Yesterday, we read a story called, "Poor Pluto" which was written and illustrated by 3rd grade students of Tokay Colony Elementary School in Lodi, California. The students wrote this book in response to Pluto losing its identity as a planet. At the end of the story, it explains what really happened to Pluto. Astronomers have developed 3 ways necessary for an object in Outer Space to be classified as a planet:
1. It must orbit around a star.
2. It must have a round shape.
3. It must have enough gravity to have its own orbit path.
Pluto orbits a star but has more of an oval shape and shares an orbit path with the planet Neptune. Thus, Pluto is now identified as a Dwarf Planet.
The Pre-K children really enjoyed this story and learning the reasons why Pluto is no longer considered a planet.
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This is a great book, but it is also important to note that many astronomers do still view Pluto as a planet and reject the third criterion. They also reject the concept that a dwarf planet is not a planet. YOu can view a petition of dissenting astronomers here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/planetprotest/
My five-year-old nephew has this book, but I've explained to him that a lot of people don't agree with Pluto losing its identity as a planet.
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