Book Review: Nature School: Planet Earth

Learning about the Earth, its place in the universe, what its made of and the creatures that live on it are all a part of understanding our place in the world and why the planet needs protection. Nature School: Planet Earth by Lauren Giordano, Stephanie Hathaway and Laura Stroup aims to inspire kids to learn about the world and explore and observe things around them.

The book starts with a wide view of the universe and solar system and where Earth fits in it. Each chapter zooms in closer, with information about the composition of the Earth, the hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, aka life on Earth.

The chapters include short sections, fun facts and illustrations to keep kids engaged. Each chapter also includes activities kids can do, some of which involve writing in a nature journal and others that are more hands on. For example the solar system chapter asks kids to research a planet, build a solar system model and try sun printing, among other activities.

The book covers a lot of ground quickly. For example the chapter on the composition of the Earth goes over things like the Earth’s core, different kinds of soil, tectonic plates and how mountains are formed, geological characteristics and topography, different landforms and more, in the span of just a few pages.

Students around ages 6-12 should enjoy learning all about the Earth with this fun and colorful book, exploring the activities and engaging in their own investigations in the world around them. This book could supplement homeschool science learning materials or be used in the science center or library of the classroom as a reference book. Teachers could also pull activities from the book when learning about these topics in their regular science curriculum.

In addition to this book there is a companion workbook with more than 100 different activities and includes readings, puzzles, games and touches on art, reading, geography, science and more.

About the book: 144 pages, paperback. Published 2025 by Quarry Books. Suggested retail price $19.99

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?

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