I bought this for our science homeschool since it had a children's award and we just got a telescope. I was disappointed that the first page covers the Big Bang theory - an explosion formed the sun and earth - as well as on page 25. Then on pages 46-47 it covers extraterrestrials. It says "most people believe we are not alone", and "most of us would like to believe that we are not alone in this vast universe". Although he states there is no scientific evidence of alien life, he goes on to fantasize about what aliens could be like, ending with the statement that they would be so far ahead of us technologically, that they may have seen us and since we look primitive they decided not to contact us! I'm going to return the book. Although the other information is well written and the pictures are helpful, I find his big bang and alien assumptions improper food for the minds of my young. I feel sorry for the author, for he would not feel so alone in the universe if he realized there is a God.

This is a good introduction, and the pictures are great. However, it's dated now. "Jupiter will be below Pegasus in 1987". The stargazing sections give a useful, though basic, guide to the night sky for each season, taking the reader logically from one constellation to another. References to the locations of the planets span 1987 to 1999. Don't look to this book if you want to know where to see the planets tonight. Despite that, the book was worth buying as a first introduction to astronomy.

This wonderful book is the one that got me hooked onto astronomy when I was just an 8-year old boy. Now as I am in college and studying astronomy, this book even though old (written c. 1986), has not lost its charm and magic to me. The best part of this book is the beautifully rendered paintings of the night skies and other sights around the universe, which will leave you breathless and in awe of the majestic canvas of the skies. I give it a 2 thumbs up and many stars!