I wonder about worlds Discovering planets and exoplanets

"When I look deep into the sky at night, I wonder, wonder about worlds." In a dreamy imaginary voyage keyed to expanding younger readers' horizons, a budding skygazer of indeterminate gender looks up at local planets and starry vistas from a grassy field and then, with a companion fox in tow, blasts off for closer looks at lava and water worlds, a "hot Jupiter," and various exoplanets before returning to the only planet where, so far, life has been found. Eshet complements the meditative tone of the prose with stylized views of a young explorer with a distant gaze and glimpses of the occasional artificial satellite and of moons and planets of diverse hue, bobbing in space. Gladstone weaves brief informational comments about each type of exoplanet into the hoodie-and-spacesuit-clad narrator's reflections. An afterword introduces several distinctive features of each planet in this solar system--just enough to kindle, if not satisfy, a like wonder about worlds beyond this one.

Via straightforward scientific writing counterbalanced with warm, dreamlike illustrations, the pair behind A Star Explodes re-teams for an exploration of planets both known and unencountered. A light-brown-skinned child in a red hoodie narrates, ready for a night of stargazing in a meadow. "I wonder, wonder about worlds," they intone while viewing the sky. Subsequent pages see the figure consulting both the heavens and a guidebook while considering planet types found in Earth's solar system. Alongside storytelling prose, smaller type more dryly describes specific planet types: terrestrial, with rocky surfaces, and frequently visible to the naked eye; farther-out gas giants seen through telescopes; and ice giants visible only using deep-space probes. As the child reclines on a blanket, their shining eyes reflect the stars, and the curve of the horizon highlights Earth's own planetary nature. Finally, to explore exoplanets in galaxies beyond, they pilot a spaceship alongside a fox, finding lava and water realms, and more ("Is there life on one of these worlds?... Only time and careful study will tell"). The protagonist finally heads home to their own sun and moon "and all the people I love," adding close-to-home warmth to this accessible introductory survey. More information about solar system planets concludes. Ages 4--8. (Oct.)