The text describes the solar system in simple, wide-eyed terms; illustrations show children and animals in a spaceship taking in the celestial splendor. There's too much repetition for the book to succeed without the accompanying CD (with audio and visual animation), but the wonder-filled illustrations are, well, uplifting. Information on the universe and space exploration and musical notation are appended.

PreS-Gr 2 In this lively, colorful introduction to the solar system, a jaunty text follows a spaceship filled with a diverse group of kids as it blasts off into the Milky Way, through the galaxy, past the sun, and at last to Earth. Full-color, childlike drawings will keep browsers turning the pages even without listening to the CD included. The repeating lines of the verse imprint the information and the catchy refrain, "Where the bright stars shine/all around, all around,/Where the bright stars shines all around" will ensure participation. Lingering very briefly on Earth to give a musical shout-out to the blue water that supports its terrestrial life, the rocket keeps going to an asteroid belt, Jupiter's moons, the stars, and beyond. There isn't a lot of science here, but this picture book is loads of fun to browse, and readers will enjoy singing along with the CD in a group or alone. Back matter includes a few factual details about our galaxy, satellites, shooting stars, and asteroids, as well as a spread about the International Space Station and the future of space exploration. Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA