"What is Earth's history, including the history of life? Where is Earth headed, and what can we do? A middle school science teacher addresses these questions with a friendly narrative voice and a focus both on how science is done and the diverse people who do it. Present problems of the Earth discussed include not only climate change but human-caused extinctions, plastic pollution, and invasive species"--

It has taken billions of years for Earth to become the planet it is today. When Planet Earth Was New looks back to the very beginning, using a poetic approach grounded in scientific fact to give an overview of how the planet has changed over time: from hot lava to the formation of oceans to the evolution of living things in water and on land. The book also includes the relatively recent evolution of humans - who are just a tiny speck in the sweep...

The revealing documentary of Earth explores the planet's most epic moments. From the first raindrops that turned it into a water world to the arrival of its most incredible inhabitants, us. But humans take a back seat in this narrative. Instead, Earth is placed center stage. We see what happened to our world before we even crawled from the mud, including massive bombardments from space, extreme changes in climate and the collision of whole continents....