The Stars: A New Way to See Them

This was the book, in 5th grade, that set me on to astronomy, and then, in turn, to all of science. Rey's unique way of "connecting the dots" makes the night sky easy to learn in ways that no astronomy guide before or since can match.

Years ago my eldest child was on an astronomy kick. She loved looking up at the stars and picking out constellations. Supportive parents that we were, we encouraged her interest, taking her to astronomy club star parties and buying her a few (affordable) astronomy things, including this book. The Stars is a beginner's guide to astronomy, explaining in simple terms the basics of watching the skies and illustrating the constellations in a simple fashion to help a budding astronomer learn to pick them out. There's also a section which gets a bit more technical, talking about meridians and declinations and all those things that made me avoid astronomy magazines even though I love science fiction. But since the whole book is illustrated by show more H. A. Ray, the creator of Curious George, even those pages are worth reading. Or trying to read, at least. Anyway, this one is worth checking out if for no other reason than to learn your basic astronomy.
--J. show less

This is simply the best stargazing book there is. Written for children and adults, it makes things so simple, but never talks down.

My favorite astronomy book of all time. Understandable, entertaining, and highly readable, this book spawned my ever-growing interest in astronomy.

Great book for a beginning astronomer of any age. No jargon just easy to understand terms.

Great first book for Stargazing

One of the easiest ways to visualize constellations.