Our Planets: Moons, Myths, and More is an educational children’s book on the universe with beautiful images and activities included. What was the idea, or spark, that first set off the need to write Our Planets?

Julie Kusma and I were discussing what educational books we might like to write following the success of “Our Trees: Botanics, Beliefs, and More,” specifically what we find interesting and can we present that information in a fun and creative way. “Our Planets: Moons, Myths, and More” felt like another fantastic opportunity to weave our magic and let the creative fun flow while presenting educational content as an introduction for young and old.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

It’s always important for us to include ancient perspectives like mythologies, customs etc. With planets all named after Roman or Greek gods and goddesses it was a clear take-off point for us and include the mythology associated. We also thought it would be fun to include current pop culture for each planet such books and movies and an alien tour guide for a wee bit more humor too.

We believe education should be fun and as your reviewer noted, this book, as does our entire Our Education series, includes activities at the end of the book. In this case, a playable board game, and printable planet passport cards for young explorers to record their discoveries as they journey through “Our Planets: Moons, Myths, and More.”

Did you find anything in your research of this book that surprised you?

While we were amazed by the widely varying geology of the planets, especially those without a solid surface, the fact that the length of an earth day i.e. 24 hours, is not representative of the number of hours in a day on other planets, was not something we were aware of.

What is the next educational book that you are working on and when will it be available?

We will shortly be publishing, likely sometime in April 2024, “Our Dinosaurs: Discoveries, Distinctions and More,” which is with our editor at the moment. This has been a significant project for Julie and me on a variety of levels and we hope our readers find this volume as fun, educational and inspiring as our other books in the Our Education series.

Julie L. Kusma Author Links: Amazon | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Derek R. King Author Links: Amazon | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Website