Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Our Galaxy: A First Adventure in Space by Sue Lowell Gallion

I enjoy books with a slightly different twist, and today's read has exactly that. This book can be pulled around to form a globe on its stand and represents Earth. Each page should hold information about the planet and, I'm assuming, hold colorful illustrations. It sounds fun and interesting, so let's see if it is.




OUR GALAXY
A First Adventure in Space
by Sue Lowell Gallion
Illustrated by Lisk Feng
Phaidon  Press
Board Book Nonfiction
26 pages
ages 2 to 5


COMING...
OCTOBER 15th!!!









A poetic read-aloud introduction to space for readers aged 2-5 years that, when opened and folded back, creates a freestanding galactic globe, fastened by a magnetic closure.
Children are invited to explore space for the first time through rhyming verse and exquisite illustrations: from the Moon and the Sun they see every day, to the fiery and icy worlds of the eight planets in our solar system, and from asteroids and stars, to the galaxy we call home.
Secondary text offers more detailed information and facts, encouraging readers to learn not only about the celestial objects in our solar neighbourhood, but also about rockets, rovers, and other space technologies.
This informative homage to our galactic home, featuring frame-worthy art, is sure to inspire readers to explore the night sky and to learn more about astronomy.
GOODREADS   /    PHAIDON


MY TIDBITS

Visually pleasing and holding quite a bit of atmosphere as well as information, this read soars into space and inspires.

This is one of those reads, which will have young space fans' hearts beating faster. It's unique shape and ability to open up into a globe form of Earth is a definite plus point, It makes it fun to peer between each set of pages and see the information inside, since it's standing there. The entire thing is brightly illustrated and works in balance with the text to make the information understandable, while also inviting readers to gaze at the scenes and dream of space.

The text is divided into two halves: a rhyming, short one to be read aloud, and next to it, a concise paragraph with information and explanations. The rhyming text allows young readers to sink into the joy of space, while doing a light exploration of moons, planets, sun, rotations and more. This stays very light, allowing a more general atmosphere to come across. The rhyming and word choices are fine, but not what makes this read. The information on the other side is stronger and dives into the subject just enough for young listeners to enjoy, who are ready for the facts. It is a bit heavy for the intended age group, but will delight slightly older ones, ages 4 to 9. And I'm tending to want to slide this read up to that group, in general.

It's a nicely thought-out book, especially for groups or classrooms, who are covering a theme in this direction.


And here they are...

Sue Lowell Gallion is an award-winning children’s book author based in Kansas City. She is the author of Phaidon’s Our World: A First Book of GeographyOur Seasons: The World in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn, and Our Underwater World: A First Dive into Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers among others.

Lisk Feng is an award-winning illustrator from China. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014 with an MFA in Illustration and has since worked as a commercial illustrator for clients such as The New YorkerNew York Times, and Chanel.

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