Plot Summary
This book is an update from the 2008 edition of Aguilar's 11 Planets which welcomed Pluto back into the planet family under his new designation as "dwarf planet", as well as two other dwarfs, Haumea and Makemake. This update introduces the newest members of our solar system, Ceres and Eris, also dwarf planets. Each heavenly body is addressed in detail in its own chapter, complete with pronunciations, statistics, Latin derivatives, background of Greek/Hawaiian/Polynesian namesakes, comparison to Earth, and fun facts.
Personal Reaction
I challenge anyone to open this book and resist its gravitational pull. While reading this book, I found myself irresistibly compelled to read aloud interesting and fun facts found on each large to anyone in earshot.
Memorable Literary Element
The subject matter lends itself easily to technical language that is beyond the grasp of those of us outside the world of astronomy and astrology. However, Aguilar does a superb job of keeping it simple, interesting, and enjoyable with sentences like "On a "warm" day on Makemake, don't bother with summer clothes. Temperatures are -406 F (-240 C).".
Illustrations
The artwork, described as photo-realistic, is done by the author, himself, and is nothing short of breathtaking. Additionally, actual NASA photos are interspersed amongst the pages and make a dull comparison next to Aguilar's brilliantly detailed and colored representations.
This book is an update from the 2008 edition of Aguilar's 11 Planets which welcomed Pluto back into the planet family under his new designation as "dwarf planet", as well as two other dwarfs, Haumea and Makemake. This update introduces the newest members of our solar system, Ceres and Eris, also dwarf planets. Each heavenly body is addressed in detail in its own chapter, complete with pronunciations, statistics, Latin derivatives, background of Greek/Hawaiian/Polynesian namesakes, comparison to Earth, and fun facts.
Personal Reaction
I challenge anyone to open this book and resist its gravitational pull. While reading this book, I found myself irresistibly compelled to read aloud interesting and fun facts found on each large to anyone in earshot.
Memorable Literary Element
The subject matter lends itself easily to technical language that is beyond the grasp of those of us outside the world of astronomy and astrology. However, Aguilar does a superb job of keeping it simple, interesting, and enjoyable with sentences like "On a "warm" day on Makemake, don't bother with summer clothes. Temperatures are -406 F (-240 C).".
Illustrations
The artwork, described as photo-realistic, is done by the author, himself, and is nothing short of breathtaking. Additionally, actual NASA photos are interspersed amongst the pages and make a dull comparison next to Aguilar's brilliantly detailed and colored representations.
Reviews/Awards
Booklist, 2011 - Though the number of celestial objects regarded as planets has varied through the centuries, the rate of change has dramatically increased. Only three years after the publication of 11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System(2008), Aguilar offers an amended volume reflecting the findings of the International Astronomical Union, which currently classifies eight objects in the solar system as planets and, with the addition of Haumea and Makemake, five as dwarf planets. Although a great deal of the material is familiar from the previous book, Aguilar has not only added sections on Haumea and Makemake, he has also used this opportunity to rewrite portions of the text and captions throughout the book and, in some cases, to substitute new illustrations or improve old ones for the new volume. The result is a more readable, more accurate, and more handsome edition of the previous work.— Carolyn Phelan
Booklist, 2011 - Though the number of celestial objects regarded as planets has varied through the centuries, the rate of change has dramatically increased. Only three years after the publication of 11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System(2008), Aguilar offers an amended volume reflecting the findings of the International Astronomical Union, which currently classifies eight objects in the solar system as planets and, with the addition of Haumea and Makemake, five as dwarf planets. Although a great deal of the material is familiar from the previous book, Aguilar has not only added sections on Haumea and Makemake, he has also used this opportunity to rewrite portions of the text and captions throughout the book and, in some cases, to substitute new illustrations or improve old ones for the new volume. The result is a more readable, more accurate, and more handsome edition of the previous work.— Carolyn Phelan
Promotion Idea
This book is an excellent addition to a science study of space, specifically the planets. It offers some Web sites that students can visit for further exploration of the new solar system. After the reading of this book, students could be given a Retelling Pyramid (see attached doc file) to fill out, at first using recall, but then using the book and possibly a partner.
You'll find lesson plans here, here and here.
Also, click the buttons below to visit fun and interesting Web sites containing information, videos, activities, and games about space and the planets.
This book is an excellent addition to a science study of space, specifically the planets. It offers some Web sites that students can visit for further exploration of the new solar system. After the reading of this book, students could be given a Retelling Pyramid (see attached doc file) to fill out, at first using recall, but then using the book and possibly a partner.
You'll find lesson plans here, here and here.
Also, click the buttons below to visit fun and interesting Web sites containing information, videos, activities, and games about space and the planets.
Retelling Pyramid | |
File Size: | 25 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Fun space links: