The Sun

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8 Couper and Henbest present information about the composition of the sun, what goes on within it, the periodic changes that occur, and how they affect the Earth. Information is also given about sunspots, eclipses, the aurorae, and how the sun can be used to tell time. Diagrams are provided so that readers can construct appropriate devices to observe these phenomena (the aurorae need not be viewed with any device, but information is given on how best to photograph this event). The authors remind readers to avoid looking directly at the sun so as not to damage the eye. Despite its brevity, this book is packed with a tremendous amount of information that is packaged in an accessible manner. The illustrations elucidate the text. Addresses of a few associations are listed, as well as the locations of several observatories in the U.S. Isaac Asimov's The Sun (Follett, 1972; o.p.) is another excellent source of information on the sun. Zenata W. Pierre, Portland Public Schools, Oreg.