THE Earth, life and all that, is seen through alien eyes and explored in a hilarious but informative series of books by Thompson Yardley. First titles include Give Me Air, Get Switched On and Mighty Microbes (Cassell, $68 each).
Mr Yardley uses colourful cartoon illustrations, lots of jokes and down-to-earth facts to hold the imagination and attention of young school children while introducing heavy concepts such as the composition of air and how the immune system works.
In Give Me Air, the friendly aliens study the Earth's unique atmosphere, how it creates various weather patterns and supports life, and how it is threatened by man.
Get Switched On introduces the different forms of energy and risks involved in exploiting them.
It is packed with practical ways we can save energy, such as rejecting battery-powered toys. (We learn that the energy needed to make a battery is 50 times greater than it can give out).
The book rounds off with the Energy Game, a board game children can play to highlight where energy is wasted and can be saved.
Mighty Microbes opens up the secret world of microscopic creatures, informing us of the vital role germs have played in the creation of life on Earth and who the goodies and baddies really are.