From Sputnik to Space Shuttle: Into the New Space Age

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5 ``Satellites are changing the way we live'' is Branley's theme (he says it twice); for a discussion aimed at such young readers, he's pleasantly specific about the capabilities, both of current satellites and those that are planned for the near future. The text's brevity results in some oversimplification (the Strategic Defense Initiative is presented as an offensive anti-satellite system) and gives Branley's occasional editorial comments a higher profile, but children who don't understand orbits might after reading the first chapter. There is a reference to the Challenger disaster, and some of the projects mentioned here will come to pass within the next year or two. Well-placed black-and-white illustrations are supplemented by a small section of bright, clear color photos. This can be used to introduce longer books on communications, space exploration, geography or new technology (seven of which are cited in the short bibliography). John Peters, New York Public Library