Astronomy

Gr 4-6-Not so much an update of Martin Redfern's The Kingfisher Young People's Book of Space (Kingfisher, 1998) as a survey of the solar system and beyond for slightly younger or less-able readers, this volume combines small, sharp, color photos and larger artists' conceptions with easily digestible blocks of explanatory text. Focusing particularly on the history and tools of astronomy, from ancient views of how the universe works to types of telescope in use today, Stott groups the planets into "rock worlds," "ringed worlds," and smaller bodies, then looks past them all to the stars, constellations, and the stellar life cycle. Her information isn't particularly current-the most recent Mars probe she mentions, for instance, is 1997's Mars Pathfinder-and aside from an easy-to-miss quartet of Web sites, there are no leads to further sources. As a plethora of recent books covers similar territory, consider this one appealing, but supplementary.-John Peters, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Crowded double-page spreads introduce different features of the night sky, including the moon, the planets, and the stars. The text also lightly touches on related topics, such as the history of astronomy, the search for life in space, and the Big Bang. The volume is illustrated with reproductions, photos, and wonderfully evocative images of planet nebulae, asteroids, and comets. Glos., ind. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.