Customer Reviews

Find the Constellations

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

H. A. Rey's classic "Find the Constellations" ranks among the clearest, most intuitive books on stargazing in print and is a must for any young person's personal library. Rey, using his wonderful talents as an illustrator and storyteller masterfully presents the stars in a simple to digest format, explaining the essentials one needs to know in order to appreciate and understand the night sky. Rey also adds the myths that gave the constellations their place in our culture and creates a book that provides countless hours of learning and enjoyment.

Every adult should give their children or their favorite niece or nephew a copy of this book and enjoy with them tender nights discovering the wonders of the heavens.

I'm a doc with over 3 years of post-doc training and I can't think of a single science text which is more enjoyable to read. Even after 16 years of astronomical observation, I still think of the constellations as Rey drew them (they are easier to remember), and I still get this text out when I want to show someone how to enjoy astronomy. If all science writers were like Mr Rey, we wouldn't be too worried about scientific illiteracy in this country. Along with its twin, The Stars, it stands alone. This treasure is "for kids from one to ninety-two."

I've long been a fan of Rey's (of Curious George fame) The Stars, a New Way to See them, but that is a bit more complex and geared towards adults and advanced students. This book is ideal for children and parents alike because Rey breaks down the major constellations one by one and draws them so they look like real pictures, not like those horrible drawings in the NY Times and other publications. His lion looks like a lion! The text is very basic, easy to follow and explains the basic astro stuff like stars, planets, magnitudes, but not much more. The major reason to buy this book if you already have his other book is for the handy sky charts. Unlike his more advanced book which has an entire sky map, this book as more handy "sky view" charts which are an easier way to learn the night sky. Another winner from H.A. Rey that anyone can profit from if interested in learning the stars!

I used this book when I was a kid, when it was titled "Know the Stars." I was interested in astronomy and didn't know anyone else who knew anything about it, so I found this book and taught myself. The text is clever and cute, and simple enough that older grade school kids can understand it and enjoy it. The presentation of constellations as simple connect-the-dot drawings side by side with the unconnected stars makes it possible to take the great conceptual leap from the printed page to the real sky. The seasonal all-sky charts are done using the same concept. Self-tests are provided to help you hone your recognition skills. Basic information about individual stars is given, and bits of mythology and history are mixed in as well. I was pleased to see a current planet finder, good through 2006, in the most recent edition. I currently work as an astronomer, and I teach college level astronomy. I require my adult students to use this book to learn the constellations.

H. A. Rey's classic "Find the Constellations" ranks among the clearest, most intuitive books on stargazing in print and is a must for any young person's personal library. Rey, using his wonderful talents as an illustrator and storyteller masterfully presents the stars in a simple to digest format, explaining the essentials one needs to know in order to appreciate and understand the night sky. Rey also adds the myths that gave the constellations their place in our culture and creates a book that provides countless hours of learning and enjoyment.

Every adult should give their children or their favorite niece or nephew a copy of this book and enjoy with them tender nights discovering the wonders of the heavens.

I bought this book about 20 years ago. I still use it as a stargazing guide. It's the best I've seen for breaking down the night sky into easily digestible, understandable bits. Over the years I have referred to it repeatedly. I just moved to the country after several years in a city and can see the stars again, and was using this reference just this evening.

It starts out by teaching the constellations a person could recognize immediately, such as the Big Dipper. It then moves on to various topics, such as the brightest stars and the constellations in which they are found, and the constellations that comprise the zodiac. A little of the mythology behind the names of the constellations is also explained. At the end of the book are various "sky-views", facing north and south, for each season of the year (e.g., what you can expect to see facing south in the winter, or north in the spring). All the constellations are introduced throughout the book with their line drawings, then shown without the lines so you can imagine them yourself. The sky-views are also drawn with and without lines.

There are two miniature people drawn in the margins and within some of the drawings who help the reader remember certain points about the stars.

This is a great book for kids interested in the stars, about maybe 4th-5th grades. I still use it, though, and I'm in my 30s. This book really sparked an interest that's lasted a lifetime for me.

This was one of my favorite books as a child, and I think the sticking power comes from two ares. First, this book is wonderfully illustrated by H. A. Rey of "Curious George" fame. Second, the book is useful--it can be used every night, with the one qualifier being that the sky must be clear.

Being a city boy (San Francisco Bay Ares), the light pollution dround out the lesser magnitude stars, so what I saw in the sky matched up with what I saw in the book.

I never went anywhere with astronomy, but it is a fun hobbie, and you can impress people with the knowledge of the stars. This book makes you look smarter than you really are, and isn't that what life is about?

Back in 1990, in the third grade I had a teacher, Ms. Carpentier, that had us all work on a specific science project. She gave me Constellations at the time, and it impacted my life from then on. I went to the library and borrowed this book and read front to back a million times. Needless to say stargazing and constellations became a major interest in my life and I ALMOST became and astronomer because of this book.
I HIGHLY recommend this book for all who love stars and especially to children to get them interested in it. I have read many constellation books but few are able to cover as much in such a simple way that is easy for anyone 8 or 80 to follow.
Buy this book, get a blanket and lay out under the stars with someone and follow along in the book!

This book has brought my children and I, all casually amateur astronomers, endless hours of joy picking out constellations in our backyard. One of my son's favorite gifts was a tie-in poster I got him for his birthday with the stars and constellations from the night he was born - If you can track one of these down, i'd highly recommend it!

I remember reading this book about 30 years ago. The star maps are easy to use for children, and the background information is simple enough for children to read but complete enough for them to use years later.