Books on Stars for Kids

Preschool

• "Glow-in-the-Dark Constellations" by C.E. Thompson shows young kids how to locate specific stars throughout the year. Sky maps and glow-in-the-dark illustrations are two of its helpful resources. This is an entertaining read-aloud book for pre-readers. Bob Crelin's "There Once Was a Sky Full of Stars" is an excellent bedtime story. The text beautifully describes the night sky. In addition, it introduces children to the concept of light pollution and discusses possible solutions. In "Jump Into Science: Stars," by Steve Tomecek, the apparent motion, relative distance and tremendous heat of stars are explained.

Early Elementary

• Jacqueline Mitton's "Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations" describes animal-shaped star groupings, such as Little Bear and Great Bear, the Dragon and the Dog. Beautiful paintings incorporate metallic stars to illustrate the text. In "The Big Dipper," by Franklyn M. Branley, a young girl shows children how to identify stars in the night sky. The simple vocabulary and many illustrations allow early readers to follow along independently. "Stargazers" by Gail GIbbons sets astronomy in a historical context for youngsters.

Middle Elementary

• The long title of "A Child's Introduction to the Night Sky: The Story of the Stars, Planets, and Constellations--and How You Can Find Them in the Sky," by Michael Driscoll, signals the massive amount of information presented in the book. Although it covers other bodies in the night sky, such as planets and meteors, the focus is on stars. The book explains the work of astronomers and describes how children can view the stars themselves. Ann Love's book, "The Kids Book of the Night Sky," is a thorough reference book. It includes games, directions for keeping an astronomical log, seasonal star maps and historical star myths.

Late Elementary

• "Find the Constellations" by H.A. Rey -- author of the Curious George books -- takes older kids on a tour of the night sky. Many well-known constellations, such as Orion and the Little Dipper, are illustrated. Kids learn tips on how to locate the star groupings. In "The Lives of Stars," Ken Croswell explains how stars are created, what types of stars exist and how they are extinguished. The text is accompanied by both artistic illustrations and actual space-telescope images. The author includes a glossary that organizes and defines the technical terms used.