Written by Jacqueline Mitton
Illustrated by Christina Balit
Reviewed by Kim Hutmacher
Book Source: This book was borrowed from Lincoln Library for review.
It wasn't until we moved to the country four and a half years ago that I truly began to appreciate the beauty and awe of the night sky. Never before had I seen so many stars. This picture book introduces the animal shapes that make up the constellations. We learn the back story of each constellation, and star maps help us to identify each one.
We are introduced to the The Great Bear who pads her way around the North Pole of the sky, The Scorpion and the nasty sting in his tail, The Bull charging head down, horns thrust forward, and many more.
Mitton's storytelling and Balit's bold illustrations bring this mystical zoo to life.
Extend the book with these links to constellation lesson plans and activities:
This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Playing by the Book blog.
Just yesterday my daughter bought a globe of the nightsky with a booktoken she received for her birthday - it's beautiful as it lights up from inside and casts the constellations on to the walls of her room. This book would be a perfect match! I shall have to track it down.
ReplyDeleteMy kids love learning about astronomy and are so curious about how constellations got their names and looking at their shapes. Looks like a great book!
ReplyDeleteNeat idea for a book! Here in the city, we don't see much of the constellations, but it's easy to drive out into the countryside and gaze up at the big, big Texas sky. Recently my family was in Mexico along the coast, and we got to show our kids some constellations we don't normally see. It was such a thrill!
ReplyDeletePlaying by the Book- That globe sounds very cool!
ReplyDeleteKelly- My kids are fascinated by the constellations, too!
Hannah- I know what you mean about not seeing much in the city. I really didn't know what I was missing until I moved to the country.