Why the Sky is Far Away

Gerson, M. (1992). Why the Sky is Far Away. Illustrated by Carla Golembe. New York, NY: :Little Brown and Company.

Brief Annotation: The sky once provided everyone food. Instead of having to gather and farm, people could just reach up into the sky and eat parts of it. The people became wasteful though, and took more than they could eat. The sky became angry and threatened to move farther away and no longer provide food for the people unless they stopped wasting. The king ordered them to never waste anything, but one lady accidentally took much food one day and couldn't finish. As she throws away the piece, thinking nothing will go wrong because it's just one more little wasteful item, they awake the next morning to the sky being out of reach. This is how the sky is far away..and now we have to provide food from the land instead.

Genre: Picturebook- Culturally Folktale

Grade Level: K- 6th Grade

Readers who will like this: This is a wonderful culturally diverse book that is set in Africa. It's the Nigerian tale of why the earth is far away, and I think students would really enjoy reading this book if they are interested in Africa or folktales. It does have a lot of words, so a new reader would maybe need to be read to, but I think Kindergarteners would really enjoy listening, and more advanced readers would enjoy reading the book on their own. This would be an excellent book to read aloud, especially during a time of learning about other cultures or folktales.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4, What a great story! It's a great way of explaining how important it is to take care of our earth and to not waste, and it's also a fun cultural tale. The illustrations are beautiful as well, full of light and energy. I love Africa so I may be a bit bias, but I really did love this book.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: “Do we ever waste food? Is that the best way to protect our earth?”