Why We Live Where We Live

by Kira Vermond (Author) Julie McLaughlin (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4^th − 5^th Grade

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.

Common Sense Media Review

Select format:

Paperback

$14.95

Available

Quantity

Paperback

$14.95

Locate at a Library Near You

WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.

Add to Wishlist

Find books about:

Kirkus

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)

School Library Journal

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

Review quotes

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

Kira Vermond

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.

Classification

Non-fiction

ISBN-13

9781771470810

Lexile Measure

930

Guided Reading Level

Publisher

Owlkids

Publication date

September 09, 2014

Series

BISAC categories

Library of Congress categories

City and town life
Human beings
Human geography
Human settlements
Effect of environment on
Effect of climate on
Climate

Find books about:

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!

Purchase eWallet Credit