Saturn

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Stunning photographs and the author's characteristic clear writing provide introductions to two planets in the solar system. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3 Except for the glorious color photographs here, from NASA's Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft, these two books are virtually identical in format and style to Simon's Earth and Moon (both Four Winds, 1984). The two volumes provide an introduction to these planets and their major satellites. The composition, atmosphere and rings of both planets; the four large Galilean satellites of Jupiter; Saturn's giant moon, Titan; and eight of its intermediate-sized moons are covered. The texts are readable and up-to-date, presenting the essentials on the two giant planets without overwhelming readers with detail. The only flaw is a poor explanation of the orbits of the particles that make up Saturn's rings: explaining that Saturn's gravity keeps the rings from flying off into space, Simon says that gravity pulls them toward the center of the planet but fails to explain that their motion prevents their actually falling to the planet's surface. This quibble does not significantly detract from these books' overall quality, though. Despite the strengths of the texts, it is the color photos that steal the show, highlighting these planets' exotic beauty in much the same way that Moon' s black-and-white photography accented the moon's starkness. In all, a delightful coupling of sound expositions with dazzling illustrations. Chalk up two more for Simon. Jeffrey A. French, Rocky River Public Library, Ohio