Even as our exploration of the high frontier is entering a new, privatized phase, astronomers are discovering additional wonders. Unfortunately, only hints of this scientific ferment are on display in the roundup below. Though bright, intense page designs promise fresh content and insights, most of these volumes only rehash information about our solar system and the universe that was presented to young readers five or more (often considerably more) years ago. Similarly, though the available pool of stunning sky photos and artists' renditions of other worlds deepens continually, only rarely does this current crop of illustrations offer more than generic subjects and adequate reproduction quality. However, overall, the language and level of detail are carefully gauged to the intended audiences, and most of these titles present even larger selections of back matter and online resources to complement the requisite print bibliographies.

Preschool-Grade 4

ASPEN-BAXTER, Linda. The Moon. ISBN 978-1-61690-954-3. LC 2011023439. ----. Planets. ISBN 978-1-61690-958-1. LC 2011023459. ----. Rainbows. ISBN 978-1-61690-957-4. LC 2011023438. ----. Seasons. ISBN 978-1-61690-956-7. LC 2011023437. ----. Stars. ISBN 978-1-61690-955-0. LC 2011023440. ----. The Sun. ISBN 978-1-61690-953-6. LC 2011023460. ea vol: 24p. (Looking at the Sky Series). photos. Websites. CIP. Weigl. 2011. PLB $25.70. PreS-Gr 1-Providing quick exposure for pre- and emergent readers to natural topics of varied scope, these titles pair full-page or larger color photos with basic statements made in one to three short declarative sentences per spread. Each volume ends with thumbnail images of each spread and brief amplifications to the texts, and a dedicated Web page offers associated videos, slide shows, and other resources. Misleading or oversimplified information (e.g., an outline of the constellation Leo that looks digitally manipulated) and moot lines, such as "Winter is cold" or "Stars are yellow, red, or blue," are common enough to make this series of secondary value, at best. CARLSON, Sally Kephart. Your Mission to Neptune. ISBN 978-1-61641-681-2. LC 2011006777. COSSON, M. J. Your Mission to Mars. ISBN 978-1-61641-679-9. LC 2011006775. ----. Your Mission to Saturn. ISBN 978-1-61641-682-9. LC 2011006778. HIGGINS, Nadia. Your Mission to Jupiter. ISBN 978-1-61641-678-2. LC 2011005919. ZUCHORA-WALSKE, Christine. Your Mission on Earth. ISBN 978-1-61641-677-5. LC 2011006774. ----. Your Mission to Mercury. ISBN 978-1-61641-680-5. LC 2011006776. ----. Your Mission to Uranus. ISBN 978-1-61641-683-6. LC 2011010661. ----. Your Mission to Venus. ISBN 978-1-61641-684-3. LC 2011010662. ea vol: illus. by Scott Burroughs. 32p. (The Planets Series). further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. ABDO/Magic Wagon. 2011. PLB $28.50. Gr 2-3-Brief but well stocked with details, these titles invite readers to travel to a planet to explore both its surface and interior or, in the case of Earth, to observe from space. Aside from an awkwardly phrased line in Mercury about how steam "could have turned into liquid and froze into ice," the content is well presented both in main narratives and in closing summaries. Unfortunately, rather than space photos, or at least digital paintings to go with the planets' often tantalizingly described features, the illustrations are all flat, "Dora the Explorer" style cartoons of a multicultural cast of smiling young travelers and their pets zooming through space in retro spacecraft or posing in generic settings. CONRAD, David. Exploring Space. illus. ISBN 978-1-4296-6810-1; ISBN 978-1-4296-7139-2. LC 2011005134. HAMMERSMITH, Craig. The Water Cycle. ISBN 978-1-4296-6812-5; ISBN 978-1-4296-7142-2. LC 2011005136. SIEVERT, Terri. Forecasting Weather. map. ISBN 978-1-4296-6813-2; ISBN 978-1-4296-7141-5. LC 2011005135. WEBER, Rebecca. Time to Recycle. ISBN 978-1-4296-6811-8; ISBN 978-1-4296-7140-8. LC 2011005137. ea vol: 24p. (Earth and Space Science Series). diags. photos. further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Capstone/Pebble Plus. 2011. PLB $23.99; pap. $6.95. K-Gr 1-Marred by imprecise language ("Since time began, people have watched the skies;" "Evaporation is the first step in the water cycle"), these primer-level surveys are too uneven to be dependable introductions. Fledgling readers may be drawn to the large, informative photos; the large, spacious-looking spreads; and to the very simple project at the end of each volume. Projects of particular note are crafting a balloon rocket in Space and making recycled paper in Recycle. However, the most useful features here are the closing lists of print and (through the publisher's Web link) Web resources. KAZUNAS, Ariel. Jupiter. ISBN 978-1-61080-086-0. LC 2010052613. ----. Mercury. ISBN 978-1-61080-088-4. LC 2010052378. ----. Neptune. ISBN 978-1-61080-083-9. LC 2010052372. ----. Saturn. ISBN 978-1-61080-087-7. LC 2010052609. ----. Uranus. ISBN 978-1-61080-084-6. LC 2010052610. ----. Venus. ISBN 978-1-61080-085-3. LC 2010052612. SIMON, Charnan. Earth. ISBN 978-1-61080-081-5. LC 2010052190. ----. Mars. ISBN 978-1-61080-082-2. LC 2010052191. ea vol: 24p. (21st Century Junior Library Series). diags. photos. further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Cherry Lake. 2011. PLB $24.21. Gr 1-3-These introductions to the planets place short but generally clear physical descriptions, mentions of orbits, year and day lengths, and major moons and rings opposite color photos or (more often) realistic digital images. The texts are so terse that readers may be left frustrated rather than tantalized. For example, in Saturn, one of the planet's moons is described as "shaped like a can of soup!" but it is not identified, and in Uranus, the claim that Uranus's rings "curve around the planet in a different direction than the ones around other planets" goes unexplained. Aside from an only marginally relevant photo of a twirling dancer in Jupiter, each illustration is well chosen but small, with a thick border filling out the remaining page space. KOPS, Deborah. Exploring Exoplanets. ISBN 978-0-7613-5444-4; ISBN 978-0-7613-8020-7. LC 2010046109. ----. Exploring Space Robots. ISBN 978-0-7613-5445-1; ISBN 978-0-7613-8021-4. LC 2010044213. SILVERMAN, Buffy. Exploring Dangers in Space: Asteroids, Space Junk, and More. ISBN 978-0-7613-5446-8; ISBN 978-0-7613-8019-1. LC 2010046078. WAXMAN, Laura Hamilton. Exploring Black Holes. ISBN 978-0-7613-5442-0; ISBN 978-0-7613-8018-4. LC 2010035378. ----. Exploring Space Travel. ISBN 978-0-7613-5447-5; ISBN 978-0-7613-8022-1. LC 2010042471. ----. Exploring the International Space Station. ISBN 978-0-7613-5443-7; ISBN 978-0-7613-8023-8. LC 2010035394. ea vol: 40p. (Searchlight Books: What's Amazing About Space? Series). diags. illus. photos. further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Lerner. 2011. PLB $27.93; ebook $20.95. Gr 3-4-Keeping specific terms to a minimum, these titles cover their topics in broad strokes and crank up the general interest level with a relatively large photo or (more often) a dramatic artist's rendition on every page. There is significant overlap between International Space Station and Space Robots, and the effort to simplify mystifies more than it informs, as in Dangers in Space where "the largest space rock [which] is about the size of Texas," remains unidentified. Still, readers will come away with new knowledge, such as how scientists observe the behavior of other stars to infer the presence of exoplanets. Space Travel is current enough to note the end of the Space Shuttle program. ORR, Tamra. The Clouds. ISBN 978-1-58415-974-2; ISBN 978-1-61228-144-5. LC 2011000727. ----. The Moon. ISBN 978-1-58415-973-5; ISBN 978-1-61228-143-8. LC 2011000726. ---. The Stars. chart. ISBN 978-1-58415-975-9; ISBN 978-1-61228-145-2. LC 2011000783. ----. The Sun. ISBN 978-1-58415-972-8; ISBN 978-1-61228-142-1. LC 2011000785. ea vol: 32p. (Randy's Corner: I Spy Up in the Sky Series). diags. photos. bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Mitchell Lane. 2011. PLB $25.70; ebook $25.70. Gr 1-3-In a rare pairing of color photographs and rhymed verse, these deceptively elementary-looking volumes introduce clouds and other sky phenomena. Orr lays out each topic in simple, if often tortured, quatrains ("Waves roll in, then glide out/The Moon's sea duty/Pulls them by gravity,/Part of nature's beauty"), enriched with references to 10 kinds of clouds, lunar phases and eclipses, the solar corona and sunspots, and the life cycle of a star. Captions and labels on many of the photos kick the informational level up a notch; for example, in Stars a spread names all of the Pleiades stars and another identifies the stars of Ursa Major. Each volume closes with a fact section (or, in the case of Clouds, a visual recap). Children will find these titles easy to read but challenging to absorb; older reluctant readers and ESL students may find them appealing, too. REILLY, Carmel. Comets, Asteroids, and Meteoroids. ISBN 978-1-60870-579-5. LC 2010044014. ----. Earth's Atmosphere. ISBN 978-1-60870-580-1. LC 2010044015. ----. The Moon. ISBN 978-1-60870-581-8. LC 2010044016. ----. The Planets. ISBN 978-1-60870-582-5. LC 2010044017. ----. The Stars. ISBN 978-1-60870-583-2. LC 2010044018. ----. The Sun. ISBN 978-1-60870-584-9. LC 2010044019. ea vol: 32p. (Sky Watching Series). charts. diags. illus. photos. glossary. index. CIP. Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark. 2011. PLB $28.50. Gr 2-4-This series invites young observers to step outside-day or night-and look up. Each volume opens with a basic spread on "Sky Watching," goes on to provide simple answers to similar sets of questions, and closes with similar pages of advice about the best and safest ways to sky watch. Along with duplicate and/or near-duplicate content, factual errors are not uncommon. For example, in Comets, Arizona's Barringer (misspelled "Berringer") Meteor Crater is incorrectly dubbed the "largest known impact crater on Earth," and the Sun isn't really "the source of all Earth's energy" as claimed twice in Sun. Furthermore, a schematic view of the solar system in each volume does a poor job of showing the sun's size in comparison to the individual planets. The photos and digital art, along with the easily digestible text blocks, give these books visual appeal, but the contents are both superficial and untrustworthy.

Grades 5 & Up

ANDERSON, Michael, ed. Earth and Its Moon. charts. ISBN 978-1-61530-515-5; ISBN 978-1-61530-564-3. LC 2011002175. ----. The Nature of Planets, Dwarf Planets, and Space Objects. ISBN 978-1-61530-517-9; ISBN 978-1-61530-566-7. LC 2011001380. ----. The Sun, Stars, and Galaxies. ISBN 978-1-61530-519-3; ISBN 978-1-61530-568-1. LC 2011002628. HOLLAR, Sherman, ed. Astronomy: Understanding the Universe. reprods. ISBN 978-1-61530-520-9; ISBN 978-1-61530-569-8. LC 2011003489. ----. The Inner Planets: Mercury, Venus, and Mars. chart. ISBN 978-1-61530-512-4; ISBN 978-1-61530-561-2. LC 2010053891. ----. The Outer Planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. chart. ISBN 978-1-61530-518-6; ISBN 978-1-61530-567-4. LC 2011001378. ea vol: 96p. (The Solar System Series). diags. photos. bibliog. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Britannica Educational. 2011. PLB $31.70; ebook $31.70. Gr 5-7-Consisting largely of repackaged material that has been available for several years both in print and as online reference resources, these surveys offer utilitarian and systematic looks at deep space, the major components of our solar system, and the history and techniques of astronomy. The many space photos, diagrams, and images are informative, though often cramped and not always sharply reproduced. Minor updates to the texts and closing bibliographies may give these some appeal as replacements for hoarier titles on the topic, but most collections will likely already have access to the content. FARNDON, John. What Do We Know About Stars and Galaxies? ISBN 978-1-4109-4162-6; ISBN 978-1-4109-4168-8. LC 2010040167. GRAHAM, Ian. What Do We Know About the Solar System? reprods. ISBN 978-1-4109-4161-9; ISBN 978-1-4109-4167-1. LC 2010040166. MORRIS, Neil. What Does Space Exploration Do for Us? ISBN 978-1-4109-4159-6; ISBN 978-1-4109-4165-7. LC 2010040159. SNEDDEN, Robert. How Do Scientists Explore Space? ISBN 978-1-4109-4158-9; ISBN 978-1-4109-4164-0. LC 2010040158. SOLWAY, Andrew. Why Is There Life on Earth? ISBN 978-1-4109-4160-2; ISBN 978-1-4109-4166-4. LC 2010040160. ea vol: 48p. (Earth, Space, & Beyond Series). chart. diags. illus. photos. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Heinemann/Raintree. 2011. PLB $32.; pap. $8.99. Gr 5-7-Delivering compact but broad summations about the origin of the universe, solar system, and life on Earth (and elsewhere, at least in theory), these surveys are well suited for review or reinforcement reading. Life on Earth covers our planet's placement in the solar system's "Goldilocks" zone and offers an overview about the search for exoplanets. Other volumes make similarly close examinations of the history and techniques of astronomy and space exploration, as well as current knowledge. Each title is illustrated with plenty of well-chosen, often-dramatic captioned space photos and images to go with the main narratives and many sidebars. Of the lot, Space Exploration is the least satisfying as it gives satellite technology and consumer and medical products hardly a glance before going on to less tangible attractions. However, this title, along with Solar System, finishes off with a page of intriguing "Topics to investigate." GOLDSWORTHY, Steve. Constellations. charts. ISBN 978-1-61690-633-7; ISBN 978-1-61690-637-5. LC 2010050409. ----. Space Explorers. ISBN 978-1-61690-632-0; ISBN 978-1-61690-636-8. LC 2010050412. MORRISON, Jessica & Steve Goldsworthy. Eclipses. ISBN 978-1-61690-631-3; ISBN 978-1-61690-635-1. LC 2010050411. ROSE, Simon. Meteors. ISBN 978-1-61690-634-4; ISBN 978-1-61690-638-2. LC 2010050413. ea vol: 32p. (Space Science Series). diags. photos. reprods. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Weigl. 2011. PLB $28.55; pap. $13.95. Gr 4-6-Each of these titles provides a fairly close look at a relatively narrow astronomical topic. Eclipses, for example, explains the mechanics of planetary transits as well as lunar, solar, and annular eclipses, while Space Explorers introduces several spacecrafts and people to know from Galileo to Sally Ride. Text is wrapped around several color photos of decent, if not exemplary, quality on each spread, with inset side comments, captions, or relevant websites. Each volume closes with a glance at careers, a quiz, and a website address that takes readers to videos, slide shows, and other additional resources. SPARROW, Giles. Earth and the Inner Planets. ISBN 978-1-59920-663-9. LC 2010032767. ----. The Outer Planets. ISBN 978-1-59920-664-6. LC 2010032768. ----. Space Exploration. ISBN 978-1-59920-665-3. LC 2010039494. ----. The Sun and Stars. ISBN 978-1-59920-666-0. LC 2010039493. ea vol: 32p. (Space Travel Guides Series). diags. illus. photos. further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Smart Apple Media. 2011. PLB $28.50. Gr 4-6-Presented as tour guides ("You'll need strong sun block for your trip to Mercury and Venus"), these titles deliver basic background information with inset boxes of special "Not to Miss" sights or destinations, such as Jupiter's rings and Saturn's Great White Spot in Outer Planets and three pulsars in Sun and Stars. The writing is simple and engaging, and because several photos and illustrations, blocks of text of varying sizes, boxed highlights, and captions are fit onto each page with no sense of crowding, every "voyage" has a relaxed air that makes the information presented all that much easier to absorb. Back matter includes short multiple-choice quizzes. In overall quality, the two standouts are Mitchell Lane's "Randy's Corner: I Spy Up in the Sky" for fledgling readers, and, at the next level, Lerner's "Searchlight Books: What's Amazing About Space?" titles. Marshall Cavendish's "Sky Watching" and Weigl's "Looking at the Sky" are too problematic to recommend, but the rest are acceptable for replacing worn copies or for filling holes in subject collections.