Ice Dwarfs: Pluto and Beyond

Children's Literature - Pat Trattles

Up until 2005 Pluto was thought to be the planet farthest from the sun. At that time a slightly larger world, Eris, was discovered, and now Pluto and Eris are considered ice dwarfs; space objects that orbit in the outer reaches of the solar system. These facts, as well as many others, are presented in a simple question and answer format designed to quickly pull young readers in, enticing them to learn more about space in this installment of the "Exploring Our Solar System" series from Crabtree Publishing. Each two-page spread contains a main focus question and three or four follow-ups. Readers will learn such facts as how far space goes, how many moons are in orbit around Pluto and how close the space probe, New Horizons, will get to Pluto. A unique feature of this series are the "Wow" spots; snippets of additional information (such as a 100-pound weight on Earth would weigh just 6.7 pounds on Pluto) presented in red or purple shaded circles and designed to cause the reader to marvel and say, "Wow." These colorful "Wow" spots, along with full-color photos and graphics, make this a visually appealing as well as fact-filled presentation. Complete with a detailed table of contents, index, glossary and table of statistical facts and figures, this work is a welcome addition to upper elementary and lower middle school science classroom and library bookshelves. Reviewer: Pat Trattles