Star Walk

Children's Literature - Elizabeth Bagg

The mystery of the night sky is captured in color photographs accompanied by thoughtful poems by such acclaimed poets as Wordsworth, Whitman, and MacLeish. It is a book to be used with the older, contemplative child interested in or studying astronomy or for those who just enjoy pondering the wonder of the universe. A book to be savored.

School Library Journal

Gr 3 UpSimon's latest offering combines stunning full-and double-page photographs with powerful poetry. Each photo is briefly captioned to identify the astronomical feature it depicts, but as Simon notes in his introduction, the pictures ``...are not intended to illustrate the poems, nor are the poems intended to explain the photographs. Each is a different way of looking at the same thing.'' Verse by Archibald MacLeish, Sara Teasdale, Stanley Kunitz, May Swenson, and others, along with three anonymous Native American poems (identified by tribal origin), provide a thought-provoking view of the universe. Some quotations from Thoreau set as poetry work well with a fish-eye lens view of the Milky Way. Whitman's ``When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer'' has appeared in a few other collections, but most of the selections have not previously been anthologized for children. While older readers will be able to read the poems for themselves, younger audiences might also enjoy listening to some of them. Youngsters drawn by the author's familiar series format will find a very differentand valuablespace experience waiting for them in the pages of this book.Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA

Lauren Peterson

This unusual picture-book effort from an outstanding children's science book author is a dazzling combination of stunning photography and glorious poetry about stars and space. Simon emphasizes that the photographs should not be thought of as illustrations for the poems, nor the poems looked to for explanation of the photos. Instead, he suggests readers "allow the words of the poem and the shapes and colors of the photograph to swirl together in your mind." This is unquestionably a beautiful book that libraries could easily justify purchasing on the basis of the photographs alone. However, the poetry, by such writers as Whitman, Teasdale, and Wordsworth, is too abstract for even the most astute young picture-book reader, and even fewer youngsters will understand how to take Simon's suggestion to heart. Nevertheless, in this age of whole-language curricula, teachers will find the book useful for integrating science and language arts in the middle grades, and some may find it of value with even older students.