Hello, Earth! Review
Written by Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Miren Asiain Lora
Bibliography
Sidman, J. (2021). Hello, Earth! Poems to our planet (M. A. Lora, Illus.). Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
ISBN 9780802855282
Summary
Over 22 poems, Sidman gently observes and asks questions of the earth, revealing the Earth's main characteristics: its size in relation to space; its geographic features; and its water features. She also explores human's responsibilities toward Earth and our relationship with it. Lora employs soft earth tones in her illustrations that welcome the reader to explore Earth with her. There is back matter giving factual information for the concepts written about in each poem. Also included are websites and resources for further reading about climate change.
Analysis
This book came together differently than most picture books. Usually, an illustrator works from text and the author. For Hello, Earth!, poet Joyce Sidman wrote her poetry based on artist Miren Asiain Lora's already existing artwork. Her poems reflect and enhance Lora's art. Both are quiet but beautiful, inviting gentle reflection from the reader, "Does that mean/ that each of us/ is floating/ among the stars?" (6). Sidman uses unexpected similes and metaphors in her poems. In her poem Fiery, she compares a volcano eruption to growing a new tooth, "How does it feel,/ Earth,/ to have parts of you/ erupt like a new tooth?" (9). It's not a simile that would have occurred to me, but it's very apt (especially if you've known a fractious baby who's getting their teeth!). Whales are like "Wet, streaming mountains" (19), a clever call-back to the mountain geographic poem. My favorite metaphor is in the poem Always at Home, "Earth,/ you are our ship/ through light/ and darkness" (29). It's a nice ending that ties all of us to the Earth and the Earth to space, where we started at the beginning of the book. The best part of Lora's illustrations are her sense of perspective. On page 8, the dinosaurs are rendered quite small, showing the relative size of dinosaurs in comparison to the Earth. It's a thoughtful touch to convey the feeling of the vastness of space.
Highlighted Poem
I chose this poem because it speaks to the way I feel about the Pacific Ocean (especially the Monterey Bay). I do indeed "feel those currents pump inside [me]" (20).
Deep Currents
Long ago
we came from
the sea,
and it calls to us.
Plunge down to deep worlds,
it says
Follow bright, flickering fish
and swirls of tiny plankton;
feel cool currents
brush your skin
and lift your hair.
Earth,
we feel those currents
pump inside us.
Maybe we are water creatures,
too.
Use
Students will explore the website Kid's Recycle! mentioned in the back matter for simple ideas for reusing materials. We will collect recyclable materials for a week prior and then build our own musical instruments out of them as outlined on the Create a Song! website.
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