Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations [Hardcover]

Jacqueline Mitton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

National Geographic’s stunning rendition of the constellations’ glittering lightshow is now available in paperback.

Take an illuminating ride through the starry night sky, and learn how the heavens pay tribute to the gods of Greek and Roman mythology. Once Upon a Starry Night explains the ten ancient figures whose legends are written large across the universe. Every page shines with Christina Balit’s vibrant art, studded with shiny stars, and provides the perfect backdrop to Jacqueline Mitton’s poetic text.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-Another welcome entry from the duo that collaborated on Zoo in the Sky (1998) and Kingdom of the Sun (2001, both National Geographic). The stories come from the Greek and Roman pantheon of gods, goddesses, monsters, and myths, from Cassiopeia to Andromeda, and Perseus to Pegasus. The 10 tales are condensed into a few paragraphs each, which hardly do them justice, but may send children off to investigate further. Each lush, nearly double-page spread is an enticing riot of color and detail that almost overshadows superimposed shiny foil stars delineating the constellations. Endpapers of the Northern and Southern skies help elucidate the stars' arrangement in the night sky. Additional constellations are included in the star maps, with those considered in the book highlighted in red. Two pages of end material discuss astronomical topics in more detail. This title is a welcome addition to any library.
Dona Ratterree, New York City Public Schools
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. Similar in format to Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations (1998), this companion volume presents a series of 10 constellations and briefly retells the Greek myths related to them. Each of the main double-page spreads introduces a figure, such as Cassiopeia, Lyra, or Hercules, using a few short paragraphs of text and three-quarter page illustrations in glowing colors. Some of the tales relate to one another in a sequence, while others are told separately. Although the stories are quite short, Mitton's vivid word choices make the text as dynamic as Balit's striking pictures. Partly abstract and partly representational, the artwork features bold figures of mythological characters with silver-foil stars highlighting the points of light that make up the constellations. The final pages offer information about the stars, nebulae, galaxies, and constellations and give astronomical descriptions of the constellations featured. On the endpapers, star maps of the northern and southern skies show the featured constellations in red on black. A lively introduction. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792263324
• ISBN-13: 978-0792263326
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 0.4 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introductory book, September 29, 2005

By 

cap61801 (Princeton Area, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations (Hardcover)

This book was read to my 4 yo at preschool and she absolutely loved it. This book was all she talked about that night so I bought this book, Zoo in the Sky, and Kingdom of the sun. She loves looking at the pictures and discussing which constellations we can see here in NJ. Unfortunately, the one she wants to see the most, Hercules, is in the southern sky so I guess we'll have to take a trip south of the equator!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great introduction to some of the great stories, January 28, 2007

By 

light october (southern USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations (Hardcover)

Across each two page spread Once Upon a Starry Night introduces a different constellation, gives a brief synopsis of the story, and provides a beautiful illustration with foil stars imbedded. The first four constellations are linked by story line, which also draws the children in (what happened next...?). A great book for preschool up and coffee table beautiful.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once Upon A Starry Night: A Book of Constellations, April 9, 2011

By 

Linda Shannon-rugel "Linda" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations (Hardcover)

My 8 year old grandson is interested in viewing the sky at night through his telescope. This book has helped him locate constellations.He really enjoys it.