Our Air

G. Brian Karas (GBrianKaras.com) is the award-winning author-illustrator of many books for children, including As an Oak Tree Grows, On Earth, and Atlantic. He also illustrated The Boy Who Loved Maps (by Kari Allen); Lemonade in Winter (by Emily Jenkins); Clever Jack Takes the Cake (by Candace Fleming); and The Little Library, The Dinosaur Expert, and How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (all by Margaret McNamara). He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

* “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 . . . 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.’” —Publishers Weekly, starred review“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. . . . Likewise, though we can’t hear air, we can feel the moisture it contains. . . . Air helps to shield the planet from harmful rays and other hazards, rivers of it circle the Earth, and its energy can be harnessed. . . . Most importantly, because air connects every living thing, 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.” —Kirkus Reviews“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 delve into this invisible necessity’s nature and behavior in fun ways. . . . 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.” —Booklist “With the opening sentence, ‘I am the Air,’ Karas establishes personified air as the narrator, reassuring readers that even though, scientifically speaking, they cannot see or smell or hear it, air is always with them as they constantly breathe in and breathe out. . . . Diagrams of the Eastern and Western hemispheres clearly show the movement of the jet streams as well as the general location of typhoons and hurricanes and wind systems such as the Southeast Trades and Westerlies. . . . Karas presents his information in small, illustrated segments in his signature watercolors, the art generously populated by children. Diagrams, such as one depicting air cocooning the Earth, provide concrete visuals for young naturalists. A concluding author’s note summarizes the movement and effects of air, the effect of altitude on air, and a simplified process of photosynthesis.” —The Horn Book