Book Review: Nature School: Planet Earth by Lauren Giordano; Stephanie Hathaway; Laura Stroup

Rating: 4 Stars

When I first picked up Nature School: Planet Earth by Lauren Giordano, Stephanie Hathaway, and Laura Stroup, I was immediately captivated by its delightful cover. It's one of those books that begs to be explored just from the look of it. The design hints at the wonders contained within, and it didn't disappoint as I dove into its pages.

The book is structured in a way that breaks down complex science topics into easy to understand tidbits, making it accessible for children aged 6 to 12. It covers five main sections: Earth’s place in the universe, Earth’s composition, Earth’s hydrosphere, Earth’s atmosphere, and life on Earth. Each chapter is a treasure trove of bite-sized facts that are both fascinating and informative. The authors have done a commendable job of blending narrative with education, engaging young readers with both text and captivating illustrations.

One of the standout features of this book is its interactive approach. Each chapter concludes with suggested hands-on activities that are perfect for fostering a deeper understanding of the material. Whether you're reading this at home or incorporating it into a classroom setting, these activities provide an excellent opportunity to translate theory into practice. They invite children and families to explore topics like Earth's magnetic field or the intricacies of various ecosystems through tangible experiences.

The illustrations throughout the book are nothing short of beautiful. They complement the text perfectly, offering visual learners a chance to connect with the material in another meaningful way. The true-to-life depictions help ground abstract concepts, making them relatable and easier to grasp.

What really sets Nature School: Planet Earth apart is its ability to inspire a genuine love for our planet. It's not just about learning facts; it's about cultivating appreciation and understanding for the intricate systems that make life on Earth possible. This book is an invaluable resource for any home or school library, providing a comprehensive introduction to Earth science that is both engaging and educational.

I also highly recommend checking out the accompanying workbook. It extends the learning experience with even more activities and exercises that reinforce the book's content. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or simply someone who wants to inspire a child's curiosity about the natural world, this book offers a fantastic foundation.

In summary, Nature School: Planet Earth is brilliantly informative and beautifully presented. It's more than just a book; it's an invitation to explore and appreciate our amazing planet in all its complexity.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Nature School Planet Earth (by Lauren Giordano, Stephanie Hathaway and Laura Stroup) is a fantastic non fiction book all about Earth. Featuring bitesize facts all about Earth and our solar system, this book is a must read for children aged 7-11 and is a great addition to the classroom.

This is what I wrote when first witnessing this book in May 2023, and I see no reason to change my mind.:-

An unapologetically old-fashioned nature book, this redacts the factoids, nixes the modern habit of laying out the text so you have no idea of reading order, and just gets on with plain educational matter. That's not to say it's page-edge-to-page-edge text, but this is noticeably more dry-looking than the routine. And that I am sure is a selling point for many.

We start with temperate forests, learning about the different kinds of tree, before getting into anything relevant, from the life-cycle of a fern to the anatomy of a songbird, from the wintering habits of major creatures to styles of cobweb. After that there is almost as much variety in the four pages of activities we can do in relation with this biome, from trailing scat leavings in the field to some artworks. The pattern is continued with deserts (from anthills to ostriches), the seashore (pelagic zones and parrotfish poop), grasslands (toads to tornadoes) and wetlands (mangroves to moose). It's all here when relevant, whether it be the specific critters the creators think of note or the actual geology that formed the regions.

The activities are the usual mix of indoor and outdoor affairs – even those of us without a desert handy to explore can get out there and make a sundial in the ground. This is certainly not a title to have the intention of reading from end to end, but is instead a modern marvel of a reference book. By the end the illustration count is really quite high, but just one look will show them to be used in a much more staid and low-dynamism way when compared to rival volumes. Some potential buyers may know this will not work with the kids they need to educate, but others will certainly be on board for content like this. I certainly couldn't find fault.

Perfect for your curious kids. Fun activities to follow along with. This book has TONS of information and fun facts for kids to learn.

Nature School: Planet Earth is another fantastic resource from the author trio of Lauren Giordano, Stephanie Hathaway, and Laura Stroup! This tome explores the many facets of our planet Earth, with units on Earth's Place in the Universe, Earth's Composition, Earth's Hydrosphere, Earth's Atmosphere, and Life on Earth. Space, geology, geography, water, oceans, weather, clouds, ecology, and ecosystems are all covered with richness and depth that supports students up to middle school and beyond, but the writing is simple enough for elementary students to navigate. The book has plenty of informative text, but it is broken into palatable chunks and accompanied by beautiful, true-to-life illustrations. There are also lots of activity suggestions interspersed throughout each unit for families to get hands-on with the material. I highly recommend this book to homeschooling families and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of our beautiful planet.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

The dedication for this book simply hooked me - “This book is dedicated to all the stargazers and wave-chasers around the world. May we appreciate the intricacies of our planet, conserve Earth’s natural resources, and understand our place in the global ecosystem”.

This book is broken down into separate chapters exploring – Earth’s place in the universe; Earth’s composition; Earth’s hydrosphere; Earth’s atmosphere; life on Earth. Each section of this book is brilliantly informative, including many fun facts, plenty of captivating-yet-educational illustrations and relevant hands-on activities to inspire understanding.

This book would be a brilliant science resource across many grade levels and would be a fantastic addition to any home or school library, to inspire children to learn more about our fascistic planet. The accompanying workbook is also a fantastic resource.

With thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the digital review copy, for review consideration and an honest review.

As a nature-lover and homeschooling parent, I was drawn to this fantastic resource. I am looking forward to the release of this book and the accompanying workbook to use with some of our science learning this year!

This book is divided into chapters that focus on different elements of Earth and its place in the universe, which make it easy to follow. The content covered in the book could be suited to science topics covered across several different grade levels, with topics ranging from the Solar System to Earth’s topography and water supply to ecosystems around the world, and more.

Each chapter covers an impressive amount of information in a short number of pages. There is a great balance between text, blank space, and illustrations/photos, making the book easy to read, even in digital format - though I will be recommending the hardcopy for our school library when it is available.

The activities provided at the end of each chapter are not the most innovative - few were new to me (but as an elementary school STEAM coordinator, I’m probably biased) - but can all be done with easily obtainable materials and looked like they will be engaging for children in the targeted age bracket.

I will definitely pull this book out when we talk about Earth Day in April. Though I was not blown away by the activities, they are solid activities, and in my opinion, more environmentally friendly and nature-focused than many of the supposed Earth Day activities that are promoted on Pinterest and other such sites.

This is a terrific book. It basically covers all the topics I have just finished teaching in the last semester. It covers a lot of topics including space, layers of the earth, water cycle, air... It is a lot more informative than I imagined and that is brilliant. I have already put it and the accompanying workbook in my shopping cart, will check out the items once they are published.

My 9yo has many questions about Earth and this book explains Earth, life and its mechanisms in an engaging, fun and straightforward way. We enjoyed this book very much and will add it to our home and school libraries.

A wonderfully informative and well written book. I love that each section has interactive, hands on activities to do with children to help further their learning on what they have learnt. Although my eldest daughter is only 4 she has a thirst for knowledge and will enjoy me reading this to her and I plan on buying a hardcopy to put on my bookshelf.

This was a really fun one that is designed to be both entertaining and educational. I loved going through y and look forward to using it with my kids.