STAR OF THE PARTY

What do you give a sun for her 4.6 billionth birthday?

The planets decide to throw a party—during the planning of which, amid much chatter and banter, Carr delivers an impressively detailed rundown of the components of our local system. “Let’s get Sun a belt,” suggests Mercury; “She already has belts,” says Mars—namely, “Kuiper” and “asteroid.” She also laces the narrative with mini-disquisitions on stellar and planetary origins, gravitational effects, moons, and dwarf planets. Maintaining an appropriate air of mystery in fedora and topcoat, the theorized Planet X crashes the party briefly, and a launch from Earth prompts Mars to moan, “They’re not sending up another Mars rover are they? Enough with the exploration! Can’t a planet have any privacy?” Using a bright palette that really stands out against her starry backdrops, Medina captures the festive tone of the event. She kits out both Sun and planets with loud party hats and mobile faces over each one’s accurately rendered natural features, also rendering orbital lines and the tails of passing comets. Ultimately the planets agree that testimonials will be the best presents because, as Uranus accurately puts it: “You tug on our hearts and pull our warm family together.” What does Sun think of it all? “Stellar!” What about readers who don’t want to miss out? “Get your science on!” urges Earth as the other planets sign off with inviting waves. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.)

Just the ticket for a memorable astro-party.