Exoplanets

January 1, 2018

Gr 3-5-Carefully tailoring his presentation to keep it from dating too rapidly, the veteran science explainer surveys one of the hottest areas of discovery in astronomy today. After opening with a definition of the "Goldilocks" zone (the area in which habitable exoplanets must orbit in order to be not too hot, not too cold, etc.), he goes on to mention the ingenious methods by which "more than several thousand" exoplanets have been spotted, describes what can be deduced about them from observational evidence, then closes with ruminations about why both the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) that has been going on since 1960 and the more recent Breakthrough Listen project have failed to elicit any signs of civilizations beyond our own. He offers only a handful of specific examples, and misleadingly claims that Breakthrough Listen "was begun" by Stephen Hawking (who is a supporter, not a founder), but thin spots are inevitable in such a quick survey. More problematically, though the big space photos and artists' conceptions pop nicely, several, notably a blurry representation of what it would be like to walk through a nebula and an abstract stream of filaments captioned "Listening to space," are just filler that is more likely to leave viewers confused than informed. VERDICT An adequate, if not exemplary, introduction to the topic for readers a grade or two away from being ready for Karen Latchana Kenney's more richly informative Exoplanets: Worlds Beyond Our Solar System.-John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2017
Grades 3-6 Simon, a stalwart of nonfiction books for children, offers a far-reaching volume on the thrilling new search for potentially habitable exoplanets in our galaxy. Page-filling photos and illustrations of planets and stars appear next to cogent paragraphs explaining what exoplanets are, scientists' theories about them, how they are discovered, and what they indicate about the potential for intelligent extraterrestrial life. In a tone that never talks down to his readers, he explains many complex conceptssuch as the variety of factors that can contribute to habitability on an exoplanet, or the methods scientists have developed for detecting planetsusing an approachable combination of scientific terminology and casual descriptive language. Readers will surely be dazzled by the artwork of faraway planets and nebulae, but the information is just as exciting, particularly the still-uncertain outcome of many current efforts, including trying to contact intelligent extraterrestrial life. Ending with an emphasis on the importance of embracing curiosity, asking questions, and seeking answers, this well-designed volume will pique the interest of kids curious about our place in the universe.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)