Meanwhile Back on Earth . . .: Finding Our Place Through Time and Space
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-16 05:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Oliver Jeffers
- ISBN：0593621522
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A spectacular new picture book from the creator of international bestsellers Here We Are and What We'll Build that will give readers perspective on our place in space。
A father takes his two children on a thrilling out-of-this-world adventure into space and invites them to look back at Earth and the conflicts that have taken place since the beginning of time。 This becomes a brief history of the world and a guide to the universe， told with Oliver Jeffers's inimitable perspective， wit， and exquisite artwork。
Meanwhile Back on Earth gives a unique look at life on Earth with a cosmic perspective--and an enduring message that what binds us together matters more than what sets us apart。 A timely story for families everywhere。
A father takes his two children on a thrilling out-of-this-world adventure into space and invites them to look back at Earth and the conflicts that have taken place since the beginning of time。 This becomes a brief history of the world and a guide to the universe， told with Oliver Jeffers's inimitable perspective， wit， and exquisite artwork。
Meanwhile Back on Earth gives a unique look at life on Earth with a cosmic perspective--and an enduring message that what binds us together matters more than what sets us apart。 A timely story for families everywhere。
Reviews
Stephanie
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I love Oliver Jeffers， but this is a rare miss in his catalogue。 This book is for children， yet every other page shows very detailed illustrations of war throughout human history。 The point being made is that our squabbles here on earth are so small in the vastness of space。 Agreed！ But with no other historical moments used in the book， it becomes entirely about war， and in my view inappropriate for the age group this is ostensibly for。
Kristi
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A brief history of conflict between humans on Earth！ Of course， I think there still were people fighting each other， even 11，000 years ago， but it's nice to think they were too busy with other matters to fight each other。 A brief history of conflict between humans on Earth！ Of course， I think there still were people fighting each other， even 11，000 years ago， but it's nice to think they were too busy with other matters to fight each other。 。。。more
Kirstin
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Oliver Jeffers， you did it again。
Kathy
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As 2 bored kids in the back seat start arguing over their space， the author takes them on a trip around the solar system at 37 mph。 As they drive， they look back to see what is happening on earth that many years ago， and interestingly enough， humans are always fighting。 This will give kids a sense of time （history）， and just how big space is。 This isn't for younger children， but will elicit interesting conversations in Kindergartners on up （even up to teens） As 2 bored kids in the back seat start arguing over their space， the author takes them on a trip around the solar system at 37 mph。 As they drive， they look back to see what is happening on earth that many years ago， and interestingly enough， humans are always fighting。 This will give kids a sense of time （history）， and just how big space is。 This isn't for younger children， but will elicit interesting conversations in Kindergartners on up （even up to teens） 。。。more
J。 Blair Hartman III
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he doesnt seem as invested in the illustrations （as in his earlier career） which never seem in “conversation” with the writing and narrative， to me
Dactylaura
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les illustrations sont superbes et l’album pointe avec justesse les schémas de violence et de conquête qui se répètent année après année， siècle après siècle。
Ellon
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4 stars （I really liked it）Wow。 That was amazing。 Such an interesting concept。 I love that it puts into perspective how far away things are in space。 It also shows how people have almost always been fighting each other for territory （which is pretty sad actually）。 I love the timeline in the back of the book！My only dislike is that the audience for this size of picture book （younger elementary） will likely not fully understand the book and upper elementary/middle school students won't be likely t 4 stars （I really liked it）Wow。 That was amazing。 Such an interesting concept。 I love that it puts into perspective how far away things are in space。 It also shows how people have almost always been fighting each other for territory （which is pretty sad actually）。 I love the timeline in the back of the book！My only dislike is that the audience for this size of picture book （younger elementary） will likely not fully understand the book and upper elementary/middle school students won't be likely to pick up this book as it looks like it is made for younger kids。 。。。more
Jodi Diamond
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☆Book Review☆Meanwhile back on earth。。。 Finding our place through time and spaceA cosmic view on conflict with Oliver JeffersA dad take his family out on a car trip into space。 On this space voyage they learn things about space and what happend on earth years ago。 It's like a trip through time and space and it teaches us about history on earth and space。 The children keeps fighting and their dad wants to teach them a lesson to sit still and be peaceful with each other。 What i loved about this bo ☆Book Review☆Meanwhile back on earth。。。 Finding our place through time and spaceA cosmic view on conflict with Oliver JeffersA dad take his family out on a car trip into space。 On this space voyage they learn things about space and what happend on earth years ago。 It's like a trip through time and space and it teaches us about history on earth and space。 The children keeps fighting and their dad wants to teach them a lesson to sit still and be peaceful with each other。 What i loved about this book are the interesting facts about space and earth history。 My favorite part in the book was when the dad said it takes 1，200 years to drive to Jupiter。 And back on earth 1，200 years ago it was the year 800 and the Vikings had finished fighting everyone around them and they build boats to find new people to fight。 That cracked me up a little。 I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves to learn new things。 This is a children's book but adults will find this interesting too。This is definitely a 5 star read， and the illustrations in this book are so beautiful。 I enjoyed this。 Thank you Jonathan Ball Publishers for this gifted copy for an honest review。 。。。more
Jen Bradbury
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Really clever book that raised a lot of questions about history for our seven year old。
Rebecca Caufman
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Space and History all wrapped into one。。。highlighting humans trouble getting along。
Abbigail
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Oliver Jeffers is just really great。 I love a good philosophical picture book
BiblioBrandie
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Very cool mashup of science and history！ Sixth grade studies the solar system and I think this will be a cool companion for social studies teachers to use to get a brief history of the world。 Told with Oliver Jeffers's wit and artistry， this is a fun addition to the shelves （where to put it though！？）。 I will read anything that Oliver Jeffers writes。 This was extra fun because I was able to visit Jeffers installation， our Place in Space， in Ireland this summer。 Very cool mashup of science and history！ Sixth grade studies the solar system and I think this will be a cool companion for social studies teachers to use to get a brief history of the world。 Told with Oliver Jeffers's wit and artistry， this is a fun addition to the shelves （where to put it though！？）。 I will read anything that Oliver Jeffers writes。 This was extra fun because I was able to visit Jeffers installation， our Place in Space， in Ireland this summer。 。。。more
Karen Arendt
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Absolutely perfect reminder for anyone who forgets that we are all human
Denise Newton
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https://denisenewtonwrites。com/？p=3916Meanwhile Back on Earth is another of Jeffers’ surprising， quirky and beautiful picture books for young readers https://denisenewtonwrites。com/？p=3916Meanwhile Back on Earth is another of Jeffers’ surprising， quirky and beautiful picture books for young readers 。。。more
Jennie
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The author invites the reader to take a journey through space by following the out of world journey of a father and his two children and invites them to look back at Earth and the conflicts that have taken place since the beginning of time。 The impetus is the bickering between the two children of personal space and ownership and this expands into a brief history of the world and humanity's historical fights over territory and land ownership。 The method of traveling back in time is a little obscu The author invites the reader to take a journey through space by following the out of world journey of a father and his two children and invites them to look back at Earth and the conflicts that have taken place since the beginning of time。 The impetus is the bickering between the two children of personal space and ownership and this expands into a brief history of the world and humanity's historical fights over territory and land ownership。 The method of traveling back in time is a little obscure but certainly original and will no doubt stimulate some mathematical calculations。Jeffers's presents an interesting， though narrow and negative， perspective of our time on Earth， which should prompt readers to think about conquests， invasions， war and conflict as undesirable， though I am not convinced that this will necessarily be an outcome of reading this book， perhaps because of the rather flat ending with the family arriving home with no real indication that there behavior will change。 Jeffers uses bold colour palettes across the pages and effectively captures great distances and the 'smallness' of humans place in the universe。 There are numerous speech bubbles and added details int he illustrations that add life to the characters。 。。。more
🌶 peppersocks 🧦
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Reflections and lessons learned:“…and they are much too busy surviving to bother with fighting each other”There are quite a few books like this out at the moment， and it’s a wonderful way to learn about key historical points through beautiful drawings - great books for kids （and adults！） to learn about the start of everything… so important for context
Elaine Fultz， SLMS， Teacher Librarian， MLS
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Jeffers offers lessons about history while commenting that people， worryingly and inevitably， fight over territory。 As a dad and kids travel in a car-turned-spacecraft， dad looks into the rear view mirror and describes what is/was happening on earth as they reach the planets。 Clever， but not sure of the audience。 Realistic but disappointing that he doesn't offer some positive message at the end。 As it is， the conclusion is pretty hopeless -- the kids in the back， who were fighting over back seat Jeffers offers lessons about history while commenting that people， worryingly and inevitably， fight over territory。 As a dad and kids travel in a car-turned-spacecraft， dad looks into the rear view mirror and describes what is/was happening on earth as they reach the planets。 Clever， but not sure of the audience。 Realistic but disappointing that he doesn't offer some positive message at the end。 As it is， the conclusion is pretty hopeless -- the kids in the back， who were fighting over back seat space which launched the whole metaphor， fall asleep at the end so the dad can return home。 So we're left to think the only solution to humans fighting is for them to be tranquilized？ I'm not opposed to that。 。。。more
WhatBookNext 。com
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It's not long into their car trip that two siblings begin to squabble in the back seat。 They bickered about who will get into the car first and continue to grumble at each other about sides of the car and whose window view is whose。Dad is driving and sighing at his children arguing over the concept of their own space。 He realises we as human beings have done just that since the beginning of time。A voice comes from nowhere， inviting them all on a detour。 With space helmets on， and brother and sis It's not long into their car trip that two siblings begin to squabble in the back seat。 They bickered about who will get into the car first and continue to grumble at each other about sides of the car and whose window view is whose。Dad is driving and sighing at his children arguing over the concept of their own space。 He realises we as human beings have done just that since the beginning of time。A voice comes from nowhere， inviting them all on a detour。 With space helmets on， and brother and sister sitting in awed silence， they lift off into the vastness of the night。The moon is the first stop， but it will take a year to get there。 Upon arriving， they are asked to think back to how life on Earth was a year ago。。。 It's a picture of conflict over technology， social media， and our differences were moulded from that。Next stop Venus - 78 years drive away （at the average motorist speed on Earth of 37 miles per hour / approx 60 kilometres per hour。） About 78 years ago back on Earth， World War II raged across our planet。Each journey and arrival at a planet has the narrator turning back to Earth to see how humankind fought for space， land or entire continents - right back until there was less than 2 million people on this entire planet we call home。This Space that our infinitesimal Earth occupies， really puts tiny squabbles about car back seat space into proportion。Not really important at all。Another Jeffers masterpiece！ As Oliver Jeffers' children age， he produces another beautiful， thought provoking book for them to ponder， and we get to share in his gift to them。This book begins in a space we all know - the bottom of the stairs in a family home， and then inside the family car。 But this common space is soon lifted into the space around us where other planets in our solar system lie。Not only is this a wonderful way to describe the solar system and how mind-blowingly big it is， but Meanwhile Back on Earth。。。 is a step back through humankind's history of conflict and desire for more space。 Will we ever learn？Under the dust jacket of this hardback is a surprise of stars pressed into the cover along with a car and a line of planets crossing the book。This journey begins as soon as you open the book with a map of our solar system drawn in Jeffers' distinctive style， showing the distance between Earth and the other planets。I knew as soon as I saw this book， I would have to sit in a quiet space to read and truly appreciate it - and I was right。 Loved it！ 。。。more
Margaret
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Brilliant！
Vanessa Lecaine
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Not sure this is a kids book。 Definitely a look at human conflict over time。 Oliver Jeffers makes a statement
Panda Incognito
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The illustrations are lovely。 The story is too long for Jeffers's usual audience， and the heavy topics are also inappropriate for many very young children。 I get the author's goal for the theme， but as the family in this book travels out into space， they also look back into history from a corresponding distance， with each snapshot glimpse highlighting war， human conflict， and territorial battles。 Some of the illustrations， especially the one of World War II， are genuinely and rightly scary-looki The illustrations are lovely。 The story is too long for Jeffers's usual audience， and the heavy topics are also inappropriate for many very young children。 I get the author's goal for the theme， but as the family in this book travels out into space， they also look back into history from a corresponding distance， with each snapshot glimpse highlighting war， human conflict， and territorial battles。 Some of the illustrations， especially the one of World War II， are genuinely and rightly scary-looking。 There are no brighter spots in history emphasized to offset this， and even though school-aged kids and adults can appreciate the thoughtful look at the problems in global history， this is not a book I would share with small children。 The book's focus is solely on conflict， oppression， and violence， and people who pick this up because of the space exploration theme and luminous illustrations may be startled by the content。 。。。more
Yildiray Lise
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Great work。
Jessica
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This is one of my favorite books of the year。 I love how he combines history and science and points out the futility of war and conflict。 Highly recommended！
Blue
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Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram Website Thank you Harper Collins for this book in exchange for an honest reviewMeanwhile Back on Earth was delightful！ As a father takes his two children into space they look back at Earth as it spins through powerful moments in history since the beginning of time。 The illustrations were crisp and vibrant， mixing those attributes with the space theme， its astonishing。 I loved this， its beautiful， witty with an incredibly important message。 Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram Website Thank you Harper Collins for this book in exchange for an honest reviewMeanwhile Back on Earth was delightful！ As a father takes his two children into space they look back at Earth as it spins through powerful moments in history since the beginning of time。 The illustrations were crisp and vibrant， mixing those attributes with the space theme， its astonishing。 I loved this， its beautiful， witty with an incredibly important message。 。。。more
Lisa-Anne Norman
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Mini Book Review: Meanwhile Back on Earth by Oliver JeffersI love children's books that provide the reader and the listener a chance to have open discussions around the topic。 This book does just that。 It gives the reader open opportunities to discuss space， the future and the past。I thought it was probably a bit long for the age group intended but still a worth while read and worthy edition to any family library。Thanks harperkidsau for the gifted read。 Mini Book Review: Meanwhile Back on Earth by Oliver JeffersI love children's books that provide the reader and the listener a chance to have open discussions around the topic。 This book does just that。 It gives the reader open opportunities to discuss space， the future and the past。I thought it was probably a bit long for the age group intended but still a worth while read and worthy edition to any family library。Thanks harperkidsau for the gifted read。 。。。more
Lisa
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