In her signature style, with short sentences and big, clear gouache-and-silkscreen pictures, Rockwell introduces facts about stars, planets, comets, and meteors, one step at a time. Pictures of preschoolers learning about the universe (looking through a telescope, watching a comet streak through the sky) alternate with simple diagrams, including a double-page spread of the solar system and an outline of the Big Dipper pointing to the North Star. Some of the concepts are difficult for young children (Some stars are so far away that their fire has burned out by the time the brightness reaches us), but Rockwell avoids overwhelming abstraction. This is a book for adults to talk about with children, alone or in groups, to raise big questions and open up discussion about the wonder of the universe and how we try to find out about it. (Reviewed March 1, 1999)

Rockwell describes stars and bodies in the solar system--planets, the sun, moon, and comets--in short sentences that oversimplify scientific concepts. The presentation of information is haphazard and includes little on stars beyond what readers can observe for themselves. The simple illustrations are not to scale and are full of artistic license.

PreS-Gr 1-Rockwell begins and ends with stars, but in between attempts to inform children about planets, meteors, comets, and moons. Given that there are only 22 pages of text, with 3 short sentences per page at most, it's an impossible task. The author's trademark artwork in bright colors is eye-catching but really doesn't amplify the all-too-brief narrative. Beneath a painting depicting the constellation Orion readers are told, "When we see Orion the Hunter in the sky, we know it is the season to harvest what we planted." Given that Orion is visible from October to March, that's a long harvest season. Rockwell states, "Streaks of light that look like faraway fireworks are meteors. We call them shooting stars." Fine, but what are they really, and what are children to make of the statement that, "Some stars are so far away that their fire has burned out by the time the brightness reaches us?" In an effort to provide an introduction to the young, Rockwell has simplified too much. Gail Gibbons's Stargazers (Holiday, 1992) is a better choice for this age group.-Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.