wogan says:

Long time friends Sally Ride and Tom O’Shaughnessy have written a great book on the changing climate of earth. The book is written for a middle school level, although it could be read and discussed with younger children and even older than the preteen set could benefit from reading the text and studying the charts. Always beneficial is the index included.

I do wish that Sally Ride used more of the glory of the earth she saw in space other than the first two pages; or what she gained in the related field from her astronaut training.

There are simple but comprehensive explanations explaining the changing climate of earth and how intricate the nature of what is occurring is. The charts included throughout are simple but complete, probably the best I have seen, they are so good, it made me wish for more, but information covered is sufficient and made attention-grabbing.
Rating: 5 / 5

Sacramento Book Review says:

Using the most current science available from sources such as the United Nations Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the American Meteorological Society, NASA astronaut Dr. Sally Ride and co-author Tam O’Shaughnessy have written a comprehensive scientific educational book, //Mission Planet Earth: Our World and its Climate–and How Humans are Changing Them//.

Designed for young people, the book remains a pleasure for an adult reader as well, and also works well as a read-aloud book for the younger science-interested child. One unfortunate thing is that the first-person book lacks an introduction of the author/narrator, Sally Ride. The reader must turn to the “Sources/Resources” section at the back of the book to learn that Dr. Ride flew on two space shuttle missions, was the first American woman in space, headed NASA’s long-range planning, and is currently committed to improving science education for children. For readers who are too young to be familiar with Sally Ride’s accomplishments, the narration will not carry as much weight.

Though the book feels redundant in places, it provides a highly informative mix of science and narrative that succeeds in keeping readers’ interest. It presents carbon molecules, beetle infestations, zooplankton, penguins, and people with the same importance attached to each and in language that even an eight-year-old can easily understand. Incredible photographs and illustrations help explain the difficult scientific concepts of evolution, atmosphere, climate, chemistry, and the interconnectedness of all the Earth’s ecosystems as they pertain to global warming.

This is, as the jacket flap says, “A careful study of the challenges presented by climate change and a celebration of Earth’s natural complexity.”

Reviewed by

Robin Martin
Rating: 4 / 5