Series: Spotter's Guides Series.
Subject Areas: Science, Astronomy, Meteorology.
Ages: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16.
Type: Guidebooks, Pocketbooks

Two newly-released Spotter's Guides have grabbed my attention recently. I gravitate to these books, probably because I’m one of those odd people who likes everything to be neat and orderly, especially when life with a large family is somewhat chaotic. I adore lists, and checking(ticking) items off, so that I feel like I’ve accomplished something. These two guides are The Night Sky Spotter's Guide and Weather Spotter's Guide.

Have I mentioned how likable these and some of the other new Usborne book covers are? Smooth, slightly slippery, matte finish, probably water-resistant; very sturdy yet lightweight for carrying around in a pocket or backpack; children are drawn to them. The first time I picked up a book with one of these new covers, I played with it for a few minutes – flipping through it, feeling the texture and enjoying the uniqueness. My children did the same thing!

All right, I must digress for a moment. Usborne books already appeal to children because of the way all of their senses get involved. And here they’ve discovered yet another dimension to add to the experience of reading – playing with texture, using an intriguing variety in the covers they select, and loads of books like the Touchy-Feely series. Did you know that Peter Usborne says children’s books should be good enough to eat? That’s the effect they have on young readers. They gobble them up. Peter's vision is evident in the entire Usborne approach, and the brilliant staff he has working for him.

Ok, back to these two titles.

The Night Sky is a mini-Astronomy course in one small volume. It’s made to be carried with you when you go out at night. It may take up to a year to see all the items that are presented. As you view them, make a mark in the circle next to each item. (You may want to put a date also in your entries.) Over the years, night watches have been a regular event in our backyard or out in our court. My children and I take blankets, chairs, hot drinks and our guidebook, and make a memory of it. Occasionally it turns into a night to sleep outside. We’ve also done late night watches with neighbors – one group as large as 12 or 15 at about 1 a.m. – and that has been really fun. We’ve watched meteor showers, looked for satellites, learned constellations, studied the surface of the moon, watched lunar eclipses and more. The book explains that you can do all of this with a good pair of binoculars; no need for an expensive telescope. Instructions are given for how to do night watching; there are maps of constellations for both Northern and Southern hemispheres, detailed information on individual constellations, galaxies, nebula, star clusters, dying stars, planets and charts of where to look for them, comets, asteroids, all kinds of info about the moon and its phases, meteor showers, satellites, and other sky sights like the aurora borealis. You can see it’s packed with information, and lovely photos are in each section, too.

There is even a helpful section on photographing the night sky, followed by a glossary, and finally a scorecard for all you’ve seen in your watches. If you want to go on in your studies, check out the Complete Book of Astronomy and Space or some of the other Usborne titles on space.

Then there are also the Internet Links. When we’ve studied astronomy, these have been a fruitful addition to what we see at night. They are very quick and easy to use -- Get into www.usborne-quicklinks.com, choose your country, then enter Night Sky in the search box. Wait till you see what is available; gorgeous photos, live shots from space, recordings, video footage, puzzles, quizzes, a 3-D solar system fly-through of the planets, satellite tracking, the Hubble Space telescope, and on and on.

This is probably quite long enough for one day, so tomorrow I’ll fill you in on the new Weather Spotter’s Guide. It’s just as fascinating!

Take a Look Inside This Book

Purchase

Of Interest To: Parents, Teachers,Librarians and Media Specialists