Fantastic book about astronomy. The illustrations are fantastic and interesting. They included a nice diversity of characters including one in a wheelchair. The text is laid out so you can see the main terms very easily. There is a glossary in the back of all these terms, but I found the text very clear, so the glossary wasn't needed. This book is a great introduction to the topic of astornomy and I would love to have the full set of these STEM book in my library. ( )

This nonfiction science book has engaging, almost cartoon-like illustrations by Greg Paprocki that are reminiscent of Little Golden Books. They accompany a vocabulary-rich text by astrophysicist Sarafina Nance. These vocabulary words are in all caps in the text, and are further defined in a two-page glossary at the end of the book. The book also includes a brief biography of Leonardo daVinci, as well as a page with one-paragraph biographies on five non-white-male astronomers.

The stated age range for the book is 4-8. I feel 4-to-5-year-olds, especially in a school or other group setting, are too young for this book. The vocabulary, in my opinion, is a little too much for that age. I'd use the book for ages 6-10 (or about first through fourth grades) instead. I learned a lot from this book (I'd never heard of the Big Splash theory, for example, nor of four of the five astronomers highlighted), and some of the vocabulary was new for me.

That being said, I was bothered by the capitalization of the word "universe" throughout the book. NASA's style guide says not to capitalize the word. The International Astronomical Union says "the names of individual astronomical objects" should be capitalized, but it's not clear if the word "universe" falls in that category or not. Apparently there are a lot of opinions on this issue, and mine is that far too many words are randomly capitalized nowadays, especially by failed politicians. ( )

I love the fact that this book doesn't skim over the deep stuff. There's a wealth of information about astronomy presented in a fun, accessible format. The cartoonish illustrations are entertaining and sweet. The glossary in the back provides a helpful way to explain some of the complicated terms in the book. I also loved the astronomers of note section at the back and would recommend the children's book Look Up! for more info on Henrietta Leavitt. ( )

The illustrations in this book are bright and modern and appealing. The font is also engaging as it has key vocabulary in larger caps with a corresponding glossary in the back of the book.

There are many difficult concepts presented in this book, and while they are presented in an age-appropriate manner for elementary age students, I did find it surprising that several of these concepts were mentioned at all - and especially mentioned as fact rather than theory (e.g. dark matter and energy, "The Big Splash"). The Big Splash in particular would not mesh with the Biblical teaching of the creation of the universe, so if you are using this title in a Christian setting, be prepared to discuss how the ideas in this book may or may not align with the Bible. ( )

The author, an astrophysicist and science communicator, knows how to present facts about the universe in a simple and interesting way to get kids excited about the subject.

Besides providing background about our solar system, the book also includes information about dark matter and dark energy - more sophisticated ideas one usually doesn’t see in books for kids. But it is all laid out clearly without technical details bogging it down. Besides our solar system, the book also reviews what’s outside it, from stars to galaxies, black holes, and even neutron stars. (A glossary at the back helps define what these are.)

Other concepts related to astronomy are quickly put into context including the nature of forms of light.

Illustrations by Greg Paprocki add a comic book like aspect to the book helping to keep it kid-friendly.

Evaluation: Both kids and adults will benefit from the information imparted in this book, and from seeing how complex ideas can be presented in ways everyone can understand. ( )