An introduction to the relationship between the stars and planet Earth, using the Big Dipper and the North Star as chief characters. If the night sky were a big, star-covered umbrella, held overhead and turning slowly as the night proceeded, the shaft would point directly at the North Star, Polaris. At the North Pole, the shaft would point straight up; elsewhere, the angle would tell the latitude. To find the North Star, if you were the one aiming the umbrella shaft at it, you would locate the Big Dipper and follow the two pointer stars that form the outer edge of the cup. By watching the position of the curved handle, you could tell time; by looking at the dipper at the same time each night over the months, you could tell the seasons. The whole universe is introduced by means of such clear, simply presented facts, aided by many cheerful b&w illustrations. The voyage of spaceship Earth around the sun, the course of the seasons, even some cultural history are encompassed in this brief description of a few key stars and their place in the imagination and ideas of humankind through the ages. A splendid introduction to the splendors of the heavens.