A fizzy look at what space vacationers of the near future can expect.
With space tourism close to becoming a reality, Goodman and Slack offer aspiring young intergalactic travelers an entertaining and informative travel guide.
The slim handbook gives readers who will be the first generation of true space tourists general advice about how to prepare for the trip, what to pack, what food and accommodations will be like, and recreational opportunities both in Earth’s orbit and on the moon. She also highlights some hazards, such as drinking carbonated drinks: Burping in microgravity brings up more than just CO2. The details included are both revelatory and delivered in a way that maximizes engagement: Space tourists are advised to make sure words on the walls are right side up when orienting themselves in zero gravity. The breezy narrative also incorporates amusing and inspirational comments from astronauts and space scientists. In addition to an abundant collection of space and astronaut photographs are goofy cartoon images complementing Goodman’s light tone. An unfortunate oversight in the suggestions for further reading is the omission of Tanya Lee Stone’s Sibert-winning Almost Astronauts (2009) among other books on space travel.
A fizzy look at what space vacationers of the near future can expect. (photographs, glossary, websites, source notes, index [not seen]) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 9, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59990-068-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
Well-captioned illustrations and photographs, diagrams, and pithy text boxes round out this handsome package.
This examination of Earth’s closest orbital companion presents historical information, scientific fact and theory, an overview of the Apollo missions, and recent discoveries.
Scott first introduces readers to thinkers and scientists, from Anaxagoras to Galileo, who observed, mapped, and tested theories about the moon. The invention of the telescope and the ascendancy of scientific methodology propelled a centurieslong continuum of discovery. Today, the widely accepted “giant impact theory” posits that debris resulting from a colossal collision of a planetary object with Earth formed the basis for our moon. Notably, Scott casts a fresh new look at the successful Apollo missions, whose trove of 800 pounds of moon rocks continues to invite research. NASA’s sophisticated unmanned 21st-century missions—which led to the thrilling discovery of the presence of water on the moon—garner respectful scrutiny. Scott shows that the global race to explore (and perhaps even colonize) the moon, which began with Russia’s unmanned 1959 Luna 2 mission, is ongoing—with Japan, China, and India mounting missions. Scott excels at rendering complex ideas intelligible: radioactive dating, the science of craters, the role of a planet's atmosphere, and much more are clearly presented.
Well-captioned illustrations and photographs, diagrams, and pithy text boxes round out this handsome package. (glossary, bibliography, websites, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-547-48394-8
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
This exploration of what makes dogs behave as they do is comprehensive and interesting, but the presentation is both...
Adapted for middle-grade readers from the 2009 book of the same title, this book explores what scientists and researchers currently understand about the physical and behavioral makeup of dogs.
In chapters with loosely organized themes—“Seen by a Dog”; “Sniff”—and ornamented with black-and-white illustrations, Horowitz presents an overarching idea of what it means to be a dog. The material presented includes physiology (how a dog sees, why its sense of smell is so acute) as well as behavioral analyses: why does a dog urinate in so many different places? Can dogs smile? Do they get bored? Horowitz explains the dog’s wolf heritage and how domestication probably came about, then she segues into the result of that domestication—the human-dog bond, contributing personal notes about her own dog, Pumpernickel. Readers, especially those with dogs, will find the information fascinating. There are, however, problems with the delivery. The book’s loose organization, combined with Horowitz’s rambling narrative style, may try readers’ patience at times, and her occasional I-am-an-adult-talking-to-a-child tone isn’t necessary and, at worst, can come across as pandering or patronizing.
This exploration of what makes dogs behave as they do is comprehensive and interesting, but the presentation is both haphazard and off-putting. (glossary, notes, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 22, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5093-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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