The World From Here

By Cassy Polimeni & Mel Armstrong

Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

Cassy has written both fiction and non-fiction picture books including Ella and the Sleepover Safari and The Garden at the End of the World. She is a writer adept at presenting children with challenging material in an attractive and accessible form. Mel Armstrong is a New Zealand creative who has (among many other things) illustrated numerous children’s picture books including Into the Wild and A Home for Luna. Her work is characterised by a confident use of colour and space and appealing human figures.

The World From Here starts with two viewpoints, one from Milo looking up at the clouds and one from Maya looking down at the ground from her window in the plane. I suppose almost everyone has looked for shapes in the clouds as Milo does, while similarly if you have ever looked out of a plane you will, like Maya, have seen the earth spread out like a quilt beneath you. The pages tell us a lot about clouds, the different types, what a nephologist is (a person who studies clouds), and that there are even clouds on other planets!

Then the focus changes to storms, with information about thunder, hail and lightning and electricity. You are encouraged to go slow and look about you, especially  after a storm, as things might look different …so pay attention.  Look at frogs, mushrooms, trees and the constellations. Wonder is all around. Interspersed with this information about the world around us is advice on what to do if you are frightened of storms and what to do if you find it difficult to quiet your busy mind (count sheep or stars). And there is a spread showing the continents of the world and some information about their history.

The illustrations and layout on each page present information in an attractive and colourful way sure to appeal to young readers. The text is aimed at readers aged 5+

The back matter is about the weather and how it makes us feel and there is also a glossary. So there is quite a variety of topics all encouraging children to confidently explore and enjoy their world. Teachers and parents will find this a stimulating and useful resource.

Teacher Notes

CSIRO Publishing 2026

Cassy Polimeni

Mel Armstrong