The Glow-In-the-dark Night Sky Book [Hardcover]

Clint Hatchett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 1988

Illus. in full color. Turn off the lights and watch 34 constellations glow in the dark! This unique, convenient guide to the night sky has star maps that shine after exposure to light. The maps, arranged by season, cover constellations of the Northern Hemisphere. Instructions on how to use the book are included. An appendix explains the mythology behind each constellation.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up What at first glance seems a perfect gimmick turns out to have definite flaws in execution. Two pages of text clearly explain how to make the star maps in the book glow and how readers can orient themselves with the book outside at night. One page lists brief explanations of constellation names. The rest consists of sky maps for eight times a year in the northern hemisphere, each shown in two views: a simple glowing schematic of five or six constellations with reference points, and the same glowing points against a background of constellation pictures and non-glowing stars. Unfortunately, the quest for clear, uncluttered star maps has led to the presentation of alternate constellations on succeeding pages. Thus, Cepheus appears on the early fall map, the combined constellation Andromeda/Pegasus on the late fall map, and Cassiopeia on the early winter map. As these are adjacent constellations, all visible all three times, this makes their relative positions hard to see. The endpapers give more nearly complete maps, but omit one star of the Summer Triangle, one of the reference points promised in the text. Relative brightness of the stars is represented by sizes of the glowing dots, but dim stars are likely to look more impressive on the page than in the sky. This is an attractive book: oversize, full-color, with astronomical page decorations. It's bound to be popular, but most libraries will want it only as a companion to a more complete introduction to the sky, such as Franklyn Branley's Star Guide (Crowell, 1987). Margaret Chatham, formerly at Smithtown Library, N.Y.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This is a beautiful book, an imaginative approach to the stars, a wonderful guide to the heavens."--(starred) Science Books & Films.  

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; 4th Printing edition (April 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394891139
• ISBN-13: 978-0394891132
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #449,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easily identify constellations during different seasons., December 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Glow-In-the-dark Night Sky Book (Hardcover)

Although this book is clearly meant for children 8 and older, my four-year-old has been studying it for a full year. It's glow-in-the-dark constellations captivate her, and finding the constellations in the night sky re-inforces what she has learned. It's layout is simple for us to follow along with her, and it has sparked what could be a life-long interest for her.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely beautiful..., May 29, 2000

By 

Hanni "hanni" (Lexington, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Glow-In-the-dark Night Sky Book (Hardcover)

Something you don't get these days in astronomy class is the perspective of the ancients and how they saw the night sky. This book very nicely illustrates figures around the constellations as celestial maps from the past have. Orion is the only constellation most people seem to be able to visualize, and this gives "faces" to many others. The glow in the dark feature is especially fun for my three year old and we've shortened the life span of many a light bulb.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for amateurs, terrific for a camping trip!, December 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Glow-In-the-dark Night Sky Book (Hardcover)

We've used this book when away from city lights. It's pitched for kids and adults, and is very easy to use (with instructions with each illustration to orient you by month and time). Great illustrations, but very little text. But you can't read in the dark anyway, and you'll be too busy learning the constellations!