Journey around the sun The story of Halley's comet

Relayed from the first-person perspective of Halley's Comet, the first comet "whose orbital return was correctly predicted," this picture book by Gladstone surveys humankind's history of witnessing the comet over thousands of years. Gladstone employs a removed, almost ominous tone for the comet's voice ("I have seen your past.// And I will see your future, the next time I take that sunlight journey"). Historical observations feature in a smaller font beneath the comet's observations: one tripartite page shows three iterations of the comet as a paragraph beneath reads, "In 1607, Flemish astronomer Gottfried Wendelin... wrote that the comet looked like a flaming sword." Eshet contributes fine-lined watercolor art, giving inky skies a wonderful depth while juxtaposing a historically inflected art style with comic-style panels. An intriguing picture book primer on "the most famous comet." Back matter includes an author's note, a brief overview of comets, and sources. Ages 4--8. (Mar.)

From cave families to space families, humans have been intrigued by Halley's comet. With narration in a large type, the comet tells its story as it is viewed from Earth through many centuries. In a smaller font, historical sightings are recounted. Early ones include Greeks in 466 B.C.E. and Arabs in 989 C.E. Chinese, Babylonians, Italians, and Germans have recorded and painted it. The comet has been variously described as "hairy" or "bushy" or "a great sword of flame." It was stitched into the Bayeux Tapestry. And in 1705, Sir Edmond Halley wrote a treatise predicting its return. Today, space probes allow humankind to study it in the greatest detail. The voice of the comet as narrator is scientific, noting that it is "neither good nor bad--a part of nature." The text is accompanied by full-page paintings that capture the beautiful vastness of the sky along with panels that portray the intensity and fascination of the scientists, artists, and ordinary folk whose eyes were drawn to the heavens. Some evoke medieval paintings in design and celestial blue color. Most eye-catching of all is the cover illustration, which is repeated at the end of the book. In it, a brown-skinned child, framed by a telescopic lens, is dressed in a futuristically intriguing hooded onesie as they gaze intently at the heavens. A dreamer? A scientist? Why not both. Astronomy: factual, historical, and inspirational. (author's note, sources) (Informational picture book. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.