If you’ve been a regular reader here, you might remember that BG had, um, a huge tantrum negative reaction when Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet status. The “worst thing in the world happened” on their friend G’s 6th birthday, the day before LG’s 3rd birthday, on August 24, 2006; the astronomers clarified the rules about planets, and Pluto was no longer considered a planet.

It’s been a year and a half since that decision. You might think, if you didn’t live here, that BG might have gotten over her disappointment in that span of time. You would, of course, be wrong. BG doesn’t forget anything. Ever. Part of our “decor” here is a map of the solar system, with another poster on the wall with information on all the planets (pre-Pluto demotion). While it isn’t a daily subject, it isn’t one that has been forgotten, either.

When we recently received a package of books for review from Clarion, it included a book that looked as if it had been tailor-made for BG: a picture book stuffed with scientific information called When is a Planet Not a Planet?: The Story of Pluto. As soon as I opened the package, BG was entranced by the book.

I know that a year and a half ago, when I was mourning Pluto’s status; my friend since childhood, F, had agreed with me, bemoaning the loss of her “Pies”. Our childhood planetary mnemonic was “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizza-pies” or just “Pies”. (For the unfamiliar, each letter stands for a planet, and the words follow the order away from the sun). In The Story of Pluto, they use a slightly different mnemonic, “My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas”. Instantly, BG latched onto bemoaning “they took away our pizza!” Yeesh.

LG started whining that the “baby brother planet” wasn’t there any more. MG ignored her sisters for the most part, listening but not chanting, and yet she brought Pluto right into her imaginative play. Now their imaginative play is a mix of the solar system, fairies from Artemis Fowl, and the bird kids from Maximum Ride. Phew!

If anyone’s kid has learned a new mnemonic for the 8 planets, I’d love to know what it is! Meanwhile, we’re conducting further tests & research before posting some cool new children’s book reviews.