Postcards from Pluto: A Tour of the Solar System [Paperback]

Loreen Leedy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996 | Age Level: 4 and up

Dr. Quasar gives a group of children a tour of the solar system, describing each of the planets from Mercury to Pluto.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-A quick tour of the solar system from the author of Blast Off to Earth! (Holiday, 1992). Six young, ethnically diverse tourists, led by a robot named Dr. Quasar, travel to each planet in succession, and send their impressions back home on postcards addressed to appropriate towns-Sun Valley, Idaho (from the sun), Cupid City, New York (from Venus), Sideways, Michigan (from Uranus), etc. Leedy's large, very simple paintings of the planets are done in muted colors, and are suspended against a starry black backdrop. Stories superimposed on science picture books tend to have thin plots, and this one is no exception, but the author/artist selects intriguing facts and conveys them with clarity and humor. She supplies additional information in dialogue balloons. Use this to prepare readers for Franklyn M. Branley's Planets in Our Solar System (HarperCollins, 1987), or for the wealth of easy introductions to the subject illustrated with photographs.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. Another book about the planets? Yes, but this clever survey of the heavens is definitely worth having on hand. In it, robot tour guide Dr. Quasar conducts a happy multicultural group of kids on a spaceship holiday trip that makes the fiery red-orange sun its first flyby. What's different about this celestial excursion is that Earth-bound postcards are allowed. It's through these hand-printed missives that most of the information is conveyed, with more delivered through balloon dialogues between Quasar and his eager passengers. As brief as they are, the cards evoke the distinct personalities of their senders (Lin's are poems; Ray's are rebuses; Eric's are little quizzes), and the cards' addresses are saturated with puns that will make older readers giggle in spite of themselves: Eric's postcard about Neptune goes to Mr. Trident, who lives in Ocean City; Ray writes to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sol Corona. But humor aside, Leedy never forgets her purpose, and that, coupled with deeply colored, dappled double-page spreads on which the heavens are laid out with a firm hand, is what makes this star-studded journey so very spectacular. Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 28 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823412377
• ISBN-13: 978-0823412372
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.9 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,182,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing and illustrating picture books for children for over twenty-five years. Though I majored in art in college, at the time I wasn't sure what kind of artist to be. Fortunately, it turned out that combining words and art to create picture books was a perfect career for me. Most of my books center around a particular topic such as fractions, the solar system, writing, and so on. The characters and story lines help put the subject matter into a meaningful context for young readers.

After growing up mostly in Delaware, I moved to central Florida a couple of decades ago, and currently live with my husband Andy on a three acre property with hawks, herons, and horses (the horses live next door.) We love the rustle of the pines in the breeze, the screeching of sandhill cranes flying overhead, and the chattering of many small birds that come and go as they please.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Postcards From Pluto: Fun way to learn solar system facts, October 21, 2000

By 

INJURED YOGINI (Bakersfield, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Postcards from Pluto: A Tour of the Solar System (Hardcover)

From the beginning of this comic strip like tale of an outer space journey children are mesmerized by the non-fiction facts in such unique format. The illustrations are wonderful and accurately depict the details in the text. The actual postcards entertain while teaching and contain humorous addressees and addresses. Postcards From Pluto is a great way to introduce the solar system to kids. This book is a great investment, because it will be looked at and read time and time again!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Postcards from Pluto, June 9, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Postcards from Pluto: A Tour of the Solar System (Hardcover)

Dear Lareen, I like your books. I read Postcards from Pluto. You are very creative and smart. I have read a couple of your books,and my favorite is Postcards from Pluto. It is a very good book to me. I'm glad you wrote some books because I really enjoy them. ....

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Postcards Rules!, February 6, 2007

By 

P. Serluco "book lady" (Healdton, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Postcards from Pluto: A Tour of the Solar System (Paperback)

I am a student seeking my bachelors degree in elementary education and love this book. It can be used during the thematic unit on space and the solar system. It is awesome!