How the Meteorite Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland

How the Meteorite Got to the Museum is a picture book written and illustrated by Jessie Hartland, who previously published How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum (2011) and How the Spinx got to The Museum (2010).

Despite being a picture book, this is definitely targeted at a slightly older reader as there is quite a lot of text on some of the pages. It has a significant educational element to it which is really great, without it coming across as boring or just a list of facts. However, as much as I appreciated the art, the story itself is one I think best-appreciated by the intended audience. There are some picture books that are just so sweet and lovely that I would definitely reread them again by myself, but How the Meteorite Got to the Museum is one I'd save to read to an actual child.

One aspect of the book I really appreciated was the diversity of the characters, how they all looked different. There's also something just so charming and interesting about the artwork, it looks childlike, but intentional. There is a depth to Hartland's colours, and it's unsurprising given that the author both wrote and illustrated, but the drawing and the text blend together seamlessly. The use of different styles of writing (both fonts and hand-drawn) helps keep the pages interesting and makes the book more fun to read.

How the Meteorite Got to the Museum is an informative, fun, and beautiful book. I am passing this book onto a friend of mine who is also a scientist, and I know she will appreciate the educational aspect as well for her daughter. A definite success and I would certainly pick up more picture books by Hartland in the future.

Release Date: October 8th, 2013  Pages: 40  Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher  Publisher: Blue Apple Books
Buy It: Book Depository