By Chris Ferrie, Illustrated by Lizzy Doyle
Sourcebooks Explore, 2018
Board Book, 18 Pages, Ages 1-4 Years
A book that depicts all the planets and has facts about what makes each one unique.
Big stormy Jupiter looks weighed down with mass.
4 Octillion pounds is a LOT of gas.
But the 5th little planet doesn’t feel down.
Not with so many friendly moons around!
If you want a book with basic facts about the solar system this book works very well. The cut-outs on each page that graduate with each planet as you get closer to the sun are very appealing. The numbers on the pages are large enough for children to recognize and the text is big enough for early readers to enjoy as well. The back of the book cover has extra facts about each planet.
A fact-filled planetary tale from Neptune to Mercury and every planet in-between.
The illustrations are bright, and the colors work well with the subject – the sky being a dark blue rather than black make the book more pleasant to read and the planets and ‘extras’ in the sky work well.
Though I enjoyed this book very much, I personally have a few issues with it. First of all sometimes the rhyme is forced, as with the poem about the Earth and Jupiter. I was also disappointed with the facts about Earth, as it seemed as if the author was trying to make a statement of some kind that gets lost. Using the word ‘strife’ with earth just seemed to be out of character with the rest of the planet facts in this book. However, the story has a great theme, terrific illustrations and is definitely a worthy addition to any toddler’s library.
8 Little Planets by Christ Ferrie receives 4.5 stars from this reviewer.