My Friend Earth

by Patricia MacLachlan, Francesca Sanna (Illustrator), David Díaz (Illustrator)

Celebrate Earth Day with this valentine to our wonderful planet from the Newbery Award–winning author of Sarah, Plain and Tall.

Our friend Earth does so many wonderful things! She tends to animals large and small. She pours down summer rain and autumn leaves. She sprinkles whisper-white snow and protects the tiny seeds waiting for spring.

Readers of all ages will pore over the pages of this spectacular book. Its enticing die-cut pages encourage exploration as its poetic text celebrates everything Earth does for us, all the while reminding us to be a good friend in return.

• Interactive format and kid-friendly art will engage both toddlers and young readers.
• A celebration of the natural world and rallying cry for positive action for Planet Earth
• Great opportunities to share life science concepts and amazing facts about the environment with children

This beautiful and innovative ode to our natural world will appeal to readers of Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, The Poet's Dog, and Thank You, Earth.

• Read aloud books for kids ages 3-5
• Earth books for kids
• Climate change books for kids

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Childrens, Animals, Environment, Storytime, Earth

44 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 2020

About the author

Patricia MacLachlan was born on the prairie, and always carried a small bag of prairie dirt with her wherever she went to remind her of what she knew first. She was the author of many well-loved novels and picture books, including Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal; its sequels, Skylark and Caleb's Story; and Three Names, illustrated by Mike Wimmer. She lived in western Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fun lift up flaps and peep through cut outs about the seasons and the earth. I found the illustrations a bit too polished and looked almost like computer generated images which I'm not all that keen on.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful experience this is. It's a fun change of pace to see Mother Earth depicted here as a considerably younger "Earth" with a childlike exuberance, wide-eyed wonder, and playfulness about her. I love the way in which she interacts with flora and fauna, water and weather, throughout the seasons. The layout of the book is ingenious -- the various cut-aways and peek-throughs on the pages make it such an immersive experience and you really feel the interconnectedness of all things on Earth. If you enjoy beautiful picture books about nature, or inventive picture books with interesting designs, I highly recommended checking this out from the library (and soon! before too many little fingers destroy these delicate pages!)

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of a goal to actual write reviews for the books I read this year, I'm trying to get better at actually taking the time to write reviews and not just say things like "this book has beautiful illustrations" but all I can say is that this book has beautiful illustrations. Colorful, graphic, and a little bit cute - I love the tonality and vibrancy of Francesca Sanna's art and it works especially well here.

Of course, as a librarian, I can only look at the die cut pages and imagine the inevitable book damage that will occur *sigh* Which has me thinking that maybe Miss Trunchbull was on to something when she said "much too good for children"

*did I just side with Miss Trunchbull???!!!??? What has this pandemic with an empty, child-free library done to me?????!!!!!?????

I suppose I should also mention Patricia MacLachlan's beautiful, lyrical story about our friend earth who awakes from a winter slumber to care for all the animals. Its poetry you would expect from a Newbery author, which is to say it's very good. I must confess though, that i was so captivated by the illustrations and their interactive element that I barely noticed the text until my second read.

I guess the only appropriate course of action is to love this book over and over, rips and all.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a 3.5 for me. The pencil, ink, and digital drawings feature several die-cut pages that reveal surprises from Mother Nature as the world begins to wake up. The first pages show a girl, presumably Earth, waking up as spring begins and all the life that has been dormant starts to venture out once again. Each of the subsequent pages follows Earth as she moves through the various seasons until it's time for her to take a nap again and wait for spring once more. The text features exquisite lines that prompt reflection and encourage readers to take a second look at the scenes being depicted. One of my favorite lines is this one: "Under the white--the silent seed is cradled in the dark soil" (unpaged). This book might be useful in a collection about the four seasons, but it also reminds readers of the need to be good stewards of the planet and to lend a helping hand to their good friend, Earth.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. I love it.

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delicate pages with cut outs lends to reading softly and slowly. Beautiful book for a quiet read.

[Aimée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein unfassbar schönes Buch über Mutter Erde, die sich um alle Lebewesen kümmert. Mit bezaubernden Cut-outs und Spielereien!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, the ingenious page cutouts and unique page shaped were just enthralling. A lovely representation of a kind of "Mother Nature" (who looks like she could even be a kid or teenager) interacts with nature, from wild animals, to windstorms, to snowy hilltops, her form often incorporating right in with the landscape. Give this illustrator a gold star.

[Cheryl]

But do children love it?

The only review that I see that mentions sharing it with a child who was expected to like it reveals they weren't so wowed.

Not effective if only for grups.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gaia, Pachamama, Spider Grandmother—whatever you wish to call the Earth Goddess—wakes from a winter nap to the busy sounds and sights of seasonal cycles under her care. Gorgeous, die-cut illustrations emphasize the connectedness of the web of being. Though Earth is clearly a good friend to the elementals, plants, and animals, more could be said about how the implied “me” of the “my” in the title could be a good friend in return.

[FM Family · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to give this five stars even though my four year old wasn’t super into it because it is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever seen. I love Francesca Sanna who usually does books about tough stuff like migration and feeling afraid. This one is just an amazing celebration of the earth and nature, with the earth personified as a child of colour who goes throughout the book making the weather and caring for the animals in incredibly illustrated pages with cutouts used in a way I have never seen before. I loved this book and want to spend all my time wrapped up in its ambiance. I will have to try it again when my kid is a bit older and open to books that aren’t so narratively driven because it’s gorgeous.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Mother Nature! In an immersive and hidden-secret page-turner, uncover and discover all of the beauty of Nature and our world.
A really engaging feast for the eyes with 10 Star die-cut Illustrations by Francesca Sanna and simple succinct poetic text by Patricia MacLachlan.
If this doesn't get kids out exploring the world and using their imagination, I don't think anything will.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is so, so gorgeous. Each page has has been die-cut in different ways so the book becomes an exploration of what 'my friend, Earth' will tend to next. The personification of "Mother Earth" as a brown-skinned young girl is striking, and the book presents the scale of her influence in a really neat way.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and sweet book. The creative cut of the pages and windows add a great level of imagination and experience. Rowan loves turning the pages, seeing new images form and merge, saying "LOOK!" then naming different flora and fauna with accompanying sounds. This one is really special.

[Magi Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously gorgeous picture book

[Lourdes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book felt so peaceful. The lovely illustrations and cut out pages made me enjoy it even more.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The page cut-outs were sweet.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated, die-cut pages will have young readers mesmerized as they enjoy this celebration of seasons and all of the special ways the Earth is important to us. With Earth Day this year coming in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it's even more important to appreciate the natural world. This would be a good book to use to celebrate springtime.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The text was fine. A poetic description of Friend Earth (as opposed to mother) and all the glorious things she does. The ways she helps, and sometimes the capricious ways she acts.

The illustrations are the shining star, here, though. They are animated, with clear-cut shapes and patterns, and lots of contrast. I want to be Earth's friend, too.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for the artwork. Gorgeous book with cut outs in each page to symbolize that everything is connected. The poetry about the coming and going of seasons is good too but the art is over the top.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cutouts are beautiful.

[Ellee Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copyright date: 2020
Star rating: 4
Award: N/A
Genre: fictional
Summary w/ themes: this book is about Mother Nature and how she goes throughout the seasons. It talks about the different things that she is capable of, like making lots of wind or snow. This book has themes of seasons and earth.
Use for future classroom: this would be a fun intro book for a unit on earth.
Thoughts of book: I thought that this was a cute book with a bunch of different cutouts that make it super unique. I wish it went a little bit more in depth in certain areas, but the illustrations are gorgeous.

[Rowan County Public Library]

This isn't just a book, it's an experience! Read about our friend Earth as she does so many beautiful and wonderful things. The lyrical text, beautiful illustrations, and cut-out pages come together to form a celebration of everything Earth does for us, and inspires us to be a good friend in return.

(And honestly, read it while you can, because this is the type of book that will inevitably be damaged eventually.)

Atlanta — Circulation

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle poem with cut-outs throughout the book that are unique. The girl moving through different habitats and making comparisons of animals and scenes. Muted illustrations accompany the story and your realization that the girl represents the earth and the choices she makes affect the earth and its creatures and weather.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celebrate our planet with "my friend Earth" as she explores landscapes, wildlife and seasons. The pages of this beautiful book are full of friendly animals and dotted with peeks into other pages from dye-cut holes.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My friend Earth pours the summer rain to fill stream flowing down mountains through the fields to the rivers to the sea. Sometimes she pours too much rain, flooding towns and meadows and roads. Until she dries the land.". A read that perhaps hits more deeply- or as urgently as ever- My Friend Earth reads like a luminous lullaby to our earth with a few quietly placed reminders of how capricious our environment has become. Written by Newbery Medal winner Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by acclaimed creator Francesca Sanna (The Journey), My Friend Earth takes readers through an expansive poetic tour of our planet. We see everything the Earth tends to upon waking "from a winter nap" to the time "when cold comes again....and the silent seed is cradled in the dark soil. Watching. Waiting. To fly up again in the warm bright sun of spring!".

Earth acts as a soothing omnipresence when she helps and guides everything from zebra babies searching for their mothers, "the mole tunneling in the underdark" and "the spider spinning silver" but is also a fearsome destructive force when winds and waters fall much too strongly and overwhelm our world. Francesca Sanna's illustrations are wonderfully lush (page end to page end is gorgeously awash); the die-cuts are subtle and mesmerizing and act as a way to get readers even more invested in both the story and in the intricacies of the earth itself. A graceful tiding of all we must fight to protect, My Friend Earth is a beautiful read. It would be a terrific title to pair other climate change and earth-aware reads such as Most of the Better Natural Things in the World or A Stone Sat Still; or with a title that inspires specific environmental conservation such as We Are Water Protectors

I received a copy of this titles courtesy of Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[The Quill Hand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Within the pages of this book, the narrator tells the story of their friend, Earth, from the moment she wakes up from a winter nap, to her next naptime the following winter. Earth encounters many animals, from the miniscule to the mountainous, for whom she acts as a guide and protector, returning lost baby zebras to their mothers and taking care of a vast number of sea creatures.

Patricia MacLachlan’s writing, rhythmic and immersive, vividly evokes the sights and sounds of nature. The text and accompanying illustrations carry a message of environmental awareness while also educating young readers about natural elements and phenomena such as rivers, mountains, rain and snow.

Francesca Sanna’s colour palette evolves from wintry pastels to vibrant greens, summery blues and autumnal shades of orange and red, signalling seasonal changes on every page. Some pages are beautifully cut so as to create a layering effect, while others use cut-outs so that the landscape of each double-page spread allows for an interactive and playful read, reminding the reader that everything in nature shares a connection.

MacLachlan and Sanna portray Earth as a lively young girl, encouraging readers to view our environment as something that is to be nurtured and cherished, reminding us of all of the other life forms who share this planet and their dependency on us to look after it. This is a beautiful picturebook that is sure to entertain while also bearing an important commentary about looking after the world around us.

Thank you to Children’s Books Ireland for providing me with an advance review copy of this book.

This review was originally published on http://www.childrensbooksireland.ie.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newbery-award winning author MacLachlan writes a lyrical story about her friend earth. Earth awakens in the spring to the busy sounds, seeing the seeds, insects and birds around her. She tucks in animals, reunites mother and child, and tends to the rich prairies. She visits the tundra and heads underwater where she guards all of the creatures. She creates rain to fill the streams and blows autumn winds across the trees. She sprinkles snow on the land in winter, watching over the hibernating animals. Then she falls asleep herself until spring comes again.

Earth here is shown as a young girl, playful in her relationship with nature and the seasons. MacLachlan’s text is marvelously detailed, pulling small elements of each season out to linger over along with Earth herself. This book is specifically focused on Earth Day without it only being able to be used then. It’s a book that celebrates our earth any day.

Sanna’s gorgeous illustrations are built into cut pages here. Readers awaken Earth themselves, glimpse her peeking through leaves, peer underwater at her side, and blow in the wind with the leaves. The cutouts are cleverly done, representing the changing locations and seasons with their forms. Sanna’s art is bold and lovely, showing a young brown-skinned Earth playfully interacting in the world.

Lush and lovely, this is an Earth Day charmer. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's one word for this book—beautiful.

Every page is a celebration of Earth and nature. From falling rain to fierce winds to hibernating bears, seas and rivers, so many wonderful things happen on our planet. A young girl explores each aspect as she discovers how diverse and marvelous nature is. The entire thing ends with a wonderful sense of peace.

The illustrations really make this book shine. Each page radiates life, calmness, vitality and warmth. Each scene is clear in its representation and still incorporates an artistic beauty. It's fun to flip through the pages and simply watch each moment unfold. Each page also includes a flip-door or peek-hole, which definitely adds to the fun. However, it does make for more difficult page-turning, especially when using this as a read-aloud. It still is a nice addition.

The text is written in an almost poetic way. The words play within the illustration and accompany each scene to give it the right atmosphere. It does make a lovely read-aloud. The wording is packed with descriptions but stays at a level for the intended audience. Slightly older ones are sure to enjoy this book too.

I received an ARC and enjoyed reading it very much (as did my children). So, we're giving it 4.5 stars and rounding up.

[Río · Rating 4 out of 5]

plot
level of complexity: low/high ~ this is simple in that it is describing elements of earth, but the language was very poetic (and seems like it would be hard for many kids to follow)
enjoyability: split. I loved most of the art, but I got lost a bit with the words

message
what lesson(s) being taught: the earth is complex and beautiful. ..also that mother earth is a literal person
delivery:

artwork
the images are fantastic and flowy, with pages with curvey edges and peepholes to use the same design in different ways.

other
I enjoyed the texture of the cover and the different shapes of the pages. I imagine that these might make the pages more prone to tearing, but aesthetically it is enjoyable
recommended reader: any kid, but perhaps with an adult to guide their understanding if the poetic working and imagery