Comets, Meteors and Asteroids

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-Simon revisits the territory he covered in The Long Journey from Space (Crown, 1982; o.p.), this time for a younger audience. Full-color photographs have replaced the black-and-white ones, although there's really not a lot of difference between a black-and-white and a color shot of a meteor. While this new volume does include the basic information necessary to understand what these astronomical objects are and where they come from (including the distinctions between meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites), that's about all it does provide. Simon's earlier book and Patricia Lauber's Voyagers from Space (Crowell, 1989), also for older children, have much more information and many more illustrations (Lauber's title has some color photos as well). Comets and "shooting stars" are both covered in the "Let's Read and Find Out" series (Crowell) for this age group. Where those titles are unavailable or demand is high, Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids is an acceptable purchase. Or, you could make do with a current children's encyclopedia. Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MACopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. Simon presents basic information about comets, meteors, and asteroids in an attractive oversize book that follows the format of his series on the planets. Blocks of text appear in fairly large type, usually facing a full-page illustration. Describing these three kinds of space objects individually in terms of their makeup and where they are found, Simon writes in plain language, without talking down to his audience. The intriguing photographs include shots of comets and meteor showers in the sky, a meteorite in Antarctica, and an enormous impact crater in Arizona. A visually appealing introductory volume. Carolyn Phelan


From Kirkus Reviews
Another stunner from Simon (Mountains, 1994, etc.), a science writer who just can't give his pen a rest (now well over 100 science titles to his credit). Simon's tight, lucid text gives the lowdown on meteors, comets, and asteroids: their composition and behavior, where they fit into the greater galactic scene, how their sometimes spectacular displays have been interpreted down through the ages. Simon is as famous for the illustrations he pulls together for his books as he is for his sharp writing, and here again the photos and graphics pack an enormous visual wallop. The taut graphics provide the context, and the photos convey the spooky mystery and wild pyrotechnics of these unearthly visitors. Sometimes the photos get a bit too mind-bending, making it hard to get a real sense of what you are seeing. But there is no denying the sheer power in the photograph of the fireball flashing over Jackson Hole, Wyo.--it is an awesome, terrible presence, just the kind of image to spark a lifelong interest in celestial bodies. (Picture book. 5+) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.



"Another stunner from Seymour Simon."



"Attractive ...visually appealing."


Book Description

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Whether they appear as distant specks in an astronomer's telescope or shoot brilliantly across the evening sky, comets, meteors, and asteroids have fascinated sky gazers throughout history. But where do these racing celestial bodies come from, and what can they teach us about our universe? Join Seymour Simon for a look at the fiery mystery and wild wonder of these luminous bodies of night.

Author Biography:

Seymour Simon is the author of over one hundred science books for children. His many award-winning books include Icebergs and Glaciers, a New York Academy of Sciences Children's Book Award winner, as well as Storms, Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Mountains, and many books about the solar system. Mr. Simon is the recipient of the Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Nonfiction for the body of his work. He lives in Great Neck, New York.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Beverly Kobrin

Mr. Simon's painstakingly selected, first-rate photographs of stars, galaxies, comets, meteors and asteroids provide a stellar background for descriptions and analogies that transform usually difficult concepts into terms children-and adults-can easily picture. When explaining that the galaxy is mostly empty space, for example, Mr. Simon writes that a dozen tennis balls spread out across the U.S. would be more crowed than most of the stars in the galaxy. He brings the heavens down to earth for readers of all ages.

School Library Journal