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THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

Name: THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
Author: Terence Dickinson
ISBN: 978-0-2281-0233-5

OUR EYE ON THE UNIVERSE

by Terence Dickinson & Tracy Read ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019

“To Infinity and Beyond,” indeed.

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A close look at the Hubble and a selection of the very distant astronomical wonders it has brought into view.

Placed into orbit in 1990, the HST “boldly ushered us into a new golden age of astronomy,” Dickinson and Read write, “and introduced us to a universe that is awesome, chaotic and mysterious.” The ensuing photo album makes good on these claims, beginning with lambent portraits of local planets and moons—often in revealing sequences to show changes over time—and going on to literally spectacular views of immense star clusters and nurseries, turbulent nebulas, swarms of galaxies clustered or colliding, and, in a final section titled “To Infinity and Beyond,” a panorama of the deepest star field yet observed. Most are Hubble photos, but the authors freely acknowledge that some, such as the recent (2019) first direct glimpse of a black hole, are not, or not entirely. Though most of the images come with descriptive notes, at one point the narrative is reduced to no more than identifying labels, which encourages lingering over the visual majesty on display. In an opening section, separate enough from the rest to have its own glossary, the authors describe each of the Hubble’s instruments and introduce other space telescopes. Though in essence a boiled-down version of Dickinson’s more-expansive Hubble’s Universe (second ed. 2017), there is more than enough here to sate young sky watchers with an appetite for jaw-dropping space photography.

“To Infinity and Beyond,” indeed. (index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-2281-0233-5

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Firefly

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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THE MAN-EATING TIGERS OF SUNDARBANS

by Sy Montgomery & photographed by Eleanor Briggs ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2001

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The author of The Snake Scientist (not reviewed) takes the reader along on another adventure, this time to the Bay of Bengal, between India and Bangladesh to the Sundarbans Tiger Preserve in search of man-eating tigers. Beware, he cautions, “Your study subject might be trying to eat you!” The first-person narrative is full of helpful warnings: watch out for the estuarine crocodiles, “the most deadly crocodiles in the world” and the nine different kinds of dangerous sharks, and the poisonous sea snakes, more deadly than the cobra. Interspersed are stories of the people who live in and around the tiger preserve, information on the ecology of the mangrove swamp, myths and legends, and true life accounts of man-eating tigers. (Fortunately, these tigers don’t eat women or children.) The author is clearly on the side of the tigers as she states: “Even if you added up all the people that sick tigers were forced to eat, you wouldn’t get close to the number of tigers killed by people.” She introduces ideas as to why Sundarbans tigers eat so many people, including the theory, “When they attack people, perhaps they are trying to protect the land that they own. And maybe, as the ancient legend says, the tiger really is watching over the forest—for everyone’s benefit.” There are color photographs on every page, showing the landscape, people, and a variety of animals encountered, though glimpses of the tigers are fleeting. The author concludes with some statistics on tigers, information on organizations working to protect them, and a brief bibliography and index. The dramatic cover photo of the tiger will attract readers, and the lively prose will keep them engaged. An appealing science adventure. (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-618-07704-9

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
BRAVE BABY HUMMINGBIRD
by Sy Montgomery ; illustrated by Tiffany Bozic

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BOOK OF TURTLES
by Sy Montgomery ; illustrated by Matt Patterson

- BOOK REVIEW
BECOMING A GOOD CREATURE
by Sy Montgomery ; illustrated by Rebecca Green

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FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON

by Alexandra Siy ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2001

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In this glossy photo essay, the author briefly recounts the study and exploration of the moon, beginning with Stonehenge and concluding with the 1998–99 unmanned probe, Lunar Prospector. Most of the dramatic photographs come from NASA and will introduce a new generation of space enthusiasts to the past missions of Project Mercury, Gemini, and most especially the moon missions, Apollo 1–17. There are plenty of photographs of various astronauts in space capsules, space suits, and walking on the moon. Sometimes photographs are superimposed one on another, making it difficult to read. For example, one photograph shows the command module Columbia as photographed from the lunar module and an insert shows the 15-layer space suit and gear Neil Armstrong would wear for moonwalking. That’s a lot to process on one page. Still, the awesome images of footprints on the moon, raising the American flag, and earthrise from the moon, cannot help but raise shivers. The author concludes with a timeline of exploration, Web sites, recommended books, and picture credits. For NASA memorabilia collectors, end papers show the Apollo space badges for missions 11–17. Useful for replacing aging space titles. (Nonfiction. 8-11)