I would like to nominate this title as a wonderful addition to a rapidly changing area in our collections.
First there were 9, then there were 8, and now eleven? This stems from the 2006 changes in the way astronomers viewed our planetary system by dividing it into 3 categories: terrestrial; gas giants; and dwarfs. This is a tardy but thorough explanation of the planets and the solar system and really gets us up to speed on the planetary changes. It is very complete work beginning with an updated mnemonic device then visiting the sun and each of the 11 planets. It contains symbols, photographs, illustrations, orbital charts, Gods the planets were named after, and kid-friendly references and fast fact charts in the back. It also addressed comets, oort clouds, and other solar systems. I really liked the solar system in a bag project located in the back. Contains a table of contents, index, glossary and further exploration section with websites from some great sources. The auothor is the Director of Science Information at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and past Director of the Fisk Planetarium Colorado.
A small quibble with his classical mythology in that he switches between Greek and Roman Gods in random order and mentioned the Sun as the mightiest of the Gods. Apollo was important for many reasons--but "mightiest" is incorrect. A small quibble in a slim volume with a lot of information that will stretch science dollars.
Recommended for upper elementary and middle school.
3/07/2009
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I second the nomination. I liked this book for many of the reasons already listed. I found the comparisons to things students can relate to very helpful, for example: "if we reduced the Earth to the size of an apple, the solid ground we walk on would be as thin as the apple skin." I plan on purchasing this book for our media center.
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