  | Our air Author: Karas, G. Brian | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
The air plays a crucial role in our lives and in our world, making life on Earth possible, so it's important to take care of it.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (06/15/25)
Booklist (09/01/25)
The Hornbook (00/11/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 07/14/2025 Acknowledging both that "I’ve been with you since you were born" and "You don’t give me much thought," narrator the Air gently but firmly reminds readers that while it may be invisible, it’s keeping them-and everything else on the planet-going. "I am the perfect combination of nitrogen and oxygen for life on Earth," writes Karas (The Power of Yeti), explaining all the heavy lifting that air does-carrying matter, moisture, and sounds; orchestrating "rivers of atmosphere" that become climate and weather patterns; and more. Gouache and pencil illustrations in the creator’s signature style move from intimate human moments-individuals delight in an air-filled soap bubble and savor a breeze that drifts through a window-to more expansive depictions of air at work in jet streams and wind turbines. But a view of Earth from outer space attends a powerful view of the subject’s cosmic rarity: "You can see just how little of me there is." Wearing its messages lightly, the work delivers a profound truth with a final scene that shows a panoply of life: "Everyone is sharing me with everyone else." Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Ages 3-7. (Oct.) - Copyright 2025
Booklist - 09/01/2025 Karas brings readers’ attention to something they may not have pondered much: the air around them. Air plays narrator here, and its first-person descriptions (“You can’t see me, even though it sometimes seems like you can.” “I am nowhere in space.) delve into this invisible necessity’s nature and behavior in fun ways. Some spots may need adult explanation, such as when air currents are described as “rivers of atmosphere that circle the planet” and the accompanying image includes a waterway as well as a visible air current and when air describes itself as shielding us from heavy flying things (a meteoroid is shown) without saying how. Still, the book offers interesting jumping-off points for further exploration, a helpful nod to the shared nature of air and the need to care for it, and a useful author's note with more on the causes of planet-wide air movements. All is complemented by simple, attractive illustrations in gouache and pencil that show children, nature, and basic scientific diagrams. A solid addition to science shelves. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
