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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

An explanation of why Earth is able to sustain life begins this account that goes on to discuss the search for other exoplanets that may also be capable of supporting life. What life on another planet might look like could range from something somewhat familiar to something completely unknown, however. The clear, accessible primary text is supplemented by brief information on exoplanets and powerful telescopes that is further amplified in a note at volume’s end. The illustrations add another dynamic element as they follow a fictional African American girl and her family on a trip to a science museum. The girl, clearly fascinated by space, imagines herself as part of each exhibit. On returning home, a copy of Goldilocks and the Three Bears lies on the floor beneath her bed, and a telescope awaits. (Ages 7–11)

CCBC Choices 2020 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2020. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

July 1, 2019
Manley presents a smart, careful, and thorough discussion of exoplanets. Lanan's illustrations take the concepts to the next level; the choices of scale, color, and detail in her planetary landscapes make visible the text's content. The clever use of a parallel visual narrative, which features a (brown-skinned) girl and her family visiting a planetarium, situates the images of possible other life-supporting worlds in that character's imagination. Timeline, websites. Bib.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From School Library Journal

Starred review from January 1, 2019

Gr 2-5-Beginning with the insights of astronomers such as Lucretius and Giordano Bruno and continuing with the observations of a fictional young black girl from the present day, this illuminating book examines the possibility of life on other planets. Manley presents scientific certainties and theories alongside the child and her family's trip to a museum. One spread features text about Earth-like exoplanets paired with illustrations of the girl gazing off open-mouthed at the promising habitable planet surface that exists, for her, beyond the walls of the museum. On some pages, she muses, "If someday we do find evidence of beings like ourselves, what could we do? ...We could send them art and poetry and music." The enthusiastic main character lightens what could be weighty scientific information, providing an entry point for newcomers. Lanan's pleasing, watercolorlike artwork moves between expansive visions of outer space and panels that highlight key concepts. VERDICT An ideal addition for libraries building or updating STEAM collections.-Elaine Fultz, Madison Jr. Sr. High School, Middletown, OH

Copyright 1 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Booklist

January 1, 2019
Grades K-3 This is an oversize nonfiction picture book about the search for life on exoplanets?�planets beyond our solar system. The text continually poses open-ended questions ( When you look toward the stars, do you ever wonder if anyone is looking back? ) and presents kid-friendly scenarios that help young readers grasp concepts. The text is woven around an African American girl and her family's visit to a space museum, and incorporates information about astronomy, giant telescopes, types of exoplanets, how to find them, and ongoing space research. Of course, if we do someday find a planet that's just right (meaning, it has all the ingredients necessary to sustain human life), that just opens up another batch of questions: Should we stay quiet and hide from them? If we do send a message, what should we say? The illustrations, which employ deep, night-sky backgrounds, complement the text, whether reinforcing content or advancing the action. This is the best kind of science writing?a book that offers as many questions as answers. Aspiring astronomers will love it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

From Horn Book

January 1, 2019
The ever-fascinating idea that there may be life on other planets drives this smart discussion of the major advances in astronomy that have led to the discovery of exoplanets (officially, extrasolar planets ), along with the conditions that might be necessary to support life (the just right of the title). Manley sets up the science carefully and thoroughly, leading readers step by step through the ways in which astronomers have used tools such as telescopes to see the planets that orbit distant stars. Excellent analogies help readers grasp the techniques: For a few stars that are close to Earth, large telescopes can actually see an exoplanet, but only if the glare from the star is blocked?like when you hide the Moon's glow with your hand. Lanan's illustrations take the concepts to the next level; the choices of scale, color, and detail in her planetary landscapes make visible the text's content. The clever use of a parallel narrative in the art, which features a young (brown-skinned) girl and her family as they visit a planetarium and bring home a telescope, situates the images of possible other worlds in that character's imagination. On one dramatic double-page spread, where a single sentence in white stands out on a black background, readers are invited to test the limits of their own thinking about exoplanetary life: Maybe it's like nothing we can even imagine. Back matter includes more on the science of detecting exoplanets, a brief bibliography, lists of relevant websites, and a timeline of discovering our place in the universe. danielle j. ford

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Kirkus

November 15, 2018
A young girl looks out her window, pondering the universe. A subsequent family trip to the planetarium gives her a lot to think about.Are we alone in the universe? Are there other "Goldilocks planets" out there capable of sustaining life, planets that are "not too hot and not too cold, not too big and not too small, not too soft and not too hard" but "just right"? Older adult readers might hear the voice of Carl Sagan in the narrative, an authoritative, planetarium-movie voice explaining the universe with a focus on "exoplanets," planets that orbit stars outside of our solar system. Kids may imagine Neal DeGrasse Tyson. Woven through the text are the twin narratives of the girl and her family's visit to the planetarium and its "Searching for Exoplanets" exhibition. The illustrations, suffused with glowing light, are dynamically varied, including a colorful double-page spread of the Milky Way galaxy, panels carrying information, fanciful visions of other worlds, and an all-black spread with just one stark sentence in white: "Or maybe it's like nothing we can even imagine." Lanan effectively balances the girl's visual narrative with the heavier scientific exposition of the text. The girl, who has exuberantly kinky hair, and her family present black; other planetarium guests are a diverse group. Thorough backmatter includes books, websites, astronomy clubs, and various websites for further exploration.An attractive and informative volume for young stargazers. (Informational picture book. 6-10)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Publisher's Weekly

October 8, 2018
Readers join a brown-skinned girl with a polka-dotted backpack as she asks questions about the stars and visits a space museum, where she watches exoplanets careen overhead in a planetarium. In sweeping, inky art, Lanan captures the child’s dawning awareness of the vastness of the universe. Manley’s writing swings gracefully between factual descriptions (“Earth orbits in our solar system’s ‘habitable zone’ ”) and more lyrical observations: “All stars twinkle, but some stars also seem to wink at us... as if saying, ‘I know a secret.’ ” Back home after the museum trip, the child considers the types of life-forms that might be out there. Richly informative prose and intimate yet expansive art show a child’s contagious enthusiasm for the book’s subject. Includes a timeline of astronomical discoveries and suggestions for further reading. Ages 5–9.