Discovery Spaceopedia

Discovery Spaceopedia, suitably for ages 6-106, is a wonderful font of information for everything and anything the average person wants to know about space. From basic information on our earth's atmosphere, to fun facts like the oldest or coldest object in the solar system, readers are sure to find something in there to intrigue or awe them.

A fun book to browse by yourself, or explore with your first-grader, its filled with beautiful pictures and "Ask Hakeem" snippets that helpfully answer basic questions like "Why is the sky blue?" Our household particularly enjoyed the sections on the Mars Rovers, comets, and star qualities.

Discovery Spaceopedia is well worth the price, as its something you can easily pick up and browse the pages for years to come.

Disclaimer: Received a copy of this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a visually excitingg science book kids and adults will enjoy sharing--amazing photos, fun facts, and up-to-date information on Pluto's new status in our solar system as a dwarf planet. Teachers and librarians who need new science materials on outer space will appreciate the comprehensive information in an attractive format--just right for curious students.

Packed with excellent photos and facts, the Discovery Spaceopedia covers everything from the life cycle of stars to NASA technology that is now used on Earth. The organization makes it easy to find specific topics by using the table of contents or the "At a Glance" page that begins each section. There are plenty of helpful charts, diagrams, captions, and sidebars. Definitions of unfamiliar words appear in a small text box shaped like an open book. The back matter includes suggestions of science centers to visit and activities to try.

One of the features that I thought was very helpful was the way comparisons were made. For example, the heat of the sun is compared to a hot summer day, a barbecue grill, and a volcano to illustrate the difference in the intensity of the heat. In another section, the rotation of planets is compared to things that spin such as tops or merry-go-rounds. The use of familiar objects as a basis for the comparisons makes them easier to grasp.

There will be something to catch the interest of almost any reader among the topics that are covered. Constellations, stars, planets, asteroids, rockets, space missions, astronauts, telescopes, the space station...it really does cover nearly everything related to space. If a reader is most interested in black holes and supernovae, they are pictured and explained. or, if a reader prefers to learn about astronaut training and things like the "Vomit Comet" and coping with microgravity, that is covered, too.

Whether you read straight through from cover to cover, or sample here and there as something catches your eye - it will be an enjoyable experience either way. It is a great book for introducing concepts that will be studied in more depth, either by an individual or a class. I plan to add a copy of this title to my school's library.

Not only was this a lot of fun for the kids, but it was fun for me too! If you have a child in your life that you are trying to teach science to, this will be a great tool that will help keep them interested. There are a ton of fun facts here with supporting pictures. Even I, as and adult, learned a lot of things that I didn't know.

This would be a great book to share with the school-aged child in your life or for a teacher's classroom. If you haven't checked out this book yet, I encourage you to do so. It really is a great learning tool and a lot of fun!

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a marvelous book. The illustrations are incredible and cram in an amazing amount of information. What impressed me most is that, even with all the information, you don’t go crazy trying to read it. It’s laid out so that you can read one section at a time without having to flip back and forth over pages or other sideboxes. The kids are going to love this book.