Exploring Planet Earth (Sense of Wonder Series) [Paperback]

John Hudson Tiner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Sense of Wonder Series

The first in a series of books on science, this book has broad appeal for any elementary-age child, but is written specifically as a resource tool for fifth grade through junior high level.

Blending a creationism perspective of history with definitions of terms and identification of famous explorers, scientists, etc., this book gives students an excellent initial knowledge of people and places, encouraging them to continue their studies in-depth.

Supplemented with photographs, illustrations, questions, and chapter review activities, Exploring Planet Earth brings to life people like Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus, and gives students the opportunity to read history that hasn’t been altered or erased altogether.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Hudson Tiner received five National Science Foundation teaching fellowships during his 12 years of teaching science and mathematics. He is a graduate of chemistry at the College of the Holy Cross (Massachusetts), graduate of astronomy at Sam Houston State University (Texas), and a graduate of mathematics at Duke University (NC). He also worked as a mathematician and cartographer for the Defense Mapping Agency, Aerospace Center (St. Louis).

Today, Tiner is a full-time writer. His popular non-fiction books tell their stories through the lives of people who left the world in a better condition than they found it. He says, “After the research is finished, a wonderful moment occurs when the story takes over and the characters come alive. No longer am I a writer, but a time traveler who stands unobserved in the shadows and reports the events as they occur.”

He has received numerous honors for his writing, including the Missouri Writer's Guild award for best juvenile book for Exploring the World of Chemistry, which was also published by Master Books.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Master Books; illustrated edition edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890511780
• ISBN-13: 978-0890511787
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Hudson Tiner is the author of textbooks, science curriculum material, character-building biographies, and books on a variety of other subjects. His books entertain while they increase a person's knowledge of the essentials of the subject. He has a master's degree from Duke University. He brings a wide range of exciting facts together to write more than 1,000 published manuscripts, including 80 books, for all age groups.

He is well known for his books for teens and young people including the "Exploring the World of" series for Master book and the Sowers Series for Mott Media. He says, "Young readers of today deserve to experience the thrill and wonder of learning about science. They delight in learning new facts, especially if the facts are presented in an exciting way."

John Hudson Tiner's popular biographies tell the lives of people who left the world in a better condition than they found it. He says, "After the research is finished, a wonderful moment occurs when the story takes over and the characters come alive. I am no longer a writer, but a time traveler who stands unobserved in the shadows and reports the events as they occur."

His material has been translated into a variety of languages including Spanish, Russian, and German.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets to the source of many discoveries about our world!!!, April 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Exploring Planet Earth (Sense of Wonder Series) (Paperback)

As a homeschooling parent, I am very pleased with this book and the vast amount of information it contains about our world. Most interesting is the authors approach. Not only does he talk about the various discoveries of the past centuries, but he also takes you back to the person and the circumstances that provided the opportunity for the discovery to be made. My children and I have all been made educationally richer thanks to this work.

I will purchase the other books (there are to be three of them total) as soon as I am able to locate them. The quality of information is excellent and I expect the other books to meet the quality and depth as this one has done. I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing the "who, when, and how" various discoveries were made.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I like this and I am not Christian..., April 14, 2011

By 

Sarah S. "sarahkitty" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exploring Planet Earth (Sense of Wonder Series) (Paperback)

This book is a part of a literature based homeschool program that I am using with my children this year. The company that we ordered from is a Christian company and so some of the books included are written from that perspective and this is one of them. As a non-Christian creationist I did not find this to be troublesome at all. There were a few sentences here or there that I felt the need to modify or discard but it was not in any way a burden. The book is highly informative and includes a lot of information in a concise volume. Each chapter is relatively short and the type is not overly small either. Review questions (some multiple choice and some short answer) are added to the end of each chapter and I find this feature a good study resource for the homeschooling family. The con is that the only color is on the cover. It would be a wonderful improvement for future editions to have color photos inside with the younger readers of this volume in mind.

14 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremley great book, April 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Exploring Planet Earth (Sense of Wonder Series) (Paperback)

This is a great book! It is a fast book for middle school kids and a slow book for elementary kids. It is interesting, well written, well illustrated, and covers a good amount of material. I would recommend this to anybody but it is especially great for homeschoolers