Our Home, Our Only Home (Wondrous World)
Candlewick, March 2026
Illustrated by Sophie Diao
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Born without fangs, claws, or wings, naked of fur or feathers, humans are the most vulnerable of Earth’s creatures. Our strength rests in our knowing. Early on, we put our big brains to work to tame fire, and over eons, our discovery helped us grow. Just two centuries ago, we began using coal, oil, and gas—remnants of long-ago life hidden deep within a generous Earth—to fuel fire, light up our nights, and run machines. Fertilizers let us reuse the soil. Pesticides killed the competition. We even dreamed up a synthetic “wonder” material called plastic. But our big brains tuned out the devastating effects of these actions. Can our knowing unravel the greatest crisis we’ll ever face? Stunning artwork evokes the climate emergency to scale in a third epic fusion of poetry and science from the author of We, the Curious Ones and The Stuff of Stars. Packed with hopeful action points, this portrait of a planet in peril is a plea to reconnect with our home, the source of all life, and a rallying cry for a generation coming of age just in time to turn things around.
Reviews
An amalgam of poetry and science rallies readers to help save the planet.
Bauer skips through Earth’s evolutionary history, then lingers on the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs and on the appearance of humans, “the most vulnerable / of all creatures.” Vulnerable, perhaps, but Bauer notes that “we used our big brains / to tame / fire,” which meant we were then eating better. The bigger our brains grew, the more we drew from Earth’s belly—oil, coal, gas—later creating pesticides and plastic, which polluted our water and soil. She succinctly summarizes humankind’s march toward a Sixth Great Extinction: “Only a humongous asteroid / ever brought more rapid change / than we have created / with our love / of fire.” Writing in lyrical free verse, Bauer argues that as latecomers to Earth, we’ve had an outsize impact on its health, which is vividly portrayed in Diao’s illustrations of starry nights, fiery caves, and denuded landscapes. In the second half of the book, more essay than free verse, Bauer suggests positive actions, such as turning to wind and water power. She lauds inspirational activists who began their work as teenagers—Greta Thunberg and Autumn Peltier—as well as organizations like Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots. Bauer then urges readers to dig within their vast imaginations: “Imagine a future in which this life-giving Earth is honored. In which life is protected. Every form of life. Not just our own.”
A necessary and optimistic call to action. (Informational picture book. 6-10) - Kirkus
Insistent verse by Bauer urges care for Earth as confident artwork from Diao emphasizes the planet’s fragility in this bracing picture book wake-up call. Similes keenly draw out humankind’s oneness with the natural world (“We are as alive,/ as night-sprouting mushrooms,/ as worms gobbling their way/ through the living soil”) even as text simultaneously narrates a story of how humans, with their “big brains” and their “trusted companion./ Fire,” have carelessly wrought destruction. The lines crescendo into an accounting of alarming consequences (“Wildfires kill./ Grasslands become desert./ Oceans die./ Plastics fill land and sea”) before suggesting ways that people can still change course. There’s a sandy tactile quality to soft-contoured digital renderings that aptly match the poem’s cumulative tone, which darkens before eventually brightening. Includes extensive back matter. Ages 4–8. - Publisher’s Weekly
“We, / you and I, / are alive,” Bauer writes, “. . . on the only planet / in all this burning, freezing universe / known to sustain / life.” First in stately free verse, then in a prose essay, she retraces the rise of that life up to the development of human technology and on to a present that's changing with disturbing rapidity. Since it's been our big brains and “love of fire” that has led to a world on the brink of ecological peril, it's our responsibility to fix the problem. What can young readers do, though? “Begin by being grateful,” she finishes, going on to cite the work of several young eco-activists, youth groups, and organizations engaged in the work of bringing about a better future. Diao illustrates her earnest message with lyrical images of Earth against starry backdrops, human figures from various eras, polluted landscapes, people and animals on the march, and tellingly, of our planet as a clockface with the hand pointed nearly straight up. A scary scenario, but it does close on a hopeful note. - Booklist
★K-Gr 4–Bauer’s free verse poetry tells the history of the Earth and humanity. Fire helped people survive but by its overuse destroyed parts of the earth. Pesticides and plastics seemed like miracles but ultimately added more damage. The poem discusses how the damage may lead to another great extinction due to human-caused climate change. It then shifts tone to show how humanity still has a chance to change things, but people have to care enough to try. Diao’s full-page illustrations closely echo the tone of the poem, starting with bright, vibrant colors and then getting progressively darker as the ecological damage grows, and becoming brighter again when discussing ways to change. The overall effect stresses the severity of the situation, but ends on an optimistic and age-appropriate note. Several pages of back matter explain climate change in greater detail and give examples of young climate activists, such as Greta Thunberg. The book concludes with a few general ideas of what kids can do, such as picking up trash and conserving water. VERDICT Lyrical and sweeping poetry coupled with vivid artwork make this a worthy addition to the shelves of conservation books and a strong Earth Day pick in classrooms.–School Library Journal Jennifer Rothschild
