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I am 12 years old and I am interested in astronomy. Exploring the World of Astronomy by John Hudson Tiner is a well written book about astronomy from a Christian perspective. I learned through reading this book that it is well formatted, the information is easy to apply to the real world, and that many people will enjoy this book.

This book was well written and well designed for learning, as you can see in the format and content of the book. I appreciate that to find out about a certain topic, all I have to do is look in the table of contents and it tells the different chapter names and page numbers.  This was helpful when I wanted to learn about telescopes before reading the book cover to cover. As well, at the start of each chapter there are important questions listed to the side on a clipboard image. This helps the reader to focus on important details as they read the chapter. Pictures of different planets, telescopes, and diagrams really helped me understand what the author was explaining. There are questions at the end of each chapter, and an answer guide at the end of the book, which makes it easy to see what you learned throughout the chapter.

One of my favourite things about this book is how I could apply it to real life. For example, in my favourite chapter, the chapter on Saturn, I learned that scientists such as Galileo originally thought that Saturn’s rings were not rings, but that Saturn was a really weird shape like a sphere with two fuzzy blobs on either side like handles (chapter 5 pg. 55). The telescopes that Galileo used weren’t powerful enough to see the shape of Saturn clearly. The book says that Saturn can be spotted with an amateur telescope. When I spotted Saturn and looked at it through my telescope I could not see the space between Saturn and its rings until I changed the lens to a higher power lens.  Then I could clearly see the space between Saturn and it’s ring. That was amazing to see! In each chapter the author talks about what can be spotted with the unaided eye, or with an amateur telescope.

For example, in the chapter on the moon the book talks about the things you can see with the unaided eyes and how to spot the different craters on the moon (chapter 1 pg.7 and 8). At the end of each chapter there is an Explore More section which has some activities you can do like researching something that you learned about in that chapter. I find when I read something and then apply it to life, I remember that fact longer, so this is really helpful.

Is this book right for you? Exploring the World of Astronomy is an outstanding book that is great for kids ages 10-14. For kids who want an introduction to astronomy this is a perfect starting point to this topic. For those who are already interested in astronomy there is so much more to learn in this book. There are new things to discover in every chapter! When I was reading this book alongside one of my parents, they were also learning a lot. Although this book is best for readers 10-14, readers of all ages can enjoy it, too!

Exploring the World of Astronomy is organized in an easy to understand format, applies to real life, and is an enjoyable read. I highly recommend this book!

Paperback, 171 pages, black and white illustrations, $15.00

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Joanna Bain
September 2020

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