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katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Science and silliness: winning combination.
Visually a little challenging at times, but this may prove refreshing for some young readers too. This is an eco-era story of our human planet having become overheated and a new home planet necessary. It is the job of the AstroNuts (spelt wrongly on the paperwork, so the name has stuck) to travel off into space and find a suitable new planet in the Goldilocks zone for us silly people.
With four animal characters on the team, with different skillsets, children will see the kind of things scientists look at when investigating ecosystems - plant/intelligent life, food availability, habitats and shelters. The four aren't really given strong and separate characters but do work as a team, and do give a lot of information to the reader.
This story (first in the series) sees them land on a Plant Planet. No other life other than plants...hmm... and a lot of oxygen in the atmosphere, as well as methane (that'll come into it later...)... We have a lot of terminology used freely, to do with space exploration as well as their investigations on the surface of the planet - a glossary of terms and definitions would have been great at the end, though the teacher notes available from the website that is cited are helpful for this.
The story is a quirky plot in which readers will delight in seeing the twists coming. The science itself will stretch many, or will go over heads, though parents/teachers have a lot of opportunities here to teach/cover all sorts of related science topics (plant cells, climate change, speed of light, even report writing and interpreting graphs).
Readers will love the silly story, learn more than they'll be willing to admit, and get exposure to some slightly unusual layout/illustration/presentation styles.
I highly recommend using the teachers' guide on the Astronuts website, fantastic set of notes for using the text in various curriculum areas, it's very well thought-through.
One for solo readers of 8/9 and above, and great for anyone with an inclination towards science.
Visually a little challenging at times, but this may prove refreshing for some young readers too. This is an eco-era story of our human planet having become overheated and a new home planet necessary. It is the job of the AstroNuts (spelt wrongly on the paperwork, so the name has stuck) to travel off into space and find a suitable new planet in the Goldilocks zone for us silly people.
With four animal characters on the team, with different skillsets, children will see the kind of things scientists look at when investigating ecosystems - plant/intelligent life, food availability, habitats and shelters. The four aren't really given strong and separate characters but do work as a team, and do give a lot of information to the reader.
This story (first in the series) sees them land on a Plant Planet. No other life other than plants...hmm... and a lot of oxygen in the atmosphere, as well as methane (that'll come into it later...)... We have a lot of terminology used freely, to do with space exploration as well as their investigations on the surface of the planet - a glossary of terms and definitions would have been great at the end, though the teacher notes available from the website that is cited are helpful for this.
The story is a quirky plot in which readers will delight in seeing the twists coming. The science itself will stretch many, or will go over heads, though parents/teachers have a lot of opportunities here to teach/cover all sorts of related science topics (plant cells, climate change, speed of light, even report writing and interpreting graphs).
Readers will love the silly story, learn more than they'll be willing to admit, and get exposure to some slightly unusual layout/illustration/presentation styles.
I highly recommend using the teachers' guide on the Astronuts website, fantastic set of notes for using the text in various curriculum areas, it's very well thought-through.
One for solo readers of 8/9 and above, and great for anyone with an inclination towards science.
applegnreads's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing. I wanted to like it but it was so beyond silly that silly isn't even the right word. If they'd condensed it into a flyer about climate change it would have been better-funnier, more accurate, better plot.
Bummer.
Bummer.
geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
'AstroNuts Mission One: The Plant Planet' by Jon Scieszka with illustrations by Steven Weinberg is a book for young readers about a mission to find another planet and the wacky things that happen there.
When the Earth is endangered by humans, four hybrid animals named AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk and Stinkbug, are sent to find a new planet. Plant Planet seems ideal as there is no life on it except plants. The animals soon learn why there are no animals on the planet and hijinks ensue.
When you see Jon Scieszka on the cover, you know you are in for a silly ride, and this book is no different. From the goofy animals to their rocket ship made from Lincoln's nose on Mount Rushmore. There is some science and a lot of fun. The illustrations are made from collages from old books and museums are are lively and fun.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Chronicle Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
When the Earth is endangered by humans, four hybrid animals named AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk and Stinkbug, are sent to find a new planet. Plant Planet seems ideal as there is no life on it except plants. The animals soon learn why there are no animals on the planet and hijinks ensue.
When you see Jon Scieszka on the cover, you know you are in for a silly ride, and this book is no different. From the goofy animals to their rocket ship made from Lincoln's nose on Mount Rushmore. There is some science and a lot of fun. The illustrations are made from collages from old books and museums are are lively and fun.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Chronicle Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
novelyon's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kelleemoye's review against another edition
4.0
Teacher Guide: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=20026
lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
I read this with my eight year old. We liked picking parts and taking turns reading them.
There is a lot of color on the page and witty dialogue that kept us laughing.
The crazy crew of the ship is trying to find a livable planet after the earth is ruined and unlivable. The first planet to vet is Plant Planet.
The hilarity begins, but we also learn some interesting facts along the way.
There is a lot of color on the page and witty dialogue that kept us laughing.
The crazy crew of the ship is trying to find a livable planet after the earth is ruined and unlivable. The first planet to vet is Plant Planet.
The hilarity begins, but we also learn some interesting facts along the way.
mblair8506's review against another edition
3.0
I was really excited to read this book because I love Jon Scieszka books. This book has funny characters and the premise is funny. The pages were a little busy for me to follow but I think that kids would enjoy it. Readers would need some guidance on how to navigate the text.
babayagareads's review against another edition
4.0
I received this advance reader's copy through Baker and Taylor and the local library. First of all, Jon Scieszka is an angel who can do very little harm and I love him and I'm obviously definitely not biased at all, especially since my father definitely *didn't* read Scieszka to me before bed most nights as a child (that last bit is a blatant lie, I can still recite most of the Stinky Cheese Man).
With that being said, Astronuts was a really great dive into informational, comedic narrative. The story is mostly told from Earth's perspective, in a strange post-apocalyptic delve into the galaxy, hunting for a Goldilocks planet. It did a superb job offering concrete scientific fact in an understandable fashion (topics include Goldilocks planets, biodiversity, plant cell parts, ecosystems, and global warming, to name a few).
Read-alike: The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
Similar Audience: The Earth Before Us by Abby Howard
With that being said, Astronuts was a really great dive into informational, comedic narrative. The story is mostly told from Earth's perspective, in a strange post-apocalyptic delve into the galaxy, hunting for a Goldilocks planet. It did a superb job offering concrete scientific fact in an understandable fashion (topics include Goldilocks planets, biodiversity, plant cell parts, ecosystems, and global warming, to name a few).
Read-alike: The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
Similar Audience: The Earth Before Us by Abby Howard
kwbat12's review against another edition
2.0
Not my favorite. I have a kid for it, I think, but not a ton of kids.