truly a gift and amazing. It is my personal belief that it is the strange and unusual, the mysterious ways in which God works. To me, this story is much more awe inspiring than boom, 7 days and it’s all in place. I see the hands of a higher power at work in all this mystery. How comforting to know that our world was crafted over BILLIONS of years for us today. How special are we and what responsibility we have to take care of it. How sad if we have to say this was crafted for 4 billion years for us and we destroyed it in a few hundred years. That can't be our legacy.

[Roya · Rating 3 out of 5]

اینکه میون پایان‌نامه نوشتن و آنالیز طیف‌ها، میام کتاب علوم مخصوص کودکان می‌خونم هم در نوع خودش جالبه =))))
این کتاب نجوم، جغرافیا، زمین‌شناسی و سرگذشت سیاره زمین رو به آسون‌ترین زبان ممکن توضیح میده. از جایگاه زمین در کیهان گرفته تا چگونگی شکل‌گیری قاره‌ها و سیر جانوران و انقراض دایناسورها.
به‌نظرم خیلی کتاب مفیدی می‌تونه باشه‌.

راستی شما می‌دونستین که پلوتون جزو خانواده‌ی سیاره‌ها نیست بلکه حیوان خونگی‌شونه؟😔☝️

[Dream.M · Rating 5 out of 5]

فوق العاده بود، تصویرگری محشر، و محتوا عالی برای بچه ها. والا منم کلی چیز ازش یاد گرفتم که نمیدونستم

[Haniyeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

توی این کتاب زمین از زبون خودش درباره تاریخچه‌اش صحبت میکنه و رابطه‌اش با ماه و خورشید رو توضیح میده. رده سنی ۵+ سال هست.
خیلی این کتابو دوست داشتم. به زبان ساده اما جذاب خودشو معرفی میکنه. تصویرهای کتاب هم واقعا زیبا هستن. بنظرم این مجموعه که فکر کنم ۵ یا ۶ جلدش تا الان ترجمه شده، هدیه مناسبی برای بچه‌ها هست.

[Essareh · Rating 5 out of 5]

زمین جون الهی قربونت بشم. ಥ⌣ಥ

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally - my favorite planet writes her memoir! She dishes all the dirt about her life, including those embarrassing tales of her youth as a "hot mess."



(I must be a late bloomer since I am just now getting to my Explosive. Gassy! Very cranky. stage.)

We learn when various life forms began . . . and occasionally, ended . . .



Despite the rather dire circumstances in which we humans have placed our beloved planet, the author does manage to end on an upbeat note. There is an additional two pages at the end listing more information on continents, and the five previous extinctions.


To an awesome planet!

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

خیلی از کتاب های کودک بیشتر از اینکه برای کودکان جذاب باشه برای بزرگسالان جذاب و آموزندست، مثل همین کتاب :)

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Stacy McAnulty's "autobiographical" picture book about our planet, about planet Earth, is both informative and certainly strives to be entertaining (and yes, I do consider the general aesthetic set-up of Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years visually delightful and David Litchfield's accompanying illustrations bright, descriptive, imaginative, not to mention much fun), as an older adult who does tend to read (and enjoy) a lot of serious in tone non fiction, I indeed find rather the majority of in particular the presented humour of Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years more than a trifle contrived and artificial in scope/feel and would therefore and definitely have desired a more serious and academic tone of narration. For although yes and truly, most of the presented facts concerning Earth's history through geologic and biologic time appear to be scientifically sound and research based (and the fact that Stacy McAnulty lists her sources, that she provides a bibliography, very much appreciated), the author's attempts at making Earth narrate her "own" story (like a personal memoir) and in such an inherently chatty "I want to be your friend and companion" type of fashion sure do become rather stale and tedious, and pretty quickly at that (with particularly Earth introducing herself and the solar system as an extended family unit and then also telling us as readers that for the first few billion years, she was basically a hot and rather cranky infant, while perhaps funny to an extent, personally, this makes me groan and it does at least in my opinion also dilute and flatten the hard science facts of Earth's history).

But still, I most probably would have ranked Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years with three stars (as I am not the target audience and children might well enjoy the humorous and personal writing style considerably more than I have done), had Stacy McAnulty not also been so annoyingly human-centric. For while she does have Earth briefly state that we, that mankind can be problematic (that we litter and have a tendency not to share) Earth also does (and to and for me most frustratingly) rather categorically state that humans seemingly are to be preferred to ALL other animal species that inhabit this planet (as other animals supposedly simply and I quote here, eat and poop) and sorry, that kind of ignorant arrogance is not only problematic in and of itself, it is also the kind of dangerous "we are special" and "mankind first" philosophy that has and continues to foster and promote the belief that this planet is ours for the taking, is ours to use and exploit, flora, fauna and ecosystems be damned. And thus, I can with a good and clear conscience only consider a two star ranking at best for Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, as attitudes of supposed human superiority really and truly do make me majorly livid (and much more so than the author's a bit groanworthy attempts at humour, which is really only a mild annoyance, as well as a very much personal quibble), and I therefore can and will also only recommend Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years with serious reservations and the caveat that Stacy McAnulty's "mankind rules" attiude most definitely should, no must be debated and intensely discussed.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute book! Unlike the interminable Hey There, Earth Dweller! that I just gave up on, Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years has a smaller scope and sticks to the basics. Told from the point of view of an anthropomorphized planet, the book covers the Earth's history in almost biographical fashion, with amusing illustrations to help make the various points. I like how Pluto's downgrade from planet status is handled, and the Earth's baby book is pretty funny.

There are a couple of pages at the end with a little more information about the Earth and its structure, location, and resident lifeforms (and extinctions). Since there isn't as much information in the main part of the book itself, these notes are nice to have.

Overall, this is a great non-fiction picture book for kids that tells the story of the place we all call home. It might be for a younger audience than some other books in this vein, but it appears to be well-researched and fairly accurate... which is definitely a plus.

Quotable moment:

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

چقدر در کنار گوگولی بودن کافی و آموزنده بود.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

این مجموعه درخشانه واقعا. فرقی نمی‌کنه تو چه سن و سالی هستید. این مجموعه رو بخونید.

[Mehrnaz]

برای چه رنج سنیین اینا؟ 🙄
چرا من کتاب کودک نمت 🫠🙈🚶🏻‍♀️

[Chance Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice picture book that introduces young ones to facts about Earth science in a fun, accessible way. It's gentle with the fact that humans are screwing up the earth, saying "sometimes humans forget to share and play nice and clean up after themselves." The next page is quite optimistic that humans will "turn out to do really great things." Personally, I can't believe the concept of a personified earth that likes humans.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly a well put together book all about the Earth, his family, and his friends. How the universe came to be and how our planet has evolved. Whimsical and beautifully illustrated.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE informational funny picture books. I know a lot of preschool teachers will do a happy dance for this book!

[domduclos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce livre est magnifique. ❤️Je veux toute la collection 🙈

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isaac always says his favorite planet is Earth ☺️

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

@kidlitexchange #partner —— All opinions are my own.

My seven year old has been fascinated with all things space related for quite a few years now. We were super excited to check this book out. It definitely did not disappoint. First off, the extremely fun illustrations caught our attention immediately. They are playful and just plain fun to look at. One of our favorites was Earth introducing us to her family of other planets via a Christmas card. We loved that Pluto was included as a family pet!!!

Along with the great artwork, this nonfiction book is full of informative facts. It states how long it takes for the sun to circle the Earth, covers a few nicknames, introduces you to plate tectonics (my daughter was fascinated with this part), shows the various layers of our planet and includes a wonderful timeline of its existence over the last billions of years. It reminds us that as humans, we are the only ones who have been interested in learning more about our awesome planet. We are also in charge of helping to care for it!!

Educational humor at its best. Readers will get a kick out of the pictures, learn some great information and hopefully be intrigued to ask plenty of questions. This gentle introduction is sure to be a hit for many. It would make a wonderful addition to any library!!

[Katy O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

EARTH! is a fabulous look at our complex and fascinating planet that will be sure to entertain and educate young readers/listeners. I plan to purchase this for my elementary library, and will be sharing it in read alouds for various age groups with a "quick read" for the youngers and a more thorough read for the older groups. This would be an excellent title to pair with Oliver Jeffers new title HERE WE ARE for gifts or storytimes.

Thanks to the author for sharing an advance copy with me for review purposes - all opinions are my own.

[Breana · Rating 5 out of 5]

@kidlitexchange #partner Review – all opinions are my own.

We loved the picture book Earth! My First 4.54 Billion years! I read it aloud to my two daughters who were fascinated with the illustrations. They really enjoyed the planets portrayed as “living beings” with faces and siblings.
I was impressed with the educational content. This book introduces scientific concepts in a light and fun manner that led us to further research. My 7-year old’s favorite part was the section on tectonic plates.
This book makes a great asset to any home, school and public library!

[Sahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

مازاد: شبی که گذرونده‌ بودم نامش یلدا بود و برای من به شکل دیگری طولانی تر شده بود اما سحرگاه یادم افتاد که سه روز هدیه طاقچه بینهایت دارم و بهترین انتخاب برای حال بیمارم کتاب‌های کوتاه بچه‌ها بود و من زمین هستم اولین انتخاب
کتاب شیرینی بود بخصوص برای بچه‌های مشتاق شگفتی‌های فضا
اطلاعات پایه رو در قالب خیلی خوبه به بچه‌ها ارائه می‌کنه.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! I loved this particular bit:
"Humans have been super fun. No other species has ever been interested in learning about me. Other animals are nice. But they mostly eat and poop and never wonder about my amazing life."

^^truth.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earth tells its seriously condensed life story.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in grandma reads session.

This charming book reads like a "Getting To Know Me" report in grade school, by Awesome Earth. She has big brown eyes, a round face, and a very happy smile. She reports on her family (closest members are Mercury and Venus), how long moon takes to get around her, how long she takes to twirl around, and how long she takes to get around the sun (who looks very paternal to me). She reports on her inner self and outer self, including continents that wander. Her favorites are dinosaurs, and flowers, but she notices two-footed people are the only ones that really seem to notice her as her, the Earth.

She has some praise for people, and some concerns, but she's pretty sure we will figure it out. My listening kiddos loved this book!

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A children’s book about the Earth that not only gives the little reader some beautiful and fun images, but is also loaded with simple facts. The book manages to keep a storyline while sneaking in fun little facts about the earth. The images compliment the facts nicely, but mostly the children loved this book.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love this one. My kids insisted we keep renewing it from the library until we reached our renewal limit. Definitely one we need to buy.

[Azin · Rating 5 out of 5]

خیلی مفید بود!
یه سری اطلاعات اولیه ی جالب و به درد بخور از زمین میداد که حتی خود من هم یا بلد نبودم یا فراموش کرده بودم!
برای بچه های دبستانی، خیلی مناسبه.
تصویر سازی ها هم کیوت و قشنگ بودن..

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello friends, and Happy Earth Day! To help celebrate our lovely blue planet, we’re reading Earth!: My First 4.54 Billion Years, written by Stacy McAnulty and illustrated by David Litchfield, a unique narrative of Earth’s natural history as told by the planet itself.

“Hi, I’m Earth!” begins our narrator, who most will immediately recognize as our very own home planet – though she prefers to be called “Planet Awesome”. Earth takes the reader on a tour of her history and geology, the solar system, and even a crash course on some of the most significant events in her life: dinosaurs, Pangaea, and her newest friends, Homo sapiens (that’s us!). She encourages us to be kind to her – she’s one-of-a-kind after all – and enjoy our stay! She is pretty awesome, after all.

This was such a clever concept, and we really enjoyed it! It was fun to read and learn about the Earth from the perspective of the planet herself, especially with healthy doses of tongue-in-cheek humor and a wealth of educational info covered. The art is great, and really give a personality to every character, be they person, animal, or astronomical body. However, there are a few illustrations that young readers could potentially find distressing: two sad-looking whales caught in a sailor’s net, an asteroid with a threatening grin hurtling toward a field of frightened animals. It’s a small thing, but could upset littler ones, so it’s worth noting. Otherwise, the length was great, the educational aspects are phenomenal, and JJ and I both enjoyed it overall. And awesome way to get kids interested in our planet, and Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Ben Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years is the first children's picture book in the Our Universe series written by Stacy McAnulty and illustrated by David Litchfield, which stars the planet Earth as an exuberant celestial body with brown eyes and a broad smile, who is happy to tell its life story.

McAnulty's text is rather simplistic and straightforward. It is an anthropomorphic story about the planet Earth and its relations within the solar system, the moon, and sun, and the inhabitants both past and present living on it. Additional notes could be found at the back of the book. Litchfield's mixed-media cartoons work in perfect sync with the narration to share geological tidbits with panache.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Earth is the friendly narrator who talks about the other planets as his seven siblings and the moon as a best friend. Earth relays its basic history: It was born 4.54 billion years ago, but plants, bugs, animals, and humans came much later – only 200,000 years ago.

All in all, Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years is a wonderful history of planet Earth, albeit cursory, and a wonderful beginning to a children's book series that I look forward to reading.