Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Reading Time
    • Home
    • Reviews
      • Highly Recommended
      • CBCA Short Listed
      • Early Childhood Books
      • Younger Readers
      • Intermediate Readers
      • Older Readers
      • Great Read Alouds
      • Information Books
      • Picture Books
      • Professional Development
    • Interviews
    • Suggestions
    • News
    • Meet The Review Team
    • Contact Us
    Reading Time
    You are at:Home»Reviews»Information Books»Little Book, BIG Universe

    Little Book, BIG Universe

    0
    By Admin on January 4, 2022 Information Books, Reviews

    Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith (text) and First Dog on the Moon (illustrator) Little book, BIG universe: A guide to exploring Australia’s night skies, Thames & Hudson Australia, September 2021, 8pp., RRP $4.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760762292

    This little book with the amazing price is one of the four titles in this year’s Australia Reads program. The operative word in the title is ‘exploring’ because the emphasis in the text is on how to look at our night sky and the tools the reader can use to locate and identify various astronomical bodies and then photograph and study them.

    Chapters cover topics such as the best locations for stargazing, some apps and websites which will help, how to choose and use the best equipment such as binoculars, telescopes and cameras and suggestions for joining local organisations. There are also sections on constellations, planets, the moon and the International Space Station

    Lisa Harvey-Smith is a British-Australian astrophysicist, Australia’s first Women in STEM Ambassador and Professor of Practice in Science Communication at the University of NSW. She has also been awarded the Eureka Prize and has worked for the CSIRO. In addition, she has been a commentator and broadcaster so she is eminently qualified to write about the fascinating topics of astronomy and astrophysics.

    Not all scientists can write about their area of expertise so that young readers can understand the concepts involved without oversimplifying or ‘dumbing down’ the content. This book is extremely well-written in a conversational tone and is an excellent ‘primer’ with lots of personal experiences from Lisa’s own adolescence. Unfortunately, while the illustrations are attractive black-and-white drawings which add humour there are no accurate diagrams to show the various bodies described in the text, such as the shape of Orion or a map of the ‘seas’ on the moon. But for this price, this little book is a bargain, and it ends with not only fun facts and a glossary but also a list of helpful resources. No index, however.

    Reviewed by Lynne Babbage

    Astronomy Australian author Australian illustrator information book Science Stars STEM

    Related Posts

    Moonlight Riders

    The Butterfly and the Ants

    Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • Themes
    • Curriculum
    Action adventure Airplanes Alphabet Anxiety autism Bullying CBCA Awards Coming of age Dystopian emotions family fantasy friendship grief Historical humour magic Mystery Post apocalyptic Readers Cup reluctant readers school Sci-Fi series of books siblings Sport Starting school Teacher Notes
    ANZAC Australian animals Australian history Biography Culture & Diversity Disabilities First Nations Geography health Humanities mental health Poetry Reconciliation resilience Science STEM Stolen Generation sustainability Wordless books



    Recent Comments
    • Barbara on The Secret of Sapling Green
    • Cherie on Elephant Island
    • Patricia Tilton on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Jilanne Hoffmann on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Penelope Pratley on The Secret of Sapling Green
    Recent Posts
    • Moonlight Riders
    • The Butterfly and the Ants
    • Skandar and the Unicorn Thief
    • Everything You Want to See
    • The Cult of Romance
    Recent Comments
    • Barbara on The Secret of Sapling Green
    • Cherie on Elephant Island
    • Patricia Tilton on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Jilanne Hoffmann on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Penelope Pratley on The Secret of Sapling Green
    © Copyright 2021 The Children’s Book Council of Australia - All rights reserved

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.