Exploring Our Solar System [Hardcover]

Sally Ride (Author), Tam O'Shaughnessy (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Five billion years ago, a starship passing through our region of space would not have slowed down for a second look. There was nothing to see. No Earth, no sun, no solar system. Nothing but a huge tenuous cloud of gas.

Now, as the result of billions of years of evolution, and centuries of scientific research, we can chart our way through the solar system . . . with Sally Ride as our navigator. Starting from the sun and working outward, Sally Ride and Tam O’Shaughnessy take readers on a tour of the nine planets and explain the formation, current conditions, and possibility of life on each.

Filled with crisp, full-color photographs and lucid prose, this comprehensive volume untangles the complexities of space and allows readers to feel like masters of the universe.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4-8. In this copiously illustrated volume, astronaut Ride and educator O'Shaughnessy offer a thrilling introduction to our solar system. Although our neighboring planets were "formed at about the same time and from about the same stuff," the authors write, "they are nine very different worlds." Each chapter takes readers on a planetary tour. The section on Earth includes a time line and theories of the evolution of life on our planet. The authors explain facts in simple, straightforward language that doesn't condescend to a young audience, and the visuals include exciting images from space, charts that contrast the planets' properties, and artists' renderings of unattainable space views and imagined explorations. Throughout, the authors successfully put the planets in wider context, as in the section "Venus, Earth and Mars--Why They Are So Different." Useful appended charts, including a full listing of all space flights, add to the appeal. Visually arresting and clearly presented, this is an obvious choice for both public and school libraries. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap

Five billion years ago, a starship passing through our region of space would not have slowed down for a second look. There was nothing to see. No Earth, no sun, no solar system. Nothing but a huge tenuous cloud of gas.

Now, as the result of billions of years of evolution, and centuries of scientific research, we can chart our way through the solar system . . . with Sally Ride as our navigator. Starting from the sun and working outward, Sally Ride and Tam O?Shaughnessy take readers on a tour of the nine planets and explain the formation, current conditions, and possibility of life on each.

Filled with crisp, full-color photographs and lucid prose, this comprehensive volume untangles the complexities of space and allows readers to feel like masters of the universe.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (November 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375812040
• ISBN-13: 978-0375812040
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 0.6 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,006,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Rocks My Solar System!, November 15, 2003

By 

Caitlin Scott (Claremont, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exploring Our Solar System (Hardcover)

This is an outstanding book! My mother bought it for my younger sister but I borrowed it to help me research a report for my 10th grade science class. It is extremely clear and well written, and the pictures are cool! My science teacher liked it so much that she bought a copy for our classroom. I highly recommend Sally Ride's book for kids (and teachers) of any age.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars With over a hundred color photos and diagrams, December 14, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exploring Our Solar System (Hardcover)

Exploring Our Solar System is a definitive guide to space will particularly interest readers ages 10 and older with its survey of the planets by former astronaut Sally Ride, who begins with the Sun and moves outward. Over a hundred color photos and diagrams lends to classroom assignment and research use.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular View of Our Solar System!, November 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Exploring Our Solar System (Hardcover)

Wow! This book offers a fabulous introduction to the solar system and our place in it. It is more than the usual description of the sun and 9 planets -- it describes how the solar system was formed, how the planets came to be so different, and why the Earth is unique. And the pictures are spectacular!