things I learn from kids' nonfiction

From Look Inside the Earth ("a Poke and Look Learning Book") by Mario Gomboli, illustrated by Nicoletta Costa:

In some ways the earth is like a piece of fruit. The outside of the fruit is called the skin; the outside of the earth is called the crust. Both the fruit and the earth have cores. The fruit's core contains its seed; the earth's core is a huge fiery hot ball of metal.

Wowie, that's pretty similar, all right!

The earth gives us so much. We use the land to plant crops and raise animals for our food. We use trees in the forests for houses, furniture, and paper. We get fish from the oceans, rivers and lakes. We even use the air to help fly airplanes!

And blow up basketballs, and blow up volleyballs!

Alas, I don't have a functioning scanner at the moment, so I can't share with you the page about pollution. It's divided into a before-and-after landscape; on the left are piles of garbage, dirty lakes, dead trees, dreary-looking cars and factories belching filth from their tailpipes and smokestacks. On the right is a beautiful park-like setting with green trees and blue lakes and children playing, and brightly-colored cars and factories pooting out adorable pink, yellow and orange clouds of happy smoke.

Yes, it'll be a beautiful world, as soon as we make our cars run on Froot Loops.