Product Description

If you go outside on a clear night, you can't help yourself. Your head tilts back, your eyes rise up, and you find yourself gazing at the stars . . . WOW! From the beginning of time, people have admired the night sky's beauty.< BR> The night sky is our oldest picture book, and Wishing on a Star retells some of these stories from around the world in simple language that kids can understand.< BR> Wishing on a Star also includes lots of fun activities that celebrate the stars. Learn how to make a twinkling thaumatrope, fly a starry kite, and act in your own constellation play. Star maps and stargazing tips show how to find the constellations, and cool science facts teach more about the stars. < BR> Paperback, Full-Color Illustrations Throughout, Ages 7 and up < BR>

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #823864 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-20
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-5-This title combines brief versions of the mythological origins of nine constellations with related crafts and general stargazing advice. Bloopers mar both text and pictures: Polaris is not "visible from everywhere on Earth," and at least one star in a diagram of the Big Dipper is misplaced, so that a line drawn through it will not intersect the star Deneb as claimed. The other illustrations are a mix of informative (though much simplified) sky charts and decorative little bunnies, squirrels, and other wildlife. The accompanying activities vary inventively, from a simple star mobile to an ancient Greek-style play with paper-bag masks, but some of the directions are overcomplicated or skip potentially tricky steps. Furthermore, Lee enters chancy terrain by presenting some myths as teaching stories, such as that associated with the minor constellation Coma Berenices ("Berenice's Hair"), which commemorates a wife's tonsorial sacrifice to ensure her husband's return from danger, and one of the several tales behind Cygnus, the Swan, whose loyalty to the ill-fated Phaethon should "forever remind us of the importance of friendship." All in all, this is a well-intentioned effort that just tries too hard. Guides such as Milton Heifetz and Wil Tirion's A Walk through the Heavens (Cambridge, 1998) or Janice VanCleave's Constellations for Every Kid (Wiley, 1997) will give young sky watchers more accurate, systematic guidance and inspiration.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap
Contents About the Activities Introduction Ursa Major & Ursa Minor, The Big Bear & The Little Bear Leo Major, The Great Lion Orion, The Great Hunter Canis Major & Canis Minor, The Great Dog & The Little Dog Pegasus, The Winged Horse Coma Berenice, Berenice's Hair Cygnus, The Swan Stargazing in the City and in the Country Cool Books and Places

From the Back Cover
Did you know that the patterns and shapes made by the stars in the sky tell stories? Wishing on a Star tells some of the exciting stories behind constellations like Pegasus, the Big Bear and Little Bear, Leo the Lion, and Orion the Hunter.
The stars come to life with creative and entertaining activities. You'll learn how to make a twinkling thaumatrope, fly a starry kite, and act in your own constellation play! Star maps and stargazing tips will help you find the constellations, and cool science facts will help you learn more about the stars.