The Science Mouse

by Lydia Shimeall (4th grade)

DK Smithsonian’s Stargazer by Ben Morgan is part field guide and part experiment book. At 8 x 6 inches and 72 pages it is the perfect size for little hands. Stargazer is full of projects, diagrams, pictures, and information. The cover flaps are made of sturdy tag board and display 88 constellations for quick reference on starry nights.

Some of the things I learned were how to measure distance with my hand and how centrifugal force makes Saturn the flattest planet in our solar system. Some of the projects that interested me were making homemade moon craters, a sundial, drawing orbits, and a two stage rocket. There are over 30 projects in this book.

I really like that Stargazer has a lot of projects and experiments. It is also has great pictures and diagrams like star charts and latitude locators. It is also nice that is contains constellations of the Southern Hemisphere. Not all star books do that.

I wish Stargazer had included more information about how the constellations received their names. I really want to know why the Big Dipper and Little Dipper are not considered constellations but rather are part of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. I guess it is good because now I want to hunt up that information. Be warned this book also has a few references to millions and billions of years ago.

This is a great book for children (ages 6-12) who like to learn about space, especially if they like to learn by doing simple projects.