Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 4^-8. Astronomy enthusiasts will appreciate this well-designed guide to viewing star patterns. Croswell devotes a double-page spread to each of 12 constellations, one for each month. The right-hand page is divided lengthwise into two columns. The first column contains text describing the constellation and providing other related information. The second column has a black-and-white diagram of the constellation, and a "Where and When to Look" box that suggests the best month (and sometimes dates of that month), direction (overhead, northeast, etc.), and approximate time for viewing. The left-hand side of the spread is an actual photograph of the night sky, with each star in the featured constellation labeled. Croswell notes that a telescope isn't necessary, but recommends viewers use binoculars and a red flashlight. Younger students may need the help of an adult or older sibling. Lauren Peterson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-Specifically intended for fledgling star watchers living between latitudes 30 to 50 degrees North, this misguided effort uses labeled sky photographs to identify a dozen major constellations, one per month. Each full-page photo is accompanied by a simplified diagram, orientation instructions, a list of dates and times for best viewing, and a column or so of Croswell's engaging commentary on star names, colors and types, nebulae, black holes, and related topics. "Botes is supposed to look like a herdsman, but if you can see a herdsman here, you are a better astronomer than I am." The author closes with a clever identification guide to any neighboring planets that might wander into the picture, plus a chart of the 25 brightest stars. Twelve of those stars are either not mentioned in the text or are in the southern celestial hemisphere and generally below the horizon for most of the book's prospective audience. In addition, the whole one-per-month scheme imposes a rigid superficiality on the book, and there are logistical problems inherent in trying to hold black photographs up to nighttime skies for comparison. Fortunately, there are plenty of more practical guides available, from Gary Mechler's Night Sky (Scholastic, 1999) to H. A. Rey's classic The Stars (Houghton, 1973).-John Peters, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Month by month, Croswell introduces twelve constellations. On each double-page spread, a labeled constellation photo faces a page of text with sometimes hard-to-follow viewing directions and information about the constellation: name, shape, where to find it at different times of the year, and nearby celestial objects. The book lacks a sky map showing the constellations in relation to one another. Ind. From HORN BOOK Spring 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
For readers who live where stars are visible in the night sky, this will inspire a trip outside in every season; for those who live where pollution and ambient light make star-viewing difficult, the color photographs will provide a nearly satisfying substitute. While many sky guides show a hemisphere of sky with dozens of labeled constellations, much to the confusion of novice stargazers, this selects one prominent constellation for each month of the year. Clear directions are given for where and when to find the constellation in most latitudes. A full-color photograph of the night sky shows the constellation with each star carefully labeled. More experienced gazers will relish the informative text by Croswell, a Harvard-trained astronomer ( Planet Quest , 1997, etc.). Croswell conveys his love of astronomy, and a profound sense of wonder, as he describes each star in the group and introduces many broader issues and concepts of astronomy. For example, looking at Taurus (the Bull) in the December sky, the viewer will notice the brighter of two stars in the bulls right horn tip. That is El Nath, a blue star 130 light-years away. It doesn't look special, but it marks a special direction: the Galactic anti-center, the point exactly opposite the center of our Galaxy, where we look out to the edge of the Milky Ways disk of stars, some 30,000 light-years beyond El Nath. The author concludes with a flow chart of how to find the planets in the night sky, a list of the brightest stars and where they appear, and an index. An inspiring and useful title. (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
