Meet the Planets

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls... "Meet the Planets!"

McGranaghan, John.
Meet the Planets.
March 2011.
Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

The host of Meet the Planets, Pluto takes readers on a solar system learning "show." Each planet in the solar system is introduced by sharing a variety of facts and trivia about it. Once all eight planets in the Solar System are introduced by their at one-time ninth pal, the readers are then provided with a prompt that requires them to think about all that they have learned about each of the planets, both throughout the reading, as well as, in addition to throughout their educational career.

The story is truly wonderfully written and will certainly be a hit among children in the middle/upper elementary grades. Younger children who are less familiar with the solar system will have a hard time appreciating the story for what it is, but the book could be used as an introduction to learning about the solar system for those who are unfamiliar! It's definitely a great story and would be welcome in many elementary classrooms as well as in homes!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• The last page of the books prompts readers:

  There you have them. All eight planets dressed in their Solar System best. Let's have a big round of applause.
  
  Girls and boys, earthlings and aliens, I have just been informed that our judges cannot reach a decision. The moons have declined to vote due to a conflict of interest. The Sun loves all the planets and can't pick just one. And all the meteors have left for a shower.
  
  So that means that YOU will decide the favorite planet! That's right. You have studied the planets in school. You have read books and watched TV shows about them. Now it is time to pick YOUR favorite planet!
  
  The winner is... who?

  In their summer journals, have your child(ren) choose their winner and write a paragraph or two explaining! Who is their favorite planet? Why? Encourage children to use facts about what they know of each of the planets when they write their response!
  

Tweet

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!