A gorgeously illustrated introduction to constellations, their beginnings, and the future of the universe. Many of the graphics are actual pictures, rather than illustrations, which is especially compelling. There are good tie-ins to geography and the arts, with information about other countries and craft projects. Recommended for upper elementary, but with help, it's a great resource for younger kids as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book for beginner sky gazers, specifically geared towards children. It is well put together and very informative.

Who doesn’t get entranced looking up at the stars? Whether you’re searching for constellations or imagining blasting off from Earth to found the first settlement on Mars, the night sky gets your imagination rolling. And you have much more knowledge to work with if you’ve read up on the objects you’re gazing at.

That’s where Sky Gazing comes in. The author walks you through the solar system and then the universe, explaining each type of celestial object along the way. She provides fun activities for kids like charting the moon right from their own backyard, designing their own solar system, and making up new constellations from the stars they can see. The book also includes star stories from all over the world.

Sky Gazing is beautifully illustrated with images and drawings of the night sky, stars, planets, galaxies, and more.

Sky Gazing is perfect for middle school readers who dream of becoming astronauts, but also for those who just want to learn more about the universe around them.

I received a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

A great tool for both teachers and astronomy enthusiast.

This book merges a beautifully crafter design, illustrations and real life images and pictures with a huge amount of well presented information for both beginners and amateurs on the field of astronomy or plain and simple star gazing.

A great source of knowledge that includes a comprehensive observation of the information, taking into account the difference between the north and south hemispheres, the seasons and even the physical characteristics of the surroundings of the observer, as well as including a interesting list of addition resources and information (like the eclipse calendar for the coming years all around the globe)

Teachers of science and social studies, will find the book extremely helpful for class planning, since each few pages there are set of challenges, task or experiments to enforce the knowledge presented and that would have the young (or even the old) readers entertained (there is even a star gazing notebook or astronomy log!)

An ARC of the book was kindly provided by Negalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful book! Just perfect for the budding astronomer or just the casually curious. Great for kids, homeschoolers, and adults too. Colorful illustrations. Covers an extensive range of topics in just the right level of detail to engage readers. I'll be buying a copy of this for myself and for the kids in my life. (minor note: a shame the map on pages 10-11 cut off part of Australia and all of New Zealand, both homes to important Dark Sky areas.)

This book is full of a ton of awesome information! It was written to jump around in - chapters cover the sky, the moon, the sun, planets, and stars and constellations. There are projects to make, instructions on looking for things, and easily digestible info on how/why/where things are in the sky.
This book was geared towards kids, but I think anyone with an interest in learning more could find it helpful and useful, and the information written in a way that is fun an easy to understand.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sky Gazing is a great guide to everything astronomy. If you want to learn about stars or the planets, grab this book! It's such a great guide with lots of information packed in it. I found it super knowledgable and I think a lot of middle graders all the way up to adults can appreciate the information and pictures provided.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This non-fiction children book is excellent. I recommend it for all curious children, especially if the like space. Suitable even for some grown enthusiasts. There is a lot of information about the moon, planets, constellations, and how to observe them. Also, where and when you can do that. There are also a few tasks that you can do: like keeping a sky journal, moon diary, or making a flashlight that protects your night vision. There are a lot of excellent illustrations that explain different events in the sky and space.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own.

I received an advance reader copy of Sky Gazing: A Guide to the Moon, Sun, Planets, Stars, Eclipses, and Constellations to read in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley and Storey Publishers.

Meg Thacher did an impressive job with the organization of the book and the depth of information she provided! She excels at writing content that is understandable to the audience it’s intended (9-14 years old) and is also appealing to adults.

The book is organized into the following sections/chapters
* the sky
* the moon
* the sun
* the planets
* the stars and constellations

Thatcher provides an overview of the topic within each chapter, providing eye-catching call outs for defining terms. She provides activity ideas like starting a sky journal and includes a list of supplies and what your sky journal should consist of. I especially appreciated the information regarding best times for sky gazing, calendars of full moons and eclipses, and even directions for using your hands and fingers as a cosmic protractor! We are keen to try her directions for making a red flashlight for night vision.
Thatcher gives excellent details around looking for constellations and the months to find them in the sky for seasonal sky gazing. As a visual learner, I found her visual depiction of a star’s life cycle extremely useful.

The Appendix is filled with essential charts and dates of eclipses, meteor showers, buying binoculars,etc. and a thorough glossary of terms.

As a homeschooling mom, I cannot say enough about this book. Besides the valuable information covered in this book’s text, she includes beautiful and relevant illustrations. My teenagers and my middle-school-aged son all loved reading this book. We plan to incorporate this book into our homeschool curriculum. If you enjoy using Unit Studies in your homeschool, you will find that this book will exceed a unit study. We plan to focus on the learning content over a semester and continue to refer to it monthly as we sky gaze! Oh, and I also love that the book has a hardcover, perfect for a resource book that will likely get a lot of use and even spend some time outside on clear nights, so having a sturdy cover is appreciated.

Skygazing will be released on October 13, 2020. It is a fantastic resource that belongs in every homeschool and school library. We will be referring to it often throughout our school year.

It is a beautiful book. It has stunning pictures of our solar system and our galaxy.
Although astronomy uses big telescopes this book familiarises reader with celestial objects we can observe with naked eyes.
Provided we reduce light pollution and see in right direction.
It shows stunning views of milky way, moon, aurora borealis and moon.
It has informative captions. A real treat for astronomy buffs.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
This is a really good and pretty complete guide to observing the elements of the sky! I love how it explains everything well, has A LOT of pictures and models, and gives plenty of useful tips to observing different things in the sky. In theory this is all a child needs for basic knowledge in the various topics, and as a teacher student that will teach students from 6-13 years old, this will be a great tool to have! I also really enjoyed the star-stories from different parts of the world!

A shining star of a book. Packed full of interesting facts and beautifully illustrated. Suitable for all ages, not too high brow for children, not overly simplified for adults. This hits just the right balance. Love it and I learned a lot of things I didn’t (or thought) I knew. Now I really understand the phases of the moon!

Beautiful illustrations. Very informative. The cover of the book is simply beautiful and I think it is suitable for lots of different ages.

You only have to look up to see the incredible wonders of the sky…the moon, the sun, the stars, sometimes a planet. The sky is its own world of magic. Sky Gazing is all about getting children to step outside and observe the wonders of the sky. This read doesn’t just tell children about the sky, it provides activities and suggestions to get them to actively engage with the sky.

Sky Gazing is beautifully presented and makes some quite complex subjects accessible to younger readers. Even as an adult I found myself learning plenty and I came away feeling that I had a better understanding of the sky than I did before. What I really like is that it doesn’t just focus on the night sky and it looks at both the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

Told over five chapters; the sky, the moon, the sun, the planets, the stars and constellations are all explored in detail. Each chapter features detailed, annotated and labelled diagram, explanations and key information, and practical activities for children to try. A delightful little star-shaped character called Star Dude regularly pops up to add key facts and snippets of information.

My favourite parts are the ‘Astronomy Notebook’ and the ‘Try It’. The 'Astronomy Notebook' provides activities and guides on things children can do to become more familiar with the sky. Children are encouraged to start a Sky Journal and then record all manner of observations. They can be a weather watcher, make a moon diary, keep tabs on the sun, design a solar system and star constellations.

‘Try It’ provides fabulous activities that children can do to help them further their understanding of the sky. There are instructions for making a cosmic protractor to measure distances, a red flashlight to protect their night vision, a star wheel, a scale model of the solar system and a pinhole projector. Children can then dance the footsteps of the moon, recreate a human solar system (if you can find enough people to take part) and practice navigating using the stars.

In each chapter a comic strip provides a simplified explanation that details the birth/creation of a particular feature of the sky. There is a ‘Special Event’ that will surely fill children with excitement and pique curiosity. The 'Special Events' include the aurora borealis (northern lights), a lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse, a great comet and a meteor shower. At the end of each chapter there is a ‘Look Closer’ feature which is all about using binoculars to get closer to the sky. There are practical tips for using binoculars and what to observe.

At the back of the book there is a detailed glossary and plenty of extra resources. Readers will find a Meteor Shower Calendar, dates of future eclipses, further information on using binoculars and what to spot with them and there is an extensive list of additional resources to learn about the sky including books, podcasts, magazines, websites and apps.

Sky Gazing is fun on a galactic scale, it really is a super-star of a book. A sun-sational read for any child who wonders about the sky. Whether children want to understand the complexities of the sky or just want some fun activities to do, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers and is essential reading for any budding astronomers.

Recommended for 8+.

Sky Gazing is due for release late September/early October 2020.

With thanks to Netgalley and Storey Publishing for the advanced reader copy.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Sky Gazing is an amazing book covering everything I could think of within its beautiful, eye catching pages. This is a book every school library needs to have on its shelves and is a fantastic book for moon and space lovers as well as educational too.

I enjoyed the constellations part immensely and loved seeing real pictures of so many different things instead of just drawings and illustrations.

This is such a great book and I urge anyone who likes space to read it ASAP!

This is an awesome book! Great illustrations and activities and lots and lots about the sky above us. So informative!

I love this book. The detailed explanations are easy to understand and they made me want to learn more. I love how it speaks to every age rather than to a niche. I particularly like the illustrations, photos and activities included. This book would be cherished by everyone in a family and would be a wonderful gift for every parent and child, especially if they are all interested in space and science.

As a member of the NBGS Selection Committee, I am unable to offer feedback at this time. This book is still under review for the list.

Let me start my review by saying Sky Gazing by Meg Thacher is the most complete astronomy reference book I have found to date! I was surprised at the breadth of knowledge included in this book. I was originally excited to share this material with my granddaughter as she is obsessed with the moon and stars and thought it might be a fun teaching tool. It was all of that and so much more. I was sucked in to this book and didn't put it down until I reached the last page. It includes beautiful photos as well as illustrations that help educate the reader on the topics included from the sun and moon to planets and stars and so much more. The author even includes calendar events, constellation stories and the science behind light events such as rainbows and aurora's. I have been interested in astrophotography lately, and found myself reading more and more to understand what I was trying to capture with my photos. Originally thinking this book was for children as it is recommended for ages 9-14, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my 4 year old would understand some of it and I too, would benefit greatly in my quest for astronomy knowledge in this easy to read, (and comprehend!) offering. In closing, I'd like to thank Netgalley and Storey Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'll be waiting for publication to grab a copy of this wonderful book!

Wow what a beautiful book. This book is a must for anyone who loves gazing at the sky. Full of beautiful pages and the information on each page is fab! The text is easy to read to. This book is really lovely and I have enjoyed reading it and its one I shall look out for. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.