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