Why We Live Where We Live

by Kira Vermond, Julie McLaughlin (Illustrator)

Overview

Why do you live where you do? The answer is a lot more complicated than it might seem. Why that house? Why this community? Why do cities sprout where they do? And what makes living there even possible? Geography, topography, climate, landscape, food, politics, economics, and more all play a role in how we choose the place we call home. This book takes readers on a tour of various ways humans adapt to our environments — or change them to suit our needs. It considers the big picture — we live on Earth because it has a breathable atmosphere — right down to the little things, like friendly neighbors, that simply make us happy. Why We Live Where We Live looks back in history at the transition from nomadic hunting to farming and the rise of cities following the Industrial Revolution. It also looks ahead to anticipate new concerns: how will climate change and rising water affect people who live near the ocean? Can humans survive in space? This comprehensive, cross-curricular resource will equip readers with solid background in human habitation and context about their place on the planet.

Grade: 5
Fountas & Pinnel: T
Lexile Measure: 930L
Common Core State Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.4,4a,4c,6
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.5.3,3a,4,4a,4c
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2,2a,2b,2d,2e,4,7,8,9b,10

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771470810
Publisher:	OWLKIDS BOOKS
Publication date:	09/09/2014
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	1,051,640
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	930L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kira Vermond is an award-winning writer with over 1,000 articles to her name. She is a frequent contributor to The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, and Today's Parent and is the author of The Secret Life of Money: A Kid's Guide to Cash and Growing Up: Inside and Out. She lives in Guelph, Ontario. Julie McLaughlin is an illustrator living in Vancouver, Canada.

Editorial Reviews

"This unusual book offers a surprising amount of information, organized and presented in an appealing way."
– Kirkus Reviews

"Clear and accessible."
– School Library Journal

"An accessible primer on the development of human civilization, with plenty of potential to spur classroom activities and conversation."
– Publishers Weekly

"This resource asks a unique question and stimulates young readers, ages 8-12, to engage in the world around them. It would be a great inclusion to any social studies, history or science curriculum to help youngsters understand the way society has evolved and their place within it."
–Green Teacher Magazine

From the Publisher

10/01/2014
Gr 4–6—An ambitious look at the various settings humans inhabit and how they have adapted. Vermond attempts to pack a ton of information on climate, the environment, and human effects into a fairly slim volume. The book starts by explaining why humans live on Earth and near the end includes a section on the possibility of branching out to other planets. Short chapters address issues that affect where people choose to live, such as food distribution, availability of water, comfort, electrical power, money, commuting, and more. The tone is chatty, and the writing is clear and accessible. Abundant cartoon illustrations throughout pop with color. Though there's a lot of material to cover, Vermond does a decent job explaining why people live where they do. Suitable as a starting-off point for further research.—Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

10/06/2014
Why do we live on Earth and not Jupiter? How do water, energy, and money affect where we live? Vermond examines these and other questions as she looks at how humans have built communities and cities, resettled around the world, and dealt with environmental and socioeconomic problems. Twenty topics get spreads of their own, framed by McLaughlin’s bright cartoons, which keep the mood fairly light, even as Vermond discusses food shortages, climate change, and troubled cities (“Today more than one billion people live in slums”). An accessible primer on the development of human civilization, with plenty of potential to spur classroom activities and conversation. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2014-08-13
Why do people choose to live where they do in our world? Vermond's introduction to that big question points out that humans adapt: They use their big brains and work together to make places livable. A comfortable climate, readily available food and water, power for heat, light, transportation and communication, people who speak the same language, nearby families and plentiful jobs are just some of the things people are looking for. From the "Planet Perfect" to making your hometown one of "The Happiest Places on Earth," the author considers human needs, briefly surveys the development of cities, explains what urban planners do, considers the reasons for living in a dangerous place as well as the reasons for moving, and touches on the effects of climate change and the possibility of living elsewhere in the universe. Each spread covers a separate topic. The extensive, conversational text is often set in columns and broken down into short segments, each with a heading, moving along quickly. A lively design and humorous illustrations add appeal. Unfortunately, there are no sources or suggestions for further reading. This unusual book offers a surprising amount of information, organized and presented in an appealing way for upper-elementary students. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews