What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky

What a lovely book! I can't imagine anyone not being in awe of the night sky. It holds beauty and fascination for me. What We See in the Stars helps make the night sky accessible to most ages, offering a visual guide, science, myths, and maps to help understand what that infinite expanse holds. And the art! Did I mention the art?! Kelsey Oseid's chosen color palette fits the subject perfectly. The lines and brush strokes convey the depth and vastness, helping convey the elements the text illuminates. A great introduction for children, a wonderful review for adults, this book is a happy find.

Thank you to Blogging for Books and the publishers for sending me my copy.

I could not have imagined receiving this as an e-reader. There is such a large takeaway from the physical book that it would not serve it any justice. The presence of this book is simply exquisite. Such a fun and easy read that I breezed through it, while also taking the time to appreciate each illustrated page. To my amazement, the hard cover and spine are gorgeous. The rich blue tones, the simple brush strokes in the artistic rendering of the night sky, the illuminating silver foil lettering… each in their own way are such a great touch. Within are beautifully illustrated pages with summarized insight of the history, science and myths behind the starlit canopy above us.

Don’t let the cover misguide you, this book also covers the show more Milky Way, our solar system, the Sun and the phases of the moon. It is well researched and has surprisingly sparked my interest in furthering my exploration of mythology. I do feel it would be proper for school aged children to read. Some of the text is quite dense however, so a younger child may need some assistance.

I am fortunate to live in an area that isn’t drowned by artificial light. In fact, there isn’t a single street light in sight. The night sky above me on a clear night can truly take your breath away. I look forward to identifying some of the lesser known constellations found within the book when stargazing with our telescope. I also look forward to introducing this book to the curious minds of my children and hope they too share my passion for the vast universe that surrounds us.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

https://juliedavide.wordpress.com/2017/10/24/what-we-see-in-the-stars-by-kelsey-... show less

What We See in the Stars took me by surprise. Because I had not seen this book in person before its arrival on my doorstep, I really didn’t know what to expect. Let me tell you this… What We See in the Stars is a gorgeous book. The cover is richly illustrated with beautifully drawn constellations and specs of shimmery stars. It is heavy, it has a lot of content, and as I flipped through the pages, I knew I was in for a treat!

Go ahead… judge this book by its cover.

Admittedly, I am not a space buff but my husband is. But I could be! What We See in the Stars is the perfect introduction to so many elements of space and is written in such a way that genuinely piqued my interest. I could really get into this! And while there is a lot of show more content in these pages, it doesn’t get dry or boring. Meaning – there isn’t so much detail that it reads like some type of advanced Science book. What We See in the Stars is art and intro with a bang!

You’ll get a lot more out of What We See in the Stars than just the basics. Divided up into beautifully illustrated segments, the reader is taken on a journey through: the Constellations, the Milky Way, the Moon, the Sun, the Planets, Asteroids, Comets & Meteors, and Deep Space. And within each of these segments (chapters), Kelsey Oseid takes the reader down finer, more detailed paths – explaining and illustrating just how majestic our night’s sky truly is.

What We See in the Stars is the perfect gift for anyone who may have an interest in space or even just art. Young people, older people – this book is really for anyone. I even plan to share this one with my kiddo!

Thank you to Blogging for Books and Ten Speed Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. show less

What We See In The Stars is a wonderful book with a lot of good information laid out in an easy to read format, great for a beginner astronomer or someone who has taken an interest in astronomy.
​
Laid out in successive sections, the importance of astronomy and our understanding of the stars in laid out and written in common language accompanied by wonderful artistry. The stars are outlined in their importance in history, mythology, culture and science as well as our understanding of what lies beyond.

Through reading, I developed an understanding of how we see space from the Earth and how this has developed over time. I was surprised to learn that the Islamic people were among the first to name the stars and their names have been show more Latinized over time. I loved looking through Ptolemy's Constellations and learning their stories along with the stars that make them up and how they fit in with Greek mythology. The modern constellations added many constellations that I had no idea were recognized, such as the microscope, the telescope and the giraffe. The section of our own galaxy, the milky way was intriguing. There are beautiful depictions of the moon, it's phases, geologic features and seasonal names. This section also discusses the sun, seasons, eclipses and goes into detail about each planet.

A gorgeous book that encouraged me to get outside at night and look up to see what can be discovered. show less

In high school, I was an excellent student in every subject that had to do with Languages, Literature, History and so on and so forth. Maths was the very bane of my existence, Physics and Chemistry were very effective sleeping methods and once or twice, I ‘’fell asleep’’ while I was awake, overlooking the schoolyard. There were two exceptions, though. Biology and Technology. I’ve always been fascinated by the perfect way in which every living organism functions and Technology was always full of projects and projects were a cause for a feast for me. Now, one day, our Technology professor gave us an assignment that I have kept to this day, some 15-odd years later. She told us to create a project about the field of Science we show more loved most and I chose Astronomy. Not to blow one’s trumpet, but it was a blast and one of the finest (and thankfully, there were many) moments in high school.

Who doesn’t love gazing at the night sky? Especially when we’re away from our light- polluted cities (you who live in rural areas know that you have my eternal admiration and envy…) and the sky above us appears darker, richer, intimidating, endless and eternal. Watching documentaries and reading about Space makes you feel humble, it makes you realise that you are tinier than tiny, a speck of dust in the mysterious universe. Books such as this one should be ideal for those who wish to start reading about the planets, the constellations and all the magic that happens right above our heads and little gems for those of us who have read extensively on the subject.

Kelsey Oseid has created a lovely book that succeeds in being both aesthetically beautiful and extremely informative. Full of impressive sketches coloured in celestial blue, white and gold, the mythological figures that gave their names to the planets and the constellations come alive. It provides information on the myths, the stories and the scientists that made the most significant discoveries and observations. The readers learn all about the wonderful world above our heads, from the zodiac to the dwarf planets in a language that is clear, simple, but not simplistic. I don’t think it is suitable for children since there are quite a few scientific references and technology, but the teenagers will have no issues with it if they are interested in this glorious infinity we call Space. It is a jewel for every bookcase and a wonderful addition to the books that aim in making certain fields of Science more approachable to the laymen.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ show less

“What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky“ is a very enjoyable book for adults and kids alike that will take you on a journey across the night sky. It introduces the reader to the constellations, milky way, our solar system and other celestial phenomena with clear explanations about their behavior, interactions and mythological references.

Explanations are short and sweet, just enough science to understand what we are talking about without dwelling too deep into it. Instead, it focuses on old stories and the mythology that surrounds most things in space, which is something that kids, me and anyone else opting for the romantic side of space are more interested about. The simply explained terms, phenomena and show more mythological references make it a great choice as a first approach to astronomy for kids. It succeeds to keep the reader engaged instead of overwhelmed.

The more than 100 illustrations are also informative and can be enough for keeping the attention of very young children while older ones can also learn from the explanations. I can see this book as one of those you get as a kid but continue enjoying over the years. I got my eARC from NetGalley show less

4,4 stars

beautifully illustrated and informative. this is not a text book for an astronomy enthusiast, but a lovely recap of what people see, and have seen, in the stars.