(2) K-3 Illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger. Turner tells the amazing story of Caroline Herschel (1750–1848), a pioneering woman in STEM, from her young life as family housekeeper to the discovery of a comet that earns her a paid retainer from the king of England. Despite her mother's insistence on keeping her as a helper in the home, Herschel's curiosity and hard work mean that she is able to first support and eventually work side by side with her brother in both music and astronomy. The scientific siblings create and build new telescopes that can see further into space than anyone has before, leading to a series of remarkable discoveries. (Many readers will be fascinated to learn that pounded horse dung was the innovation that allowed the Herschels to build their telescope and change astronomy.) Turner peppers the text with direct quotes from Herschel's memoir and with memorable moments, such as the winter night when even Caroline's ink freezing in the inkwell did not stop her journey of discovery. Mildenberger's painted illustrations have a historical feeling and are often muddy or dark, but bright stars and faces shine out of the blues and browns. Her characters' animated facial expressions bring scenes to life. Back matter includes additional biographical information, a glossary, sources for quotations in the text, and further reading.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Diana Sudyka. In 1847, at age twenty-nine, Maria Mitchell became the first person to sight a comet through a telescope, garnering international recognition from the scientific community and a medal from the King of Denmark. Sudyka's gouache illustrations, filled with swirls of motion, help convey a sense of wonder about the heavens. "A Bit More About Maria Mitchell--Astronomer, Educator, Activist" and an author's note are appended.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) 4-6 Alternator Books: Space Exploration series. Each volume profiles an aspect of space exploration, from the numerous Mars missions to the latest telescopes that see into deep space. There are profiles of relevant historical scientific efforts, in-depth explanations of the science and technology, and discussions of what missions and projects are planned for the near-future. A space image, artistic interpretation, or photograph of researchers is found on every page. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Alternator Books: Space Exploration titles: Breakthroughs in Mars Exploration, Breakthroughs in Planet and Comet Research, Breakthroughs in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, Breakthroughs in Deep Space Science, Breakthroughs in Space Travel, and Breakthroughs in Stars Research.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 Xtreme Spacecraft series. These books for mid-elementary space enthusiasts profile prominent missions as well as the planets, stars, and technologies they studied. Each volume explains the purpose of the mission, describes the launch, then highlights some of the major findings. Photos of the spacecrafts and diagrams (with tiny details and -type) illustrate the brief texts; "xtreme" facts about the solar system appear in sidebars. Glos., ind. Review covers these Xtreme Spacecraft titles: Cassini, Curiosity Rover, Hubble Space Telescope, International Space Station, New Horizons, and Rosetta.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Checkerboard Library: Exploring Our Universe series. Elementary facts about bodies in the solar system and throughout the universe are portioned out across multiple slim volumes. Each book includes broad descriptions of the featured astronomical topic; historical and current thinking about scientific features and composition; and the telescopes, probes, and spacecraft used to investigate them. Captioned photographs, diagrams, and sidebars effectively supplement the satisfactory texts. Glos., ind. Review covers these Checkerboard Library: Exploring Our Universe titles: The Moon, Galaxies, The Sun, The Amazing Universe, Asteroids, Comets, and Meteoroids, Planets, and Stars.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(2) K-3 McCully's profile of astronomer Caroline Herschel reveals her complicated yet productive life as her brother William's co-researcher and housekeeper. McCully carefully details all of Caroline's contributions to the creation of "their" telescopes as well as her astronomical discoveries; Caroline's own work was eventually recognized and awarded. Passages taken from Herschel's diaries document her "prickly personality," as do the delicate, spiky pen-and-ink illustrations. Timeline. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(4) 4-6 Get to Work with Science and Technology series. These books introduce four science-, math-, and technology-related professions. Each book explores the use of data, scientific tools, and the latest technology to determine an asteroid's proximity to Earth, create a space-exploring robot, develop new blockbuster video entertainment, or care for dangerous animals. Behind-the-scenes photos in a distracting design support these enthusiastic overviews. Reading list. Glos, ind. Review covers these Get to Work with Science and Technology titles: Asteroid Hunters, Exploring Distant Worlds as a Space Robot Engineer, The Wild World of a Zoo Vet, and The Wonderful Worlds of a Video Game Designer.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 Out of this World series. Limited facts about objects in the solar system are presented in simple sentences for beginning readers. The two-page illustrations feature images of the planets, the sun, and occasionally spacecraft on eye-catching starry black backgrounds. A chart comparing the featured body to Earth's temperature, atmosphere, and other conditions concludes each book. There are eight other spring 2015 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Out of this World titles: Icy Comets, Pluto, The Sun, and Venus.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 Space series. Factual statements about the solar system and outlying bodies in the universe are accompanied by diagrams and high-quality images of planets, stars, moons, and spacecraft. The series' coverage is uneven. For example, each planet receives just two pages in a book, while the moon and sun are treated more in-depth in full volumes. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Space titles: Asteroids and Comets, Galaxies and Stars, Our Moon, Our Sun, Planets Far From Earth, and Planets Near Earth.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 1-3 Judy Moody and Friends series. Illustrated by Erwin Madrid. In three vignettes, Stink and Judy watch the night sky for a comet in a sweet sibling moment; Stink worries about (and prepares for) an asteroid hitting Earth; and Stink names a star. McDonald has done a stellar job of transferring the appeal of the original Judy Moody series into transitional readers; full-bleed illustrations bring the beloved characters to bright, colorful life.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Across the Universe series. Information about each of these objects in the universe, along with the tools scientists use to investigate them, are presented in odd layouts that appropriate the iconography of a mobile app or website. More impressive are the excellent images of galaxies, stars, and planetary bodies presented on dark backgrounds. Each book also contains an activity; their quality varies. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Across the Universe titles: Asteroids, Comets, Galaxies, Moons, Planets, and The Sun.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 Calico Chapter Books: Kid Squad Saves the World series. Illustrated by Mike Laughead. Whenever an impending disaster threatens the world, the Kid Squad is called to action. With the help of Dr. I.N. Stein and his most desirable invention--the Amulator--the four friends travel through time and space to prevent the world from going "kaput." While the good-versus-evil plots are predictable, the history/sci-fi/hero adventures are manageable reluctant-reader fare; cartoony black-and-white illustrations are amateurish. Review covers Kid Squad titles: The Comet of Doom, The Egyptian Prophecy, The Madness of Captain Cyclops, and The Snickerblooms and the Age Bug

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(4) K-3 Night Sky: And Other Amazing Sights in Space series. These two introductory books discuss each phenomenon, describing, for example, what a comet is made of, the relationship between the sun and northern lights, what ancient beliefs surrounding the sightings were, and how or where to see comets or northern lights today. The titles are well illustrated with photos and diagrams, and dull experiments round out the otherwise informative texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Night Sky titles: Comets and Northern Lights.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 4-6 Astronaut Travel Guides series. Set up as guides for future space travelers, these books present basic information about bodies in the solar system as well as explain the scientific missions and methods used to study them. Color photographs from missions and telescopes; profiles of and interviews with scientists and astronauts; and additional facts in text boxes are found throughout the busy layouts. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Astronaut Travel Guides titles: Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors and Mars.

Reviewer: Devon Johnson

(4) K-3 Far-Out Guide to the Solar System series. These texts explore a range of topics about bodies in the solar system, covering both planetary science and the technology used to explore and gather data. The formats are a little crowded with main text, detailed captions for the many color photographs and diagrams, "Far-Out Fact" text boxes, and "Fast Facts" lists. There are six other fall 2010 titles in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Far-Out Guide to the Solar System titles: Far-Out Guide to Asteroids and Comets, Far-Out Guide to Earth, Far-Out Guide to Icy Dwarf Planets, Far-Out Guide to Mars, Far-Out Guide to the Moon, and Far-Out Guide to the Sun.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Translated by Elizabeth Portch. To mark the sixty-fifth anniversary of the first Moomin book, the first four of Jansson's beloved, offbeat fantasies have been reissued. A common two-page biography is appended to each, along with "A Timeline Full of Fun Facts About the World of Moomin." Review covers these titles: Comet in Moominland, Finn Family Moomintroll, Moominpappa's Memoirs, and Moominsummer Madness.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 4-6 The protagonist and her father are traveling vaudeville performers in 1910. Hope has had enough of the circuit, though, and wants to go home to Chicago. With Halley's Comet on the horizon, she and her friend--young Buster Keaton--hatch a scheme to sell "anti-comet pills" to the panicked public. The well-paced and entertaining narrative has an authentic historical feel.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(4) 4-6 Extreme Threats series. This cautionary book begins with the Tunguska event of 1908, when a meteor struck central Russia. It then considers evidence for such collisions in geologic and present times, discussing, for example, NEOs (near earth objects). Human attempts to predict, control, and deflect meteor strikes are touched on in a more cursory way. Numerous photographs illustrate the dry text. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos, ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 A disease caused by a passing comet has a devastating morbidity-effect on Earth's over-eighteen population. In a last-ditch effort to save humanity, 251 teenagers are launched into space--along with a saboteur. Despite a dubious premise and starship-sized plot holes, this series starter offers dynamic characters and enough action and intrigue (not to mention high stakes) to command readers' attention.

Reviewer: Deborah Kaplan

(4) K-3 Translated by Elisa Amado. Illustrated by Margarita Sada. In this retelling of a Yoruba myth, God-child creates a cat named Oloyou. Oloyou falls into the "unending darkness" and has adventures that ultimately explain the origins of comets. This bilingual tale is too wordy (in both languages) to fully engage picture book readers, though they will nevertheless be mesmerized by the deep and flowing oil on canvas paintings.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham