Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations - Hardcover

Mitton, Jacqueline

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0792263324 ISBN 13: 9780792263326

Publisher: National Geographic Kids, 2004

Synopsis

National Geographic’s stunning rendition of the constellations’ glittering lightshow is now available in paperback.

Take an illuminating ride through the starry night sky, and learn how the heavens pay tribute to the gods of Greek and Roman mythology. Once Upon a Starry Night explains the ten ancient figures whose legends are written large across the universe. Every page shines with Christina Balit’s vibrant art, studded with shiny stars, and provides the perfect backdrop to Jacqueline Mitton’s poetic text.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Jacqueline Mitton holds an MA in Physics from the University of Oxford and a Doctorate in Astrophysics from the University of Cambridge. She lives in London, England.

Christina Balit studied at the Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art in England. Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Royal Festival Hall. Her illustrations grace Zoo in the Sky and The Planet Gods also by Jacqueline Mitton.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. Similar in format to Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations (1998), this companion volume presents a series of 10 constellations and briefly retells the Greek myths related to them. Each of the main double-page spreads introduces a figure, such as Cassiopeia, Lyra, or Hercules, using a few short paragraphs of text and three-quarter page illustrations in glowing colors. Some of the tales relate to one another in a sequence, while others are told separately. Although the stories are quite short, Mitton's vivid word choices make the text as dynamic as Balit's striking pictures. Partly abstract and partly representational, the artwork features bold figures of mythological characters with silver-foil stars highlighting the points of light that make up the constellations. The final pages offer information about the stars, nebulae, galaxies, and constellations and give astronomical descriptions of the constellations featured. On the endpapers, star maps of the northern and southern skies show the featured constellations in red on black. A lively introduction. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: National Geographic Kids
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0792263324
• ISBN 13: 9780792263326
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32