Nonfiction is probably my least read section of the shelves, but sometimes something calls to you. This book was one of those times. Just a really wonderful collection of stories of the nocturnal life of the world.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Such a cool book about a journey through the night. You start with Barn Owl and then continue through with many more animals.

This was different from most books about the night sky, since most are space themed. Nothing wrong with that, in fact, it's why I borrowed this book, as my son loves the space dearly and will read anything and everything about it. But we also were delightfully surprised about some of the information this book supplied, like the magical flowering night of the baobab, the myths about the aurorae, and the dung beetles navigating by night. The whole book is wonderfully illustrated as well. There is information about space, but it's very basic. On the whole, this is a different enough book and there's good information about night on earth.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Delightful, Vivid Book on Night and the Sky

What a fun and colorful book all about nighttime and the night sky. First, we learn about animals, like owls, that hunt in the night. We learn about other adaptations some animals have made if they are nocturnal. The book then goes farther afield, discussing the aurorae and the Moon. For some reason, New Year's is also discussed, including some traditions in different parts of the world, including fireworks. Constellations are up next, with examples given for both the northern and southern skies. Then the book reveals details about the intermittent travelers like asteroids, meteorites, and comets. Toward the end of the book, there's also some discussion of astronomical observatories and space exploration. The information, of course, is interesting. IWhen I was a child, I was always fascinated by the night sky and astronomy. But what makes his book really fun is the illustrations. The illustrator has artfully blended detailed drawings with actual photographs. She did this so well that I wasn't quite sure if the photographs were actually just detailed drawings! The color is vibrant and vivid, even though most of these “scenes,” of course, take place during the night. If your child has any interest in space or they're curious about animals at night, she or he may enjoy this book.

Through the Night Sky is a beautifully illustrated books about, well, the night sky (big surprise there). It’s also filled with interesting facts, though it also feels a bit scattered and random, both in terms of text and visually.

The book covers several topics, including but not limited to the nocturnal habits of a barn owl, the bioluminescence of fireflies, navigation via stars and moon by dung beetles, the northern and southern lights, moon phases and eclipses, constellations, meteors and comets, and the solar system. While there is a common thread of night and sky there, the shifts can sometimes feel a bit abrupt and there is little sense of cohesion to the work as a whole. On the other hand, the individual elements are nicely done—informative, concise, and as noted, enhanced with lovely illustrations. Some of the textual randomness creeps in here as well though, thanks to how little bits of text are scattered across the pages, lending a “busy” feel to the pages. The language is clear, probably aimed at older young children (if that makes sense), and well-written. It’s definitely prose though, with little lyrical style to it.

I’d call this a “good” book rather than an “excellent one” (which is unusual for DK, which are almost entirely excellent across the board), thanks to that scattered feel textually and visually, and because I think the subject matter could have done with a bit more poetic language here and there.

What an amazingly beautifully illustrated book which shines a light on the magical events that take place on the earth and in the sky during the dark hours between sunset and dawn!
A series of wonderful stories.. tracking a colony of bats, watching whales swimming through Arctic waters under the glow of the Northern Lights, and more!
We learn so many facts about the nocturnal animals, celestial objects, and much more.
A book you’ll want to revisit often!

Many thanks to my Goodreads friend Cheri for making me aware of this book, I want all my grandchildren to have a copy of this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and DK Publishing for the ARC!

This book was very informative on the various aspects of light on our planet and beyond. The text includes information about nocturnal animals, space, nature-created lights, plants, the moon, constellations, and a host of other light-related topics. I loved the illustrations which included a combination of photographs and illustrations, allowing the reader to view the authentic item in an illustrated background. Each section provided content information with the addition of labels, captions, and text boxes which helps the reader better grasp the information being shared. This book covers a wealth of topics, therefore it is appealing to a large group of readers. Kids would love to read this book as they not only learn about light, but can enjoy the interesting illustrations and photographs.

I wasn’t really prepared by how beautiful this book is to look at, or the levels of information for all ages that it shares.

For younger children, there is a lot of information included, which offers the opportunity to revisit this story, and the various bits and pieces of information provided – especially for very young children. This is separated into different “sections” offering an introduction to the magically beautiful wonders of the Night Sky all over the world, and can be appreciated from the youngest to the eldest. This reminded me of a night when I was very young, and our family was in Stroudsburg, PA, and my father took me for a walk, and at one point kneeled low to the ground to be able to take my arm to point it at the various constellations.

Even the Contents page is beautiful, with illustrations of various night scenes all made into one lovely view of the night sky, from the barn owl and fireflies, to the stars, the night flowers and then to the Moon, sharing simple answers about the changing shape of the Moon, and a total solar eclipse, as well as a partial eclipse, as well as the history of man’s response. Celebrations of the “New Year,” how it is celebrated in various places around the world, the difference in time zones depending on where you are in the world.

There’s so much to this book, which can be enjoyed by children of all ages, some for just the pictures, and for older ones, for the understanding they’ll gain. For parent and child alike, the illustrations will make for a perfect way to share the beauty of our planet and all that is beyond.

Special thanks to Mischenko, whose review prompted me to read this. Mischenko’s review can be read here:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Pub Date: 08 Sept 2020


Many thanks for the ARC provided by DK publishing

#ThroughtheNightSky #NetGalley

Another reliably good DK title. This is a fun browser for kids, with lovely illustrations and a nice variety of topics addressed. Will purchase for my library.

This is a beautiful book that explores the night in a way that normally one doesn't actually get a chance to explore it. As such the book not only explores the concept of the night sky but also elements that make the night the night whether it is on the ground, up in space or anywhere else between it.

The creativity image of the book is given to the reader straight from the start with the Table of Contents. And I have to say it is probably one of the most beautiful layouts ever with the Contents spread over two pages. Each chapter is placed in a position that is relevant to the subject the chapter is focused on and a dotted line connects each to the next.

The chapters themselves are brief and instead of focusing on providing large paragraphs of information there is a nice size paragraph to introduce the chapter but then the rest of the information is provided in small bite-size captions. As a result the book can be broken-down into small stories for each night for younger children or read through from cover-to-cover.

But the most winning point besides the writing was the illustrations. The book is brightly colored, detailed and a mix of both artwork as well as photography. As a result the book would be a gorgeous addition as well as an informative one to any library whether it be to a public library, a school one or even one for your own personal library.

**Please note I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review**

Through the Night Sky offers a non-fiction narrative of different short entries about things that happen in the night. From what animals do, to bits and pieces about space to solar eclipses, comets, and the northern lights. This is the perfect book for young readers who love little snippets of facts about different subjects, especially science.

Perhaps my favorite part of this book is the way the pictures are laid out throughout this book. They are a mix of layered media art with photographs, painted collages similar to Eric Carle's work, and splatter paints. I was amazed by the beauty in these pages and could look through them over and over again.

A solid 4.5 stars for this non fiction children's book. Perfect for little scientists in the making ages 6 - 10.

A lovely book that explores the world and outer space at night - everything from owls to nocturnal animals, the northern and southern lights, the moon and the solar system and much more. The illustrations are truly gorgeous.

In Through the Night Sky, children learn about some of the events that are happening on Earth at night with owls and other night creatures, to trees like the Baobab, and even events like the lunar eclipse. Visit the solar system and other celestial bodies in space, while learning about meteors and space travel.

It was hard to read this book in one sitting because it’s literally jam-packed with facts, and my daughter and I continuously paused for conversation. There’s so much to learn here, but the facts are told in a short, condensed format and it doesn’t get too deep in detail. The illustrations are beautiful, realistic, captivating, and come alive on the pages, transporting you to each place.

In my experience, the book itself (with the way it’s organized) is a bit busy for young readers, which is another reason why I revisited the book with my 6-year-old daughter multiple times. This is a great book to pull out at bedtime and one to keep on the shelf!

5****

Through the Night Sky is a nonfiction text, that is written in a way that lends to a read aloud with students, but could also be used for fact finding. The
Contents page layout is done in an interesting way and the incorporation of text and images is visually appealing.

The collage type illustrations were interesting. I could see them appealing to middle grade (junior) students as a bridge between the look of a traditional picture book illustration and a typical nonfiction text with photograph images.

I was provided a free digital copy of this text for an honest review.

This is a beautiful book! It is full of beautiful pictures and wonderful information that will help children learn about planets, astronomy, plants and animals. It will make learning fun. Thank you DK via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Through the Night Sky is a fun and engaging book. The descriptions in the book about the different animals, plants, planets help in furthering the knowledge of the world around us. The illustrations also help and make the book more accessible to those children that may be intimidated with reading a nonfiction book.

A Pretty, Random Picture Book

This is a fine picture book as long as you realize that it is not an astronomy book, or even much of a science book. It is, literally, a "look at the pretty sky" book.

So, we see an owl out hunting at night and learn a few facts about owls. We see lightning bugs and learn a bit about how their lights light up. Dung Beetles somehow use the Milky Way to go in straight lines. We don't really find out what the Milky Way is. We see a dark midday during a solar eclipse, but don't quite get an explanation of how a solar eclipse works. We look at a very nice representation of the Northern Lights, but don't get to understand the dynamic behind the appearance of the aurora. A Giant Baobab tree flowers on one night of the year. And so on.

That's fine. It's a bit random - Dung Beetles and then Halley's Comet and then planets you can't see in the sky with the naked eye - but that's O.K. for a picture book. I'm just not sure who I'd read it to, or read it with.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)