OUR AIR

A very simple introduction to what air is and does.

Addressing both readers and the book’s cast of racially and culturally diverse youngsters, the gaseous narrator begins by distinguishing itself from the things it carries: “You can’t smell me. (That’s not me you smell!)” Likewise, though we can’t hear air, we can feel the moisture it contains. Its particles can “change the color of the sky—and sometimes make your nose itch.” Air helps to shield the planet from harmful rays and other hazards, rivers of it circle the Earth, and its energy can be harnessed. Air has changed over time and is still changing. Most importantly, because air connects every living thing (“Everyone is sharing me with everyone else”), it’s vital to care for it. The chain of logic is unassailable. Karas deftly adds informational content visually with (among other things) a world map of labeled jet streams and prevailing winds, as well as a gallery of airborne particulates such as soot, seeds, and spores. He goes on to fill in more detail about air’s dynamic relationship with our planet and biosphere in a short afterword.

Light, refreshing, and clear.