Eight Spinning Planets is a large board book, with each planet represented as a round plastic shape protruding through die-cut circles in the pages; as you turn each page, one planet at a time disappears until, on the last page, you're out at Neptune. The text is in rhyming couplets: "Eight spinning planets travel round the sun./Mercury is closest and is the smallest one." There are two couplets on each page, and the way they are written, you can choose to read only the first couplet and the book still rhymes and makes sense -- something that any parent of a toddler who likes to turn the pages too fast will appreciate. Each page also has a photo from each planet and a short sentence about it, some of which are much better than others, but these were pretty much ignored by my toddler. The main strike against this book is the final couplet, which is wrong in a couple of ways: "We've counted all the planets circling the sun. That leaves only Pluto, which is too small to be one." I've been working on a substitute final sentence for the book, but haven't come up with a good one yet. Overall, though, I recommend the book; reading it has taught my younger daughter the names of the planets and their order from the Sun. ( )

I absolutely love this informational text because it also is a poetry and picture book! The text is not too long on each page, but it is long enough so each planet’s description gets covered. This made it extremely easy for me to read, along with the fact that it is a rhyming book. I really liked the three dimensional pictures for each planet. The bright colors and (almost) to-scale sizing really put into perspective how big or small a planet is compared to the others. This text included just enough facts about each planet, such as their temperature or color, for the information to really stick. The message of this book are basic, but important, facts about all eight planets. I enjoyed that although the title is “Eight Spinning Planets” they did not forget to include Pluto! I found this to be a really fun, yet educational book that taught me everything I used to know about each planet, but forgot since it has been so long! ( )

This is a great children’s book about science! The information is really simplified, but is still packed with great facts. Each page is about a different planet, starting with the sun and expanding out. It has 3D illustrations, but is sturdy enough it could probably be left out for the kids all the time. The colors are really vibrant, and each page has a full page illustration along with a real photograph of the planet. This book could be used for multiple skills because it also counts the planets down. For really small children, it could be a great way to learn the beginning numbers while learning some cool facts. I rated this book 5 out of 5 because it is an all around great book, with good information, good pictures, and is sturdy enough to uphold an elementary classroom. ( )