Thanksgiving family read-aloud picture book binge.

Spanning centuries, pretty nature pictures are encroached upon by industrialization, population explosion, corporate malfeasance, and mass pollution. But all we have to do is recycle our water bottles and plant some trees and problem solved? Too simplistic even for a children's book, especially once the authors have broached some pretty major topics.

And the whole thing is told in annoying couplets. Ugh. ( )

This is a great book for teachers to use for Earth Day. ( )

"This is the land, / fertile, alive, / crawling with creatures / That help it to thrive. / This is the river, / flowing and free, / streaming with fish / as it swells to the sea." And so begins this poetic picture-book examination of the beauties of the earth, and the history of human interaction with it. Written along the lines of the famous nursery rhyme, The House That Jack Built, Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander's text outlines the many human activities that affect the earth, whether for good or ill, concluding with actions that we all can take to help the environment, "Making a difference, / becoming aware, / together we live / on this Earth that we share."

With its rollicking cadence and colorful artwork, This Is the Earth would make an excellent read-aloud title, one that educates as it engages and entertains. One of four picture-books that will be featured during an Earth Day event here at work, it offers both a celebration of our planetary home and an ecological lesson. I appreciated the fact that those behaviors which harm the earth - pollution, over-use of resources - are followed by those that can help, leaving the young reader/listener with a positive model of what can be achieved in the end, rather than a sad one of what has gone wrong. The watercolor artwork by Wendell Minor is lovely, and ably conveys the ideas and images mentioned in the rhyming text. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-book with an ecological theme, particularly for Earth Day! ( )

This is a nice read aloud about the Earth, the environment, and our effects on it. It is rhyming with just a few lines on most pages and has nice clear, colorful illustrations. It encourages responsible usage of our resources without being too preachy. ( )