This Pretty Planet - Hardcover

Chapin, Tom; Forster, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1534445323 ISBN 13: 9781534445321

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2020

Synopsis

Based on the touching song “This Pretty Planet” by Tom Chapin and John Forster, this hopeful and whimsically illustrated picture book celebrates the pretty planet we call home.

Winds blow. Tides flow.
Shooting stars descend.
Our lives begin, middle, and end on
This pretty planet.

From icy tundras to sandy beaches, lush forests to tall mountains, this exuberant picture book journeys around the globe and presents the natural wonders of the planet with a contagious sense of awe and whimsy. Young readers will get lost in the detailed illustrations as the narration serves as a gentle reminder of why we must care for and protect our pretty planet.

About this title

About the Author

Tom Chapin has entertained, amused, and enlightened audiences of all ages for more than forty years and through twenty-seven CDs, eight Grammy nominations, three Grammy awards, and thousands of live performances. A pioneer in the field of children’s music, he is also a respected singer-songwriter and a strong advocate for the arts in education. Tom lives in Piermont, New York. Find out more at TomChapin.com.

John Forster is a singer-songwriter, playwright, and humorist whose acclaimed output includes musicals on and off Broadway, Grammy-nominated recordings, humor books, and many delightful projects for children, including the perennial stage musical How to Eat Like a Child and a dozen albums with Tom Chapin. John’s comedy CDs include Entering Marion, Helium, and Broadsides, a duet album with Tom featuring their satire for NPR. John lives in South Nyack, New York. For more information visit JohnForster.com.

Lee White lives with his wife and their three crazy cats in Portland, Oregon, and you can visit him online at LeeWhiteIllustration.com.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-With two siblings to guide readers, the popular children's song gets a remix that becomes a tender picture book poem celebrating the wonder, variety, and fragility of Earth. A bunny wakes two children as their bed sails out the bedroom window via hot air balloon. One child has brown skin, hair in double buns, and a polka dot nightgown, and the other wears striped pajamas and has peach skin and short red hair. They float over their sleeping town, then on to brighter destinations. They peer down on a duck and crocodile flying kites as the poetic text begins, "Winds blow. Tides flow." They sit on a giant mushroom to admire constellations. A time line shows Western civilization from the pyramids, through the era of the Mayflower, the Industrial Revolution, and up to the Information Age. The illustrations are bright and filled with details. There are mermaids in the water and houses shaped like books, as well as more somber images such as dirty smokestacks and landfills. Those are followed with more empowering ones of the children picking up litter and composting. Sheet music on the endpapers repeat the text set to the song's simple melody. Due to the detailed illustrations and abstract themes, this is not a good fit for large group readalouds, but those same features make it a lovely choice for starting conversations with small groups or one-on-one. VERDICT Many songs have been turned into picture books, but this one is particularly deft at capturing hope and possibility, which defined the original work. It's a sweet accompaniment to Earth Day sing-alongs.-Amelia Jenkins, Juneau P.L., AKα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1534445323
• ISBN 13: 9781534445321
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: White Lee
• Number of pages: 40