Exploring Our Solar System
Gr. 4-8. In this copiously illustrated volume, astronaut Ride and educator O'Shaughnessy offer a thrilling introduction to our solar system. Although our neighboring planets were "formed at about the same time and from about the same stuff," the authors write, "they are nine very different worlds." Each chapter takes readers on a planetary tour. The section on Earth includes a time line and theories of the evolution of life on our planet. The authors explain facts in simple, straightforward language that doesn't condescend to a young audience, and the visuals include exciting images from space, charts that contrast the planets' properties, and artists' renderings of unattainable space views and imagined explorations. Throughout, the authors successfully put the planets in wider context, as in the section "Venus, Earth and Mars--Why They Are So Different." Useful appended charts, including a full listing of all space flights, add to the appeal. Visually arresting and clearly presented, this is an obvious choice for both public and school libraries.Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved