Cover of Just Right

Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet

Written by Curtis Manley, illustrated by Jessica Lanan
Roaring Brook Press, 2019
ISBN: 1250155339

Do you wonder if humans are the only beings who wonder if they are alone in the universe?

Our sun is a star. In the night sky are all kinds of stars, and orbiting those stars are planets like the ones in our own solar system. Could those planets have life like we do on Earth? Planet Earth is not too big, not too small, not too hot, and not too cold. It’s just right. Our very own Goldilocks planet . . . .

Follow a young girl as she explores whether we are alone in this gorgeous book about the wondrous search for another Goldilocks planet.

Awards & Recognition

  • An American Library Association Notable book, 2020
  • A SCBWI Golden Kite Honor book
  • Named to the Bank Street College of Education Best Books list for 2020
  • A Chicago Public Library best informational book for young readers, 2020
  • A Junior Library Guild selection, 2020

Praise

“The enthusiastic main character lightens what could be weighty scientific information, providing an entry point for newcomers. Lanan’s artwork moves between expansive visions of outer space and panels that highlight key concepts. An ideal addition for libraries building or updating STEAM collections.”

School Library Journal, Starred Review

“TRichly informative prose and intimate yet expansive art show a child’s contagious enthusiasm for the book’s subject.”

- Publisher's Weekly

“Lanan’s illustrations take the concepts to the next level; the choices of scale, color, and detail in her planetary landscapes make visible the text’s content. The clever use of a parallel narrative in the art [...] situates the images of possible other worlds in that character’s imagination.”

- Horn Book

“This is the best kind of science writing—a book that offers as many questions as answers. Aspiring astronomers will love it.”

- Booklist

“Lanan effectively balances the girl’s visual narrative with the heavier scientific exposition of the text. […] An attractive and informative volume for young stargazers.”

- Kirkus

Classroom Resources

Articles and Downloadables

Interview with Maria Marshall

Go behind the scenes and read about how the book was made.

Classroom Guide

STEAM activities and lesson plans for your classroom.

Related Videos

Time lapse of final watercolor art for Just Right.

Book trailer.

Available wherever books are sold. For signed copies, please order from the Boulder Bookstore.
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