Combining specific but not heavily technical descriptions with plenty of bright, sharply reproduced color photos, this outstanding up-to-the-minute-and-beyond account of our ages-old study of the solar system will sweep readers up in the wonder and excitement of each new discovery. Writing with Joy Hakim–like vigor—“Copernicus decided that Ptolemy’s system was too ridiculously complicated to be true”—Carson opens with ancient views of the heavens’ five “wandering stars.” She closes with a quick-facts “Field Guide to the Solar System” and in between follows the development of early modern astronomy, traces the international space effort decade by decade and finally looks to upcoming space missions planned for the next decade or so. She also introduces scientists of the past and present (asking many of the latter what first sparked their interest in space), and offers nearly two dozen inexpensive projects or activities. By far the most complete, current and evenhanded look at the space program’s successes and failures for younger audiences, this meaty, compelling invitation to explore the high frontier will soar off shelves. (multimedia resource lists, index) (Nonfiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-55652-593-1
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In this abridged and illustrated version of his Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), Bryson invites a younger crowd of seekers on a tour of time, space and science—from the Big Bang and the birth of the solar system to the growth and study of life on Earth. The single-topic spreads are adorned with cartoon portraits of scientists, explorers and (frequently) the author himself, which go with small nature photos and the occasional chart or cutaway view. Though occasionally subject to sweeping and dubious statements—“There’s no chance we could ever make a journey through the solar system”—Bryson makes a genial guide (“for you to be here now, trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to come together in a complicated and obliging manner to create you”), and readers with even a flicker of curiosity in their souls about Big Ideas will come away sharing his wonder at living in such a “fickle and eventful universe.” (index) (Nonfiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-385-73810-1
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2009
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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