Our Solar System Recommended Reading

 

The following is a list of recommended books, videos, and audio recordings that provide a wide range of reading and research resources for this unit. Collect as many as you can for your classroom science library, or provide the list to your school or local librarian.

 

The Sun’s Daily Pattern
 

The books listed below hold particular relevance to daily sun pattern lessons. They concern the sun and shadows, with two books about ancient astronomers learning about Earth as a sphere. Most are nonfiction books, although one suggests a poem, “My Shadow.”
 

A Child’s Garden of Verses

By Robert Louis Stevenson; illustrated by Alice and Martin Provenson. (1999, Golden Books)

Since their first appearance in 1885, the poems of Robert Louis Stevenson have engaged children’s sensibilities. This book includes the poem, “My Shadow.”

How We Learned the Earth is Round

By Patricia Lauber. (HarperCollins Publishers, 1990)

This book follows the development of the idea that Earth is a sphere, from early deductions by ancient Greeks to the explorations of Columbus and Magellan. Includes simple experiments for children to try with tools as simple as those available to ancient Greeks. Since this book is out of print, look for it in a library or as a used book.

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth

By Kathryn Lasky. (1994, Little, Brown and Company

The story of Eratosthenes, a Greek scholar of the third century B.C. who calculated the circumference of Earth with impressive accuracy by measuring shadows in two distant cities, measuring the distance between the cities, and using geometry. The children may need adult assistance if they want to understand why this method worked.

Shadows (Scholastic Science Readers)

By Carolyn B. Otto. (2001, Scholastic)

Easy-to-read text is combined with photographs to give children an introduction to what shadows are and why they change. Includes ideas for experiments using flashlights.

Shadows Everywhere (Hello Reader! Science, Level 2)

By Gina Shaw; illustrated by Joan Holub. (2002, Cartwheel Books)

Written for kindergarten through grade 2, this book illustrates very easy, yet fun, shadow activities for children to read about and do on their own.

Shadowy Science

By Jess Brallier; illustrated by Bob Staake. (2000, Planet Dexter)

An excellent, age-appropriate book packed with neat things children can do with shadows.

Sun-Day, Moon-Day: How the Week Was Made

By Cherry Gilchrist; illustrated by Amanda Hall. (1998, Barefoot Books)

The book explains how the names of the days of the week are associated with the sun, the moon, and the planets. Each entry is followed by a relevant story or myth representing a different tradition, including ancient Greek, Norse, Roman, Old English, and Babylonian cultures.

The Sun

By Michael George. (1998, The Child’s World, Inc.)

Incorporates photographs with easy-to-read text divided into chapters about the sun. The first half of the book covers topics relevant to the solar system unit, such as what makes day and night, the distance from the earth, and identifies the sun as a star. The second half of the book focuses on the sun’s energy and its effects on Earth.

The Way to Start a Day

By Byrd Baylor; illustrated by Peter Parnall. (1978, Simon and Schuster)

This Caldecott Honor Book shows how many different cultures (from Native Americans to ancient Egyptians) greet the morning sun.

The Sun’s Annual Pattern

This list includes more books about the sun and books about historical astronomers of medieval and Renaissance times.

Galileo

By Leonard Everett Fisher. (1992, Macmillan Publishing Company)

This age-appropriate book chronicles Galileo’s impact on the history of science. It is conveyed with bold simplicity in spare prose and striking black-and-white acrylic paintings.

Galileo and the Stargazers

By Jim Weiss. (1999, Greathall Productions)

Told by master storyteller Jim Weiss, this audio book turns historic icons of science into real people, with tales about Archimedes, Copernicus, Galileo, and Isaac Newton. A 2000 Parents’ Choice® Gold Award Winner.

Great Minds of Science

(Enslow Publishers, Inc.)

Books in this series feature several historical astronomers: Copernicus (by Catherine M. Ardronik, 2002), Galileo Galilei (by Paul W. Hightower, 1997), Isaac Newton (by Margaret J. Anderson, 2001), and Tycho Brahe (by Mary Gow, 2002). Written at an upper-elementary reading level, most are only available in hardcover.

Johannes Kepler: Giant of Faith and Science

By John Hudson Tiner; illustrated by Rod Burke. (1977, Mott Media)

This read-aloud book provides a good starting point for learning about the life of Kepler.

Starry Messenger: A Book Depicting the Life of a Famous Scientist, Mathematician, Astronomer, Philosopher, Physicist Galileo Galilei

By Peter Sis . (1996, Frances Foster Books)

In this Caldecott Honor book, the author-illustrator tells the story of Galileo’s life in language as simple as a fairy tale, in pictures as complex as a tapestry, and in Galileo’s own words. The first man to turn the telescope to the skies, Galileo offered objective evidence that Earth was not the fixed center of the universe, but that it orbited the sun.

The Sun

By Paulette Bourgeois; illustrated by Bill Slavin. (1999, General Distribution Services, Inc.)

An overview of the sun for independent readers. With both an index and glossary, this reference book also provides children with research skill building.

The Sun

By Seymour Simon. (1990, William Morrow and Company)

Presents the sun through over 20 dramatic, full-color photographs and clear text. Discusses the basics of the sun’s size, light and heat; also describes the constant nuclear explosions at its core, the sea of boiling gases that form the surface, and the cloud of superheated gases that make up the corona, plus sunspots and flares.

Our Moon’s Cycle

This list includes books and videos about the moon and about the Apollo space missions.

 

Videos
 

Bill Nye the Science Guy: Outer Space

Directed by Michael Gross III and Mitchell Friedman (1994, Disney Studios)

The first half the video is an episode about objects in space, including the size and scale of objects in the solar system. The second half focuses on the moon. In the first few minutes of the moon episode, Bill Nye models the causes of the moon’s cycle by walking a model moon around the bases of a baseball field, with Earth on home plate.

Newton’s Apple: Phases of the Moon (Episode 1503)

Produced by KCTA (1997, KCTA)

This video of a public television program contains other material unrelated to the moon or solar system. The second segment of this episode answers a viewer’s question, “How so we get the phases of the moon?” First the show demonstrates how Earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits Earth. Then it shows a scientist and the show’s host modeling the moon’s cycle.

Space Science for Children: All About the Moon

Produced and directed by JWM Productions, LLC (1999, Schlessinger Media)

A short segment in the middle of this video shows a child modeling the moon’s cycle using a ball as the moon, a light as the sun, and the child’s head as Earth.

 

Books
 

Midnight on the Moon (Magic Tree House Series #8)

By Mary Pope Osborne; illustrated by Sal Murdocca. (1996, Random House)

In this book, illustrated in black-and-white, the characters are whisked forty years forward in time and land at an international space station on the moon. There they don space suits and go exploring the lunar surface. Independent readers will find it easy to read.

The Moon (Eye on the Universe)

By Niki Walker and Bobbie Kalman. (1998, Crabtree Pub.)

Beautiful, full-color photographs help illuminate the lunar cycle, the moon’s surface, and its exploration by astronauts, as well as the effects it has on Earth. Each two-page spread highlights an interesting fact about the moon.

The Moon and You

By E. C. Krupp; illustrated by Robin Rector Krupp. (2000, HarperCollins Juvenile Books)

Set in a picture-book format, the straightforward, conversational text begins by briefly explaining the history, geography, orbit, phases, eclipses, gravity, and exploration of the moon. The second half of the book concerns various cultures’ moon legends and beliefs throughout history. Appropriate for grades 3-6, and a worthwhile supplement to traditional books on the moon.

Moonwalk: The First Trip to the Moon (Step into Reading, Step 4/Grades 2-4)

By Judy Donnelly; illustrated by Dennis Davidson. (1989, Random House)

The story of Apollo 11’s historic flight, from lift-off, through the famous line, “The Eagle has landed,” to splashdown and quarantine. Includes chapters on the history of the idea of flight to the moon, astronaut selection and training, and the flight’s effects on people in general.

What the Moon Is Like (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science, 2)

By Franklyn Mansfield Branley; illustrated by True Kelley. (2000, HarperTrophy)

Incorporates NASA photos and information gathered by the Apollo space missions, along with a description of how the moon’s composition, terrain, and atmosphere differ from Earth’s.

Spacebusters: the Race to the Moon (Level 3, Reading Alone)

By Philip Wilkinson. (1989, DK Publishing)

This story of Apollo 11’s trip to the moon starts with lift-off and finishes with splashdown and quarantine, with a short epilogue about the US space program in subsequent years. It conveys some of the suspense and drama of the event, including what the experience was like for the three astronauts.

 

Stars and Planets
 

The list below includes books to encourage children to continue learning about our solar system and beyond, including stars and planets, space, and space camp. Two books concern huge numbers and size.

All About Space (Scholastic First Encyclopedia)

By Sue Becklake. (1998, Scholastic Books)

Perfect for elementary-school children, a reference book that includes a table of contents, glossary, index, and “How to Use This Book.” Chapters include The Universe, The Solar System, Studying Space, and Space Travel. Each topic (e.g., the sun, Saturn, galaxy, astronomer, astronaut) is discussed in a two-page spread with full-color illustrations, including many photographs.

The Atlas of Space

By Jack Challoner. (2001, Copper Beech Books)

A comprehensive, illustrated reference guide for children that includes contents, glossary, index, and labeled maps and diagrams. Chapters include Watching the Sky, The Solar System, Deep Space, and Space Exploration.

Blasting Off to Space Academy (Ultimate Field Trip 5)

By Susan E. Goodman; photographs by Michael J. Dolittle. (2001, Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

Anecdotal storytelling and photos let readers join a group of kids who go to U.S. Space Academy for a week. They try on flight suits and the lives of training astronauts. They use NASA simulators and learn how to walk on the moon and how to work without gravity. Finally, they blast off on a mission of their own.

The Constellations: Stars and Stories

By Chris Sasaki. (2003, Sterling Publishing Co)

Recounts the stories behind 88 constellations easily identifiable in the clear night sky. Color visuals are accompanied by facts on how far stars really are, other interstellar phenomena, the history of every constellation and how they got their names, and the best way to search for stars.

Count to a Million

By Jerry Pallotta. (2003, Scholastic Inc.)

“If you can count to ten, you can count to one million. Welcome to the decimal system.” With these words on an opening page that pictures Earth in space, this book clearly presents and illustrates counting by the power of ten to reach 1,000,000.

Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?

By Robert E. Wells. (1993, Albert Whitman & Company)

With this book children think about some big things (like a blue whale), some bigger things (like the earth), and the biggest thing there is: the universe.

Night Sky (National Audubon Society First Field Guide)

By Gary Mechler. (1999, Scholastic Inc.)

Designed to help novices look at the night sky the way an astronomer does. The book is divided into four parts: What is Astronomy? How to Look at the Sky, field guide, and reference. Includes descriptions of objects in our solar system as well as numerous star maps.

One Small Square: The Night Sky

By Donald M. Silver; illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne. (1998, Learning Triangle Press)

Focuses on “one small square” of night sky around the constellation Orion. Discusses the stars’ colors, the Great Orion Nebula, the Milky Way galaxy, planets, comets, and the moon.

Our Solar System

By Seymour Simon. (1992, Morrow Junior Books)

With over 50 full-color photographs and clear text, describes the nine planets, dozens of moons, and thousands of asteroids, meteoroids, and comets that travel around our sun.

Postcards from Pluto: A Tour of the Solar System

By Loreen Leedy. (1993, Scholastic Inc.)

Lively and colorful illustrations provide a fun introduction to the solar system. Fictitious postcards from each planet can give children a creative impetus for their own reports.

Seeing Earth from Space

By Patricia Lauber. (1990, Orchard Books)

Vivid photos of Earth from space give readers a chance to soar away from our planet and view it as astronauts do. Text about how scientists use data collected by satellites may exceed the interest of elementary-age children, but the color photos make the book worth having in the Science Center.

The Sky is Full of Stars (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science, 2)

By Franklyn M. Branley; illustrated by Felicia Bond. (1981, HarperCollins Publishers)

Appropriate for independent readers or as a read-aloud book. Provides good illustrations and directions for finding constellations. Emphasizes that stars appear to move across the sky at night, and that at different times of year you will see different stars.

Space Explained: A Beginner’s Guide to the Universe

By Robin Scagell. (1996, Henry Holt and Company)

A reference book featuring 27 chapters on space, our solar system, the stars, the Milky Way, and other galaxies. Good illustrations and captions make it accessible to elementary-age children.

Stars

By Seymour Simon. (1986, William Morrow and Company)

In clear text and with over 20 full-color photographs, describes many varieties of stars, from red giants to white dwarfs, from the enormous explosions known as supernovas to tiny, extremely dense neutron stars. Also discusses nebulas, black holes, pulsars, and quasars.

The Storytelling Star: Tales of the Sun, Moon, and Stars

By James Riordan. (1999, Pavilion Books Limited)

A collection of myths and legends from ancient cultures around the world, including the Incas, Aztecs, Ancient Greeks, Chinese, and Native Americans. This book was particularly popular with the children of the Science Companion authors who were asked to read a handful of books about the solar system.