The Constellations: Stars & Stories

by Chris Sasaki

The sky is a clear, glittering site where constellations (88 of them) form "provinces." It's not always easy to find the different groups, but this illustrated guidebook will lead you through the stars and make gazing at them a more meaningful experience. Begin with two larger maps that portray the entire northern and southern sky, and all the constellations in it. Another set charts the changes that take place in the heavens during the year: that's because the stars put on a different show for every season, and not every one is visible all the time. And, still more pictures present a close-up view of every single constellation, so you can see it in greater detail. (You'll see an image of the real or imaginary creature it's named after, too!) And, there's so much great information accompanying the super visuals: facts on how far away the stars really are, about other interstellar phenomena, on the history of every constellation and how they got their names, and the best way to do your star searching!

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Space, Picture Books, Reference, Childrens, Astrology

128 pages, Hardcover

First published December 12, 2001

Reviews

[Kristin]

Book summary: This is a book about the constellations. It explains constellations such as Orion, or Leo the lion, etc and tells the stories or myths behind them. In the back it has all of the constellations laid out with a list of activities to do.
Grade level: 3-6
Appropriate classroom use: In the back of the book it has activities such as invent a new constellation and tells the steps to do it and the materials needed. Another activity is to create your own constellation these would be fun for kids to do and a good book to read so the kids can understand stars and be on the lookout for certain constellations.
Indv. students who benefit: Students who want to see pictures in the sky and use their imagination and see more than just dots.
Small group use: Another activity in the book is to build a box full of stars which I think would be fun to do. Also I could assign the kids to go out that night and see if they see any constellations.
Whole class use: This is an appropriate book to read out loud. It is a little long so I'm not sure if I would use it as a carpet read but I would encourage kids to read it and do activities with it.
Related books: Books by the same author, books about constellations such as "zoo in the sky" or "glow in the dark constellations".
Multimedia connections: Available as hardcover only.

[Sarah]

Cute glow-in-the-dark picture book of constellations. I appreciated that the book included stories from other cultures, mostly Indigenous American, but I do wish a couple of illustrations had shown those myths instead of just the Greek ones. Still, a good introduction.

[Andie]

This picture book has many of the popular Zodiac signs and their stories, but includes other constellations and Indigenous stories behind what they called the stars. There are also a few activities in the back of the book.

[Robyn]

my dudes i am a grown-ass woman who dabbles in astronomy and i learned shit from this book, 13/10

[Melissa Nelson]

A good book for all ages. Out of 30+ books, this one was by far the most visually appealing to my 5-6 year old crowd who were eager to learn the stories of the constellations. It is not the most artistic book, and its small, cluttered, 4-inch star maps are not a great resource for easily locating the constellations in the sky. However, the images of each constellation are simple and clear: white stars with a vibrant light blue drawing against a navy background. The children enjoyed flipping through the pages, picking out which constellations they wanted to learn more about. The stories accompanying the images are short, about a single page each, but most include a blend of mythology and facts that are enough for each constellation to become a single lesson when supplemented with other resources and age appropriate crafts or writing assignments. This book is also a great first resource for students of any age who are doing a constellation research project. Unlike other books, it provides an image and description for all 88 constellations, allowing a researcher to make a well-informed decision about which stars they want to research further.

[Megan Denney]

Constellations: A Glow in the Dark Guide to the Night Sky is a great nonfiction text for readers to read. The book has several stories throughout the text that is about different constellations and how they got their name as well as where they are located in the night sky. A famous constellation mentioned in the book is Orion which is mentioned in many science textbooks.

This book will more than likely be used in my classroom for upper elementary. This is because of the great stories that is told in the book will hook readers to learn more about constellations, their name and their location in the night sky.

A teaching idea for this book would be to use it during learning about the stars and constellations in your solar system unit. Students will be intrigued to learn about the different constellations in the sky and how they were named.

[Karen]

This was an interesting and well written simple explanation of the constellations. Having never looked at the system closely I was surprised to see how much of a stretch of the imagination most of them are. Well presented.

[Scott]

Terrific! A great introduction to learning about the constellations! 🙂

[Eliah Snyder]

A

[Derek]

!!

[Jeffrey Philips]

Excellent star maps. Really loved the stories behind the Constellations.

[Katie]

Great read-aloud for our unit study for PK and 1st grader. This provided a great jumping off point to start our star maps.

[Aaron Hart]

good kids book to introduce the stars

[Christy]

Children will see the stars shining brightly right in their own room with this glow-in-the-dark introduction to the night sky. Each constellation sparkles brilliantly on the page, thanks to the special ink that illuminates the lush artwork. And even as the luminous illustrations encourage stargazing, the kid-friendly text presents a perfect mix of simple science and storytelling. Along with very basic astronomical facts about our galaxy and the major constellations are the world myths of the gods and heroes whose names grace today’s star maps. Take the tale of Andromeda—the princess sacrificed to save her father’s kingdom who lives in the long, curved “V” of stars best seen in late fall. With information on constellations from Cygnus the Swan to Orion the Hunter, it’s an appealing, interactive approach to a popular subject.

[Gaby Roman]

This is a book full of different constellations and information about them. I would allow my students to pick their favorite and learn one thing about the constellation and create it on black construction paper and use glitter to show the stars. They would then have to write one sentence about what they learned on the same paper. I would allow the students to present their artwork at the end of the week after we have completed them. This book is more advanced so I may have to help with reading the information about the constellations to my students.

[Kerri]

My students loved going into a dark spot in the classroom to see the glow in the dark constellations on each page. Shows about 20 of the most popular constellations and tells a bit about the story/myth that goes with each one. Also, includes star maps in the book. Good for elementary aged students.

[Paris]

I would recommend this book to 2nd-5th grade readers. This book is about the many constellations in the sky. It has many vocabulary words that students may not have already been introduced to. This book has great illustrations and is a good book to use when teaching about space. It gives detailed descriptions about the constellations. This book also has glows in the dark illustrations.

[Miri]

I was shelf reading and couldn't help but pause to look through this one... and then take it into the back room so I could see the glow-in-the-dark stars. It includes the stories and myths behind each constellation, and is just a lot of fun. Would be fantastic for a kid who has an interest in space or mythology.

[Laurie James]

I chose to put this book on my science bookshelf because I enjoyed the book when I read it. It is interesting to be able to learn about all the constellations and the history behind their names and shapes.

[annie k]

I have had this book for years. It's a basic introduction to the constellations of the night sky and their origin stories. This is one I keep on hand to help answer my sons' questions :)

[Sharie]

This is a really good, understandable intro to constellations. Experts seem to know too much to help me understand them...this book was just my speed.

[Shawn]

I read this book to my daughter. It is a very good book about the constellations as well as the story behind why they are named as such. A great book for children and adults too!

[Akrabar]

A good book for children.

[Jenna (Falling Letters)]

Received this as a gift when I was going through my space phase, sometime around grade five.