Book Review: The Midwife's Apprentice

 

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cushman, Karen. 1995. THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0395692296

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This story takes place in the 14^th century in a small village in England. The main character is Beetle, later known as Alyce. Beetle is a homeless girl that moves around England in search of a warm place to sleep and some food to eat. One day Beetle finds herself in the barn of a midwife named Jane. Jane reluctantly takes Beetle in as an apprentice to help with her midwife duties. Throughout Beetle’s apprenticeship, she becomes very knowledgeable about what midwifes do and is even given an opportunity to deliver a baby for Jane. When another opportunity arrives for Beetle to deliver a baby, she is unsuccessful and ends up running away filled with shame.

When Beetle runs away she finds an inn that is looking for good help. While working at the inn she meets a successful writer named Magister Reese who teaches her how to read. When an inn customer shows up about to deliver a baby, Beetle is forced to help her deliver the baby. After delivering the baby Beetle figures out that she wants to be a midwife, she decides to return back to the village to see if Jane will let her continue as her apprentice. Will Jane let Beetle/Alyce back into her home?

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Cushman did a great job creating a story that takes place in England during the 14^th century. The language that was used fits the time period and her words created an authentic picture of what it was like long ago. All of the characters in the story were very strong and had a lot of details. When a new character was introduced, Cushman made sure to describe the characters looks and demeanor which helps the reader understand their feelings and visualize what’s going on. The characters fit in with the time period from their clothing to their mannerisms. For example, when describing Jane the midwife Cushman said “an important looking woman, with a sharp nose and a sharp glance and a wimple starched into sharp pleats.”

There were some historical references made such as the inclusion of Magister Reese, the Gobnet Under Green Carnival and even the very inn that Beetle/Alyce worked at is a real place in England. The language used throughout is very typical of the language used in the 14^th century. Some of the dialogue used was hard to understand since we do not currently use these terms in our everyday language. Because of this, the reader must use context clues to figure out what they are talking about.

The main purpose of this story to tell a story of the change a little girl goes through starting from a poor homeless girl to a girl who has goals, ambition and a full belly. Cushman also provides an author’s note that talks about what a midwife is and how it has changed throughout the years. This story had a slow start, but towards the middle of the story it started to pick up and become more interesting. I would recommend this book to readers in grades 5 and up due to the vocabulary and content of the story.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

John Newberry Medal

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW: In reviewing this 1996 Newbery winner, PW said that Cushman "has an almost unrivaled ability to build atmosphere, and her evocation of a medieval village, if not scholarly in its authenticity, is supremely colorful and pungent." 

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW: With simplicity, wit, and humor, Cushman presents another tale of medieval England. Here readers follow the satisfying, literal and figurative journey of a homeless, nameless child called Brat, who might be 12 or 13 no one really knows. She wandered about in her early years, seeking food and any kind of refuge and, like many outsiders, gained a certain kind of wisdom about people and their ways. Still, life held little purpose beyond survival until she meets the sharp-nosed, irritable local midwife, which is where this story begins. Jane takes her in, re-names her Beetle, and thinks of her as free labor and no competition. Always practical but initially timid, the girl expands in courage and self-awareness, acquiring a cat as a companion, naming herself Alyce, and gaining experience in the ways of midwifery. From the breathless delight of helping a boy to deliver twin calves, to the despair of failure during a difficult birth, to the triumph of a successful delivery, Alyce struggles to understand how she can allow herself to fail and yet have the determination to reach for her own place in the world. Alyce wins. Characters are sketched briefly but with telling, witty detail, and the very scents and sounds of the land and people's occupations fill each page as Alyce comes of age and heart. Earthy humor, the foibles of humans both high and low, and a fascinating mix of superstition and genuinely helpful herbal remedies attached to childbirth make this a truly delightful introduction to a world seldom seen in children's literature.

5. CONNECTIONS

*This would be a great book to use for kiddos in grades 5 and up. Karen Cushman provides a discussion guide on her website, http://www.karencushman.com/pdfs/DG_midwife.pdf

*For more books by Karen Cushman, be sure to check out the following:

                Cushman, Karen. ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWAN. ISBN: 9780547577128

                Cushman, Karen. THE LOUD SILENCE OF FRANCINE GREEN. ISBN:97806185                      4558

                Cushman, Karen. THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE. ISBN: 9780547722153

Book Review: One Crazy Summer

 

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York, NY: Harper Collins Children’s Books. ISBN: 9780060760885

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This is a story about three sisters that are forced to go visit their mother in Oakland for the summer. They had never met their mother before and were excited to visit sunny California, where they had been dreaming about going to Disneyland and having fun in the sun. When they first arrive in Oakland, they learn that it’s not going to be the summer that they have been dreaming about.

After meeting their mother for the first time, they find out that she is not the lovable mom that they had hoped for and that they basically have to care for themselves. The sisters: Delphine, Vonetta and Fern also learn more about the Black Panthers and how their mother is involved in their cause. Being forced to attend the Black Panther summer camp, the girls learn what it’s like to stand up for what you believe in and get to attend their first rally. Will the girl’s mother even learn to love them or will she always hold them at a distance? You must read to find out what happens!

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Williams-Garcia painted an accurate picture of what life was like for African American’s in the 60s from a child’s perspective. This story takes place in 1968 in Oakland, California. During this time, the Black Panther party was a huge movement for African American rights. Throughout the story, the sister’s learn about famous African Americans such as Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Huey Newton (founder of the Black Panther party). There were a lot of references to these men when the girls had to attend the Black Panther summer camp. During this camp, the girls had to organize and stack the Black Panther Newspaper and even make signs for the rally that stated “Free Huey”. I felt that Williams-Garcia did a great job incorporating factual events into the story and still made the book fun to read.

The main character, Delphine, is a very strong willed 11 year old that fits the role of the protagonist. Delphine was told by her grandmother and father to take care of her sisters and that was her goal throughout the entire story. She is a very lovable character that is hard working and reliable. Her sisters, Fern and Vonetta, are extremely funny characters and can easily remind the reader of what it was like to have siblings as a child. I felt that Williams-Garcia did a great job telling the reader of what it was like in 1968 and not sugar-coating the topic. Because of the content of the book, I would recommend this to students in grades 5 and up. It would be helpful for the reader to have some background in US History before reading so that they are able to make connections throughout the story.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Coretta Scott King Award Winner

Newberry Honor Book

Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL STARRED REVIEW: Starred Review. is 1968, and three black sisters from Brooklyn have been put on a California-bound plane by their father to spend a month with their mother, a poet who ran off years before and is living in Oakland. It's the summer after Black Panther founder Huey Newton was jailed and member Bobby Hutton was gunned down trying to surrender to the Oakland police, and there are men in berets shouting "Black Power" on the news. Delphine, 11, remembers her mother, but after years of separation she's more apt to believe what her grandmother has said about her, that Cecile is a selfish, crazy woman who sleeps on the street. At least Cecile lives in a real house, but she reacts to her daughters' arrival without warmth or even curiosity. Instead, she sends the girls to eat breakfast at a center run by the Black Panther Party and tells them to stay out as long as they can so that she can work on her poetry. Over the course of the next four weeks, Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, spend a lot of time learning about revolution and staying out of their mother's way. Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading.

BOOKLIST STARRED REVIEW: Eleven-year-old Delphine has only a few fragmented memories of her mother, Cecile, a poet who wrote verses on walls and cereal boxes, played smoky jazz records, and abandoned the family in Brooklyn after giving birth to her third daughter. In the summer of 1968, Delphine’s father decides that seeing Cecile is “something whose time had come,” and Delphine boards a plane with her sisters to Cecile’s home in Oakland. What they find there is far from their California dreams of Disneyland and movie stars. “No one told y’all to come out here,” Cecile says. “No one wants you out here making a mess, stopping my work.” Like the rest of her life, Cecile’s work is a mystery conducted behind the doors of the kitchen that she forbids her daughters to enter. For meals, Cecile sends the girls to a Chinese restaurant or to the local, Black Panther–run community center, where Cecile is known as Sister Inzilla and where the girls begin to attend youth programs. Regimented, responsible, strong-willed Delphine narrates in an unforgettable voice, but each of the sisters emerges as a distinct, memorable character, whose hard-won, tenuous connections with their mother build to an aching, triumphant conclusion. Set during a pivotal moment in African American history, this vibrant novel shows the subtle ways that political movements affect personal lives; but just as memorable is the finely drawn, universal story of children reclaiming a reluctant parent’s love.

5. CONNECTIONS (Recommended for children grades 5-7)

For more books by Rita Williams-Garcia, check out:

Williams-Garcia, Rita. BLUE TIGHTS. ISBN: 9780140380453

Williams-Garcia, Rita. LIKE SISTERS ON THE HOMEFRONT. ISBN: 9780140385618

Williams-Garcia, Rita. CATCHING WILD WAIYUUZEE. Ill. by Mike Reed. ISBN: 9781416961413

**Have students write about the craziest summer that they have ever had and have them share with the class.

**As a class, you can have students come up with their own rally focusing on something that they all believe in. For example, you could focus on global warming and taking care of our earth. Students can write plays, sing songs, write poetry and even make signs for the cause.

Book Review: Turtle in Paradise

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holm, Jennifer L. 2010. TURTLE IN PARADISE. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books. ISBN: 9780375836886

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This story takes place in the 1930s in Key West, Florida. Turtle is Paradise is about a little girl named “Turtle”. She was brought up in a single parent home where her mother worked as a maid. When her mother starts a new job and isn’t allowed to bring Turtle with her, she decides to send her to her hometown of Key West to live with her sister. When Turtle first arrives in Key West, she feels out of place and doesn’t know how to react to her “new” family. 

During her stay, she learns all of the in and outs of Key West and even gets to learn more about her family. She meets some friends and runs around with her cousins “the diaper gang”, even though they don’t allow girls in their gang. Towards the end of the summer, Turtle finds an interesting map in her grandmother’s old piano that is supposed to lead them to Black Caesar’s treasure. Will they find the treasure? Guess you’ll have to read to find out!

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Holm does a great job writing this story that takes place in Key West in 1935. She provides an accurate description of the way things were for a single mother and her child and the problems that they face. All of the topics covered and even characters that Turtle meets directly fit in with what was going on in the 1930s. For example, Turtle consistently talks about her hatred Shirley Temple and how she looks up to Little Orphan Annie who were both very famous child stars at the time. During the story, the storm that Turtle and the “Diaper Gang” get stuck in is based on a true life hurricane which ended up devastating the upper keys in 1935. Holm does a great job including historical references throughout the story, while also making it a fun read aloud.

Turtle is a very strong character who is a lot of fun and easy to love. One of my favorite quotes was when she was able to weasel some free ice cream from the ice cream and her cousins were all very jealous and asked if they could have some. Since they wouldn’t let her into the “diaper gang”, Turtles response was “Sorry, can’t share with you. After all, I’m not in the diaper gang”. Throughout the story you continue to see how witty and smart Turtle is and there are many laugh out loud moments.

My favorite part of the story was the author’s note at the end. In Holm’s author note, she discusses where the characters came from and how gave a detailed description of what life was like during the Great Depression. She includes a lot of actual photographs of Key West, Shirley Temple and even family pictures of the people that she based her characters off of. I felt that this was a great way to challenge readers to learn more about this era and show them the relevance between the story and real life.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Texas Bluebonnet  List

2011 Newberry Honor Book

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: In 1935, jobs are hard to come by, and Turtle's mother is lucky to find work as a live-in housekeeper. When she learns that her employer can't stand children, she sends her 11-year-old daughter from New Jersey to Key West to live with relatives. Turtle discovers a startlingly different way of life amid boisterous cousins, Nana Philly, and buried treasure. This richly detailed novel was inspired by Holm's great-grandmother's stories. Readers who enjoy melodic, humorous tales of the past won't want to miss it.

BOOKLIST STARRED REVIEW: Eleven-year-old Turtle is not one to suffer fools gladly. And she runs into a lot of fools, especially the no-goods her starry-eyed mother meets. So it's a tough little Turtle who arrives in Key West in June of 1935. She's been sent to Florida to stay with relatives because her mother's latest housekeeping job doesn't allow children. Unfortunately, Mama has neglected to tell Aunt Minnie she's coming, and Turtle gets the stink eye from cousins with monikers like Buddy and Beans. As Turtle soon learns, everything is different in Key West, from the fruit hanging on trees to the scorpions in nightgowns to the ways kids earn money. She can't be part of her cousins' Diaper Gang (no girls allowed), which takes care of fussy babies, but when she finds a treasure map, she hopes she'll be on Easy Street like Little Orphan Annie. Holm uses family stories as the basis for this tale, part romp, part steely-eyed look at the Depression era. Reminiscent of Addie in the movie Paper Moon, Turtle is just the right mixture of knowingness and hope; the plot is a hilarious blend of family dramas seasoned with a dollop of adventure. The many references to 1930s entertainments (Terry and the Pirates, Shirley Temple) will mostly go over kids' heads, but they'll get how much comics and movies meant to a population desperate for smiles. An author's note (with photos) shows Holm's family close-up.

5. CONNECTIONS (This is a great book for grades 4 and up)

For more information about the history of Key West, check out the following websites:

·         Historical Preservation Society of the Upper Keys: www.keyhistory.org

·         Key West Art and Historical Society: www.kwahs.com

·         The Shadow’s Sanctum: www.shadowsanctum.com

To visit some of Turtle’s favorite spots, check out this walking map:

http://www.helpreaderslovereading.com/2011/03/turtle-in-paradise-by-jennifer-l-holm.html

 For more books by Jennifer Holm, check out:

Holm, Jennifer. PENNY FROM HEAVEN. ISBN: 9780375836893

Holm, Jennifer. OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA. ISBN: 9780064408561

Book Review: What To Do About Alice?

 

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kerley, Barbara. WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE? Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780439922319

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

In this charming story, we learn about Alice Roosevelt and all of the trouble that she gets into. When Alice was two days old, her mother passed away leaving a huge void in Theodore and Alice’s life. As Alice got older, her father remarried and had several children. Alice mentioned that she never felt a part of the family, so instead of trying to fit in she decides to stand out. What to do About Alice? tells about all of the funny events that Alice goes through from birth to her father becoming president and beyond. Alice is a very lovable person and this story provides a funny side of what President Roosevelt really had to deal with at home.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The first page starts with a great attention getter by saying, “Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem." When I first read this line, I knew that this was going to be a silly lighthearted book and I was right. Kerley does a great job making this biography of Alice fun and hilarious. I really liked how she used Theodore Roosevelt’s quotes when describing his daughter Alice, you could tell that he loved her but that he thought she was a mess. The bolded words throughout the story, bring the reader’s attention to strong feelings or important messages.

The illustrations are wonderful and tie in with the story perfectly. Fotheringham does a great job creating artwork that has a historical feeling to it. The colors used throughout are more muted and not as bright, which relates really well to the era that the story takes place in. I loved learning about Alice in such a fun storybook way and think that this would be a great story for children of all ages.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT

*BOOKLIST Starred Review: "Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was....The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art."

*KIRKUS REVIEWS Starred Review: "Theodore Roosevelt s irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book.... Kerley s precise text presents readers with a devilishly smart, strong-willed girl who was determined to live life on her own terms and largely succeeded."

*SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Starred Review: "Kerley s text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject s antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp her style, dives fully clothed into a ship s swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her father s trusted advisers. Fotheringham s digitally rendered, retro-style illustrations are a superb match for the text."

5. CONNECTIONS

*This would be a great book to teach about problem and solutions. For each problem that President Roosevelt runs into, the students can brainstorm solutions.

* Throughout the story, Alice talked about “eating up the world”. Ask students what they think this means and have them create a poster showing ways that they can eat up the world like Alice.

*Want to learn more about the White House? Check out this website: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0877632.html

*Here are more stories about kids that have lived in the White House:

McCullough, Noah. FIRST KIDS: THE TRUE STORY OF ALL THE PRESIDENTS CHILDREN. ISBN: 9780545175388

Rhatigan, Joe. THE WHITE HOUSE KIDS: THE PERKS, PLEASURES, PROBLEMS AND PRATFALLS OF THE PRESIDENTS’ CHILDREN. Ill. by Jay Shinn. ISBN: 9781936140800

Book Review: Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sweet, Melissa. 2011. BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY; THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF MACY’S PARADE. New York: NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN: 9780547199450

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

This is a story of a man, Tony Sarg, who never stopped being a kid. As a child, Tony loved toys and puppets and grew up to make puppets for a living in London. When he moved to New York City, Tony was asked by Macy’s to decorate their front windows with marionettes. The window displays were a hit and Macy’s asked if he would do a puppet parade for its employees, to symbolize street parades from their hometowns. The puppet parade was so successful that Tony was asked to do the next parade which started Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. After seeing how many people came out the parade, Tony realized that he needed to create larger puppets so that everyone could see. He then came up with the idea of creating balloon like puppets that could be tethered to the ground, and they were a huge hit!  From then on, Tony continued to create the balloons used in the parade for people all over the world to enjoy.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This biography is playful and a fun read for everyone. The story briefly starts with Tony as a child and the majority is about his adult life as a puppeteer. Sweet does a wonderful job writing about Tony Sarg, and doesn’t include too much information which came be overwhelming. Sweet brings the story to life and leaves the reader wanting to learn more about the Macy’s Day Parade.

I loved the unique layout of her writing, it’s a nice change from the usual left to right format. Her font choices were fun and exciting and created a nostalgic feeling. Melissa also included several diagrams that resembled some of Tony’s thoughts, which are a great added detail for the reader. The illustrations were fun and I liked how they resembled some of Tony’s and Melissa’s toy collection.  

4. REVIEW EXCERPT

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: Milly, the daughter of Polish immigrants, idolizes her dad's boss, Mr. Macy: he "was just about the most important person in America (next to the president of course)." So when Papa and his co-workers grow homesick for their Christmas tradition of "caroling from house to house," Milly takes her idea for "singing and strolling in the streets" straight to Mr. Macy. As her endnote explains, Corey's (You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer!) "history" of the Macy's Christmas Parade is more fanciful than factual, but it captures the flavor of its 1924 setting. (Parade enthusiasts should see also Pamela Pease's Macy's on Parade, noted above under "Thanksgiving.") Marching across the horizontal pages, the sharp-faced, pointy-nosed characters of Helquist's (illustrator of Lemony Snicket's books) spirited acrylic and oil illustrations may convey a more satirical mood than the text suggests, but period details bring the '20s roaring back to life.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a highlight of the New York City holiday season with its marching bands and big balloons. In this story, set in 1924, Corey envisions a little girl whose immigrant Polish father works for Mr. Macy himself. Milly has the run of the store and can fly through the revolving doors and ride up and down the escalators and the elevators. She and all the fashionably dressed customers think that the Christmas merchandise is "gorgeous." But while Milly and her family are growing accustomed to America, they miss one wonderful custom from the old country: strolling from house to house singing Christmas carols. The child determinedly proposes to Mr. Macy a parade as an alternative. The marchers begin in Harlem with festive costumes, bands, and animals from the Central Park Zoo and end up on 34th Street. And so the annual festivity takes root. Helquist's acrylic-and-oil paintings feature colorfully dressed people with angular faces and bodies outlined in black. The author's note gives a history of the parade and acknowledges that while R. H. Macy himself died in 1877, he is a known character "-immortalized in the 1947 classic book and film Miracle on 34th Street-." While the references to the Follies and the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts may be lost on children, this is an entertaining and lively variation on holiday stories.

5. CONNECTIONS

*For more information about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and to see pictures from past parades, check out: http://social.macys.com/parade2011/#/home

*Want to make your own puppets? Check out this activity page: http://www.hmhbooks.com/kids/resources/BalloonsOverBroadway_ActivityKit.pdf

*Students can create their own puppet or balloon parade!

*Here is another book about the Macy’s Day Parade:

Corey, Shara. MILLY AND THE MACYS PARADE. ISBN: 9780439297554

Book Review: The Universe

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Simon, Seymour. 1998. THE UNIVERSE. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN: 9780060877255

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Did you know that there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the universe? Did you also know that each galaxy contains about one hundred billion stars and that some of the “newly” born stars are one million years old? Pretty young star huh? The Universe is a great informational text about our universe. Simon briefly touches on topics such as the creation of our universe, stars, sun, moon, planets, nebulas, black holes and galaxies.

In this book you learn how the universe was created as a result of the big bang theory how scientists are using new instruments that allow them to see galaxies and nebulas that have never been seen before. All of these new concepts and ideas that Simon includes within this book leave you to wonder what else is out there in our universe, and if we’ll be able to learn more about it in the near future.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

If you want to learn more about the universe, then this book is for you! This story starts with the creation of our universe and then explains the parts that make up our universe, which creates a smooth flow of information. Simon provides accurate descriptions of all that goes into our universe, without providing too much information which can be overwhelming. No reference aides are cited, but each page covers a new topic pertaining to the universe. He makes sure to describe the universe in a way that can understand by all levels. The vocabulary used isn’t too complicated and doesn’t require a glossary to know what is being read.

Simon uses real photos from space and this really is the best part of the book. The pictures are amazing and create a feeling of awe as you turn the pages. He also does a great job explaining where the photos came from and describes them in full detail so that the reader can make connections to the text.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: Simon offers what amounts to an introduction to his long running, literally and figuratively stellar series of photo-essays on matters astronomical. Matching full-color, full- and double-page-spread-sized light and radio photographs of nebulas, galaxies, and sundry deep-space phenomena with two or three paragraphs of explanatory text, he covers a wide range of topics, from the Big Bang to quasars, from star formation to extra solar planets. Care has been taken to keep the pictures and related text close together, and the choice of detail is guaranteed to whet youngster's appetites for a more thorough, narrowly focused treatment. Asking some of the Big Questions, "Does life exist on earth-like planets in distant solar systems? Will the universe expand forever or finally stop and then collapse into a gigantic black hole?" Simon writes that "we are just at the beginning of a golden age of discovery". This book, along with the others that it leads to, will give children the solid background they will need to understand and perhaps even participate in those discoveries.

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: How vast is the universe? Well it's too great for most of us to fully comprehend, but when Simon puts things in perspective, it is possible to have a bit more understanding. In this offering, readers learn about the Big Bang and current competing theories about the continual expansion or perhaps the eventual contraction of everything. Stars are born and they die. The realization that there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the universe, and that each of these contains about one hundred billion stars, gives one real pause to reflect on the possibilities of what is really "out there."

5. CONNECTIONS

*Want to learn more about space, check out the NASA Kids Club at http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html

*For more books about space by Seymour Simon, check out:

Simon, Seymour. OUR SOLAR SYSTEM. ISBN: 9780061140082

Simon, Seymour. THE SUN. ISBN: 9780688092368

Simon, Seymour. COMETS, METEORS, ASTEROIDS. ISBN: 9780688158439

Simon, Seymour. STARS. ISBN: 9780756967475