Astronomy

The amazing International Space Station / by the editors of YES Mag ; [illustrations, Rose Cowles]. Toronto : Kids Can Press, 2003. 1553373804. Ages 8-12. Grade: A

Fun book design, informal text, and excellent photographs give a clear and interesting introduction to life on the International Space Station (ISS). Answers questions like how do astronauts wash and go to the bathroom in space. Gives advice to astronaut wannabes like study math and science and go to college (and 64% of all American astronauts were involved in scouting). There is considerable talk about physical effects of zero gravity. A real problem is bone loss so the astronauts exercise for a couple of hours everyday. I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the ISS and what it is like to live in space for extended periods of time. Includes several activities to try at home and an index. KWR (05-04)

Spotlight long review: Gibbons, Gail. Stargazers / by Gail Gibbons. New York : Holiday House, 1992. ISBN: 082340983X. (Ages 6-9) Grade: A- "Gail Gibbons' Stargazers starts with a family looking up at the sky at twilight, waiting for the first stars to appear.  In doing this Gibbons starts the reader at a familiar point of reference as most children have done some stargazing.  From there she presents a new idea or two on each page. She gives the reader some beginning information about the make-up of stars, and moves on to talk about stars in relation to the earth, continuing with constellations and the history of their discovery. She then brings in the study of astronomy, giving an overview and talking about different kinds of telescopes and their purposes.  She ends with some dates and facts about the universe, stars and astronomy.  Although the information is straight forward, concise and clear and the scientific facts sound, she does cover a lot of information for a beginning book. It may have been better to divide the information into two books." Please read the entire review by Maria Lowe, a UIUC MLIS student. © 2003 Maria Lowe. All rights reserved. (11-03 Added to CSBR 02-04)

Hansen, Rosanna. Space : a chapter book / by Rosanna Hansen. New York : Children's Press, 2003. [True Tales] Series. 0516229192. Ages 6-12. Grade: A

Rossana Hansen's Space is well written and truly interesting. Chapter One tells about the first lunar landing. Chapter Two details Shannon Lucid's six month stay on the Mir space station. Chapter Three covers both Voyager 1 and 2. This long chapter gives some information of the planets that Voyager "visited". (I had a little trouble keeping track as it went back and forth between Voyager 1 and 2.) The last chapter discusses the Hubble Telescope and other galaxies. The book design is very clean and the photographs are outstanding. There is a glossary, excellent webography, bibliography, and index. KWR (08-04)

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Kenah, Katharine. Space Mysteries / Katharine Kenah. New York : McGraw Hill Children's Publishing, 2004. 0769631878. Grade: A

Covers topics like black holes and commits (which are compared to "dirty snowballs"). Presents lots of interesting facts like, did you know that Saturn has "Shepherd" moons that shepherd chunks of rock and ice in Saturn's rings and prevents them from straying out of place? Space Mysteries has a bright book design and great color photos. KWR (05-04)

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Llewellyn, Claire. The Moon / by Claire Llewellyn. North Mankato, MN. : Smart Apple Media, c2004. [Starters] 1583402608 Ages 4-8 Grade: A

Simple, clear introduction to the moon. Covers topics such as the moon's size, orbit, and why it appears to change shape. Relates information to what a child already knows. For example, "If you could drive a car to the Moon, it would take more than half a year!" The photos and illustrations are excellent. The book design is bright and varied. There is a glossary and index. KWR 08-04

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Scholastic's The Magic School Bus® Explores The Solar System, CD-ROM Grade: A

I reviewed and would recommend the Magic School Bus the Solar System as an excellent way to introduce the planets. The actual video footage from Nasa supports accuracy. The 9 class reports give quick facts plus unusual points of interest. The 3-D animation, experiments, and games keep the viewer coming back for more information. I have actually used this CD in my classroom in the science center. © 2003 Vicki Herschberger, B.S. in Elementary Education, MLIS Student UIUC (Reviewed 11-03)

Spotlight long review: Simon, Seymour. Destination, space: Exploring the Universe with the Hubble Space Telescope. New York : HarperCollins Publishers, c2002. ISBN: 0688162908 (11-03). (Ages 8-12) Grade: A "Seymour Simon, acclaimed author of more than 200 science books for children does not disappoint with his recent book about the universe. The title is Destination: Space, presumably because the one word "space" best fit the format of his destination series, and follows the tradition of the short and to-the-point titles of most of his books. A more accurate title would include the topic of the book, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Even though it is not indicated on the cover, the readers and listeners know from the first page that space is the destination of both the HST and those who see and appreciate the incredible photographs taken by it." Please read the whole review by Marissa Goodell, MLIS Student UIUC LEEP ©2003 Marissa Goodell ( 12-03)

Stille, Darlene R. Earth / by Darlene Stille. Chanhassen, Minn. : Child's World, c2004. ISBN: 1592960480 (lib. bdg.) [Our galaxy and beyond Series] Grade A

Clean, clearly written discussion of Earth that contains extraordinary photographs. Includes a brief history of the study of Earth and hypothesizes on its formation. Some topics covered are the green house effect, tectonics, and erosion. Especially fun are the "Did you know?" and "Fast Fact" sections. Also includes a glossary, bibliography, publisher-updated web site, and index. (Ages 9-12) KWR, MLIS. (January 2004) [Cross-listed in Geology]

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Wallace, Karen. Rockets and spaceships / written by Karen Wallace. New York : Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2001. 0789473593 (pbk.) 0789473607 Grade: A-/B+

Teaches basic vocabulary and ideas related to space and various spacecrafts (probe, satellite, etc.). Colorful and varied book design. Has select vocabulary words in boxes with an appropriate photograph. Text is straightforward. For example, "The plane part of the space shuttle can be used again and again. It takes off like a rocket, then it glides back to Earth and lands like an airplane." KWR, MS. (06-04)