SPACE ENCYCLOPEDIA

A Tour of Our Solar System and Beyond

By: David A. Aguilar

Published: November 3, 2020

Publisher: National Geographic Kids

Non-Fiction

Kids have become much more interested in space due to the International Space Station (ISS) and the recent developments in trying to find out if human travel to Mars is possible. This next generation of students could be the adults that find ways to travel to Mars.

In SPACE ENCYCLOPEDIA, kids will get the basics about space and our solar system. They can take a tour of the solar system, the stars, and galaxies. There is a chapter that addresses the idea of other life in space. Finally, the book concludes with the future of space. A glossary at the end helps with all the space terminology and an index will help you find exactly what you are looking for.

National Geographic has, of course, packed this book with amazing space photography as well as illustrations, charts, and graphics. Every page is covered with exciting images for kids to look at while they learn. Each page also offers information boxes, some more in-depth than others, fun facts, and even space jokes.

How do Earth, Neptune, and Saturn organize a party?

They planet!

In reading this book myself, I was surprised by how little I actually knew about space. It amazed me how much information has already been found and researched. In fact, just in 2009, NASA launched a new telescope that has since captured thousands of new exoplanets. This telescope is so strong, it can even detect a porch light from space!

When I saw the page with the tardigrade, I assumed they were dreaming up some sort of alien. Actually, it is a life-form here on Earth, magnified with an electron microscope. Go ahead. Google it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean. Scientists believe since these animals can survive in extreme environments including volcanic to Antarctic, that they could also live in outer space. Frankly, by the looks of them, they can go ahead and move there. But, the fact that scientists have even found this microscopic creature is quite amazing.

If your child is interested in science or space, this book will have everything they are looking for to whet their appetite for knowledge. Kids will have fun learning while reading this fascinating book on all things outer space and probably teach their parents a few things as well.

David A. Aguilar is past Director of Science Information and Public Outreach at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA. A naturalist, astronomer, author, and space artist, David’s expertise lies in showing us the fascinating connections between the universe and ourselves. He is the author and illustrator of seven National Geographic Society and three Random House Penguin books on space science. David and his wife Shirley reside just outside Aspen, CO. For more information please flyby our site, www.aspenskies.com.


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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to make a purchase through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.
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