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A Black Hole Is Not a Hole
Get ready to S-T-R-E-T-C-H your mind!
What is a black hole? Where do they come from? How were they discovered? Can we visit one? Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano takes readers on a ride through the galaxies (ours, and others), answering these questions and many more about the phenomenon known as a black hole.
In lively and often humorous text, the book starts off with a thorough explanation of gravity and the role it plays in the formation of black holes. Paintings by Michael Carroll, coupled with real telescopic images, help readers visualize the facts and ideas presented in the text, such as how light bends, and what a supernova looks like.
A BLACK HOLE IS NOT A HOLE is an excellent introduction to an extremely complex scientific concept. Back matter includes a timeline which sums up important findings discussed throughout, while the glossary and index provide a quick point of reference for readers. Children and adults alike will learn a ton of spacey facts in this far-out book that’s sure to excite even the youngest of astrophiles.
What is a black hole? Where do they come from? How were they discovered? Can we visit one? Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano takes readers on a ride through the galaxies (ours, and others), answering these questions and many more about the phenomenon known as a black hole.
In lively and often humorous text, the book starts off with a thorough explanation of gravity and the role it plays in the formation of black holes. Paintings by Michael Carroll, coupled with real telescopic images, help readers visualize the facts and ideas presented in the text, such as how light bends, and what a supernova looks like.
A BLACK HOLE IS NOT A HOLE is an excellent introduction to an extremely complex scientific concept. Back matter includes a timeline which sums up important findings discussed throughout, while the glossary and index provide a quick point of reference for readers. Children and adults alike will learn a ton of spacey facts in this far-out book that’s sure to excite even the youngest of astrophiles.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2012
35 people are currently reading
911 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
August 28, 2012
It's not the only -- or even the primary -- criterion that I use when evaluating children's books, but I get a special thrill when I see a book and think "You know, I would really have enjoyed this book as a child." A Black Hole Is Not a Hole gave me that feeling, reminding me of the first time I picked up Our Universe or The Cartoon Guide to Physics, a pair of books that loom large in my memories of growing up.
Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano's book does an excellent job of taking a difficult concept and making it accessible for younger readers. Her prose is full of funny turns of phrase ("The plasma rolls and churns like a hyper hurricane of heat, light, sound, and motion."), and she has a way of making even difficult thought experiments easily comprehensible.
The only real issue that I had involves the order in which some of the information is presented. The book starts out using Newtonian physics, and only towards the end introduces relativistic principles. The part where relativity is introduced talks about the relationship between Newtonian and relativistic frameworks, but the initial explanation of Newtonian mechanics doesn't mention that relativity will be coming. The result is that a child reader learns one explanation for what happens in a black hole, only to learn later on in the book that there's another, better explanation. As someone with a lifelong interest, if no post-high school education, in physics, I'm all for teaching both Newtonian mechanics and relativity, but I think talking about one without telling the reader that the other is coming might confuse a child.
That's not a huge point, and I'd recommend it to any child with an interest in science or space.
Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano's book does an excellent job of taking a difficult concept and making it accessible for younger readers. Her prose is full of funny turns of phrase ("The plasma rolls and churns like a hyper hurricane of heat, light, sound, and motion."), and she has a way of making even difficult thought experiments easily comprehensible.
The only real issue that I had involves the order in which some of the information is presented. The book starts out using Newtonian physics, and only towards the end introduces relativistic principles. The part where relativity is introduced talks about the relationship between Newtonian and relativistic frameworks, but the initial explanation of Newtonian mechanics doesn't mention that relativity will be coming. The result is that a child reader learns one explanation for what happens in a black hole, only to learn later on in the book that there's another, better explanation. As someone with a lifelong interest, if no post-high school education, in physics, I'm all for teaching both Newtonian mechanics and relativity, but I think talking about one without telling the reader that the other is coming might confuse a child.
That's not a huge point, and I'd recommend it to any child with an interest in science or space.
May 21, 2017
Children's nonfiction book about black holes and stars. Text is very informative. Illustrations provide strong support for the concepts presented. Includes a black hole timeline, glossary, and bibliography. Good for both classroom use and independent reading. Also an excellent resource for school reports.
March 24, 2018
If you like black holes than you'd like this book. They were discovered in a pretty crazy way. If you want to find out how, read the book! It's pretty short and easy to read.
Indy age 10
Indy age 10
May 24, 2019
This is a short and engaging audiobook that explains the science of black holes and other aspects of the stars in our universe.
The authors use plain terminology and clear comparisons in our own world to explain the very complicated concepts. And yet, they do not 'dumb down' the science.
I can't say that I truly understand black holes any more than I did before, but I have a better grasp on the general idea.
The authors use plain terminology and clear comparisons in our own world to explain the very complicated concepts. And yet, they do not 'dumb down' the science.
I can't say that I truly understand black holes any more than I did before, but I have a better grasp on the general idea.
October 25, 2024
Simplifies complicated concepts for a beginner audience
March 11, 2017
A Black Hole is Not a Hole is an informational text explaining what a black hole is. The author’s writing style is engaging—the title, A Black Hole is Not a Hole, is interesting and causes the reader to question it. There is also a speech bubble on the cover that asks, “Then what is it?” and another speech bubble on the title page that asks, “Are you sure about that?” There are other speech bubbles found throughout the text that add humor and interest to the topic.
This is an abstract and difficult topic to understand. The author makes it easier to understand by presenting comparisons. For example, when explaining the pull of a black hole, the author compares it to a whirlpool and watching water draining in a sink—a concept children would be able to visualize, connect to, and understand. There are photographs and drawings throughout as well, helping to clarify concepts and provide visuals for the reader. Photographs of a supernova, a galaxy, and images which show the energy around a black hole can be found in this text. Additionally, there are diagrams to help show concepts, such as gravity.
The text is organized in an easy to understand manner. There is also a glossary, timeline of when black holes were discovered, and an author’s note. In the author’s note, she cites her sources, which indicates that she is knowledgeable about the topic and the information is accurate.
This text would be appropriate for students in upper elementary grades and middle school. It would be an engaging text for students who are interested in space, as well as a great book to use for instruction when teaching about space and black holes. It would also be a good text to use when teaching about text features, as many text features are found within the book and help to make the book easier to understand.
This is an abstract and difficult topic to understand. The author makes it easier to understand by presenting comparisons. For example, when explaining the pull of a black hole, the author compares it to a whirlpool and watching water draining in a sink—a concept children would be able to visualize, connect to, and understand. There are photographs and drawings throughout as well, helping to clarify concepts and provide visuals for the reader. Photographs of a supernova, a galaxy, and images which show the energy around a black hole can be found in this text. Additionally, there are diagrams to help show concepts, such as gravity.
The text is organized in an easy to understand manner. There is also a glossary, timeline of when black holes were discovered, and an author’s note. In the author’s note, she cites her sources, which indicates that she is knowledgeable about the topic and the information is accurate.
This text would be appropriate for students in upper elementary grades and middle school. It would be an engaging text for students who are interested in space, as well as a great book to use for instruction when teaching about space and black holes. It would also be a good text to use when teaching about text features, as many text features are found within the book and help to make the book easier to understand.
April 19, 2012
How many books about scientific concepts are funny and fun to read? Not too many, methinks. Carolyn Decristofano explains black holes via excellent analogies (a singularity is like a peanut with the mass of a trillion elephants!), thought experiments (imagine you approach the event horizon of a black hole and your foot stretches in front on you like a spaghetti noodle!), and great flow from one topic to the next (start with Newtonian gravity--that's pretty easy to get--and wait until the end to blow your mind with Einsteinian gravity!).
The illustrations are all also excellent, both in terms of elucidating concepts and capturing imaginations with the beauty of space.
I sincerely wish more non-fiction books were written with this much wit and verve, especially when it comes to books about math and science. In all honestly, I don't retain much of what I read about stuff like black holes, but with this book I had such a good time reading it, who cares?
The illustrations are all also excellent, both in terms of elucidating concepts and capturing imaginations with the beauty of space.
I sincerely wish more non-fiction books were written with this much wit and verve, especially when it comes to books about math and science. In all honestly, I don't retain much of what I read about stuff like black holes, but with this book I had such a good time reading it, who cares?
August 29, 2012
Gosh! I wish this book had been available when I was young or even when I was taking a couple of astronomy classes in college and first became interested in black holes. In engaging text and illustrations created through acrylics and Adobe Photoshop, the book uses eight chapters to introduce the rather complicated idea of black holes, which are not actually holes. Comparing a black hole to a whirlpool but without the water is a wonderfully effective and vivid way to explain one. I also liked how the author included a timeline of how scientists began asking questions about their possibilites, a discussion that lasted for decades, apparently. Also worth noting was that how the birth of a black hole signals the death of another heavenly body. Interesting stuff, well-written, and accessible.
October 15, 2015
A Black Hole is Not a Hole is a very detailed and informative book about “what in the universe” a black hole really is. The text is arranged around central ideas about black holes using kid-friendly metaphors to develop an understanding of what black holes are really like. The text balances paragraphs of information, colorful diagrams and metaphoric illustrations to capture the complexity of black holes in an accessible way.
To illustrate the complexity of black holes the author investigates important sub topics like gravity, light, space, and time. This book is comprehensive and would serve as a great resource for an upper elementary student interested in black holes and outer space.
To illustrate the complexity of black holes the author investigates important sub topics like gravity, light, space, and time. This book is comprehensive and would serve as a great resource for an upper elementary student interested in black holes and outer space.
March 4, 2012
A conversational and humorous tone makes this book not only educational but appealing to read. Carolyn DeCristofano breaks down an overwhelming subject into easy-to-digest pieces and explains what black holes are, how they form, and how we discovered them. Extensive back matter includes an AWESOME author's note that tells how she researched the book and emphasizes the fact that ongoing scientific research means that science facts change often.
Highly recommended for young scientists! Pair it with THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE by Ellen Jackson and Nic Bishop.
Highly recommended for young scientists! Pair it with THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE by Ellen Jackson and Nic Bishop.
December 9, 2012
Did I just read, learn, and understand Einstein's theory of relativity from a children's book? Why yes, yes I did. Why can't college textbooks be like this? I may have been a physics major if learning had been this much fun.
FYI for parents out there concerned about the new Common Core Standards increased requirements for nonfiction in the classroom? If this book is any indication - kids are probably in for a treat.
(age range 10ish give or take, but obvs good for adults, too)
FYI for parents out there concerned about the new Common Core Standards increased requirements for nonfiction in the classroom? If this book is any indication - kids are probably in for a treat.
(age range 10ish give or take, but obvs good for adults, too)
April 27, 2012
An excellent presentation and explanation of a complicated subject. Coversational, entertaining and informative with great illustrations.
November 25, 2023
I read A Black Hole is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano and illustrated by Michael Carrol for a graduate course on children’s literature. I read it on Hoopla and found the zoom feature to be helpful when reading the various captions and sidebars containing extra information. Although Hoopla is a wonderful resource to read this book, I would have preferred to have the actual book in my hands to read from because I did not have the option to read with a two-page spread and could only read and flip through one page at a time. This book is an informational middle grade book that has been reviewed by Kirkus Reviews and has an award from the ALA for Notable Children’s Books. I found this book on the CCBC book lists for Earth & Space Science. Even though this is considered a middle grade book and is intended for ages 9-13, I certainly learned an immense amount of information about black holes. I enjoyed this book because it was easy to follow and written in a way for many readers to understand. Each page contains various text features including subheadings, sidebars, illustrations based on scientific research, some actual photos, captions, labeled diagrams, and cartoon speech bubbles that add humor. All of these text features and the way the information is told make this book an engaging and enjoyable read for ages 9 and up. Throughout the eight chapters, DeCristofano describes different ways that black holes can form, how the center of a black hole is extremely small but has the most intense gravitational pull known to humans, what happens when objects come close to black holes, how scientists discovered blackholes, the various sizes and types of black holes, and how scientists like Albert Einstein changed what it meant to search space and expand on theories of gravity. At the end of the book, there is a timeline, which provides dates of scientific discoveries leading up to the discovery of black holes and further experiments that scientists are conducting to learn more about them. There is also a glossary, which is helpful when reading through the book because it contains very detailed definitions of scientific terms for readers. In addition, DeCristofano wrote an author’s note that informs readers that, despite the countless books, websites, and scientists she worked with to research the information for the book, some of that information may go out of date or become inaccurate. This is helpful for readers to understand because students learning how to research should know that the sources they use matter and that information can, in fact, be out of date or inaccurate. It is extremely important to cross-reference information to ensure that research is as accurate as possible. Due to this book being an informational text, students in grades 4-8 could use this book as part of a research project or teachers could use this as part of a science unit on space exploration. This could also be used in the classroom as a mentor text for students to learn about how to write engaging informational texts while using various text structures and text features.
April 16, 2018
This was a well explained nonfiction book about the physics and astronomy of black holes. Understanding gravity is vital to learning about black holes, so the book focuses on gravity and how its force holds the solar system together because of the sun’s gravitational pull. It explains that gravity’s pull is affected by distance and mass of the objects involved. A black hole is a massive amount of mass that is packed densely and is the source of the immense gravitational pull. The accuracy of the book is supported by the resources about black holes that the author has read. She includes an author’s note to list his sources. This also allows the readers to pursue other books if they want to know more about the science of black holes. The glossary has words that readers will encounter and are technical. Words such as event horizon, fusion, gravitational lensing, quasar, and more are included. The book is designed with beautiful illustrations to help the reader imagine and envision what happens inside and around a black hole. There are also pictures of stars, constellations, and activity on the atomic level. The pictures greatly enhance the writing because they help us visualize things we have never seen.
February 12, 2022
I have always been interested in astronomy; and therefore, I had a great reading experience when I read this book. I read this book because I have always been curious about how black holes have an extremely strong gravitational force. However, to learn how these spatial objects' gravitational forces work, one must learn about what black holes exactly are. This book exactly teaches the reader what black holes are and how they affect other spatial objects.
When I started to read the book, I immediately started to learn really interesting astronomical facts. The book immediately explained what gravity was, who discovered it, and how it exactly works. When the gravitational pull was described, I immediately thought of a whirlpool on Earth that sucks everything into it. However, this book makes the reader think of how this would look like in space.
I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys learning about astronomy. This book thoroughly explains facts about Black Holes. The great aspect of this book is how it teaches how black holes interact with other spatial objects. Therefore, this makes the reader ponder how other spatial objects interact with black holes.
When I started to read the book, I immediately started to learn really interesting astronomical facts. The book immediately explained what gravity was, who discovered it, and how it exactly works. When the gravitational pull was described, I immediately thought of a whirlpool on Earth that sucks everything into it. However, this book makes the reader think of how this would look like in space.
I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys learning about astronomy. This book thoroughly explains facts about Black Holes. The great aspect of this book is how it teaches how black holes interact with other spatial objects. Therefore, this makes the reader ponder how other spatial objects interact with black holes.
April 20, 2020
This is an amazing children’s book that discusses the mysterious objects, called black holes. The book explains that black holes are “not something you can dig in the group or poke your finger through.” The book then describes what exactly a back hole is. The first chapter assures young readers that a black hole is no threat to the Earth or our Solar system by discussing the issue of distance in space.
A black hole is being described by comparing it to something more familiar with young minds, for example a whirlpool. The author clearly explains how a whirlpool is similar yet also different from how a black hole works. The illustrations in the book were done by Michael Carroll, which completes this explanation of what a black hole looks like, as well as how it works. The art work on every page, is truly stunning. The end pages and of the book includes a detailed historical timeline, a glossary, and lastly an authors note reassuring readers how they can know that the information in the book is correct. As well as noting that new information on black holes are constantly being researched and found.
A black hole is being described by comparing it to something more familiar with young minds, for example a whirlpool. The author clearly explains how a whirlpool is similar yet also different from how a black hole works. The illustrations in the book were done by Michael Carroll, which completes this explanation of what a black hole looks like, as well as how it works. The art work on every page, is truly stunning. The end pages and of the book includes a detailed historical timeline, a glossary, and lastly an authors note reassuring readers how they can know that the information in the book is correct. As well as noting that new information on black holes are constantly being researched and found.
November 26, 2018
If you or you kid likes black holes, or science, or space they will love this book. However, if they don't you shouldn't even try. The book itself is incredibly dense and has a great amount of information in it about black holes. It describes what they are, how they work, and what we as humans understand about them at this point. If your kid is interested in science I would definitely say you should pick this book up because it will foster that interest. However, if your kid isn't interested in science this is not the book you should use to get them there. The book itself is very informational and gives an understanding of the topic, definitely a lot of information that I had never heard before.
March 18, 2019
This would definitely be a 4 star for a scientifically interested kid. I am in a reading program at my library that has books for different criteria. I read this for a " non-fiction title about something you are unfamiliar with". I figured a scientific subject with which I was unfamiliar would be best explained by a book for kids. I was correct! I now know more about black holes and know that the nearest one is too far away for worry. Of course, black holes still give me the same sort of strange feeling as thinking about infinity. This book had only 73 pages, but I recently read a book of over 600, so I feel it will all average out. If you want to know more about black holes and have a better handle on them, this may just be the book for you.
December 2, 2020
If you're looking for an overview of black holes, this is a good place to look. I might have done better to read the physical book as there were a lot of numbers that we're difficult for me to visualize with the audio. Something I could visualize just fine but wish I couldn't: spaghettification. *shudder* Something cool: the center of the Milky Way appears to be a black hole in the constellation Sagittarius, my Zodiac sign. The book also does a good job of highlighting the way that our assumptions about reality change as we learn more through science.
August 14, 2017
My 6 year old is fascinated with black holes until she read this book. 😂 The more she read the more she got scared and didn't want to continue the book. She does not want Earth passing by a black hole and no longer wants to be a scientist. Her Looney Toon black hole version is ruined. On the bright side, the images were vivid and the description was clear. She now knows what a black hole is not.
May 25, 2019
Okay, so this is definitely a kids book, didn't realize. But I think it can be beneficial for adults to read kids books on tricky subjects because it helps you become more comfortable with the basics. I have a variety of other books on black holes, and I think it is a good starting point to read this first as it goes over some of the essential concepts trying to make them as easy to understand as possible.
December 4, 2020
This story is informational although it is actually humorous as well. I think this book would be engaging for students because it is comical while still providing educational benefits. The illustrations are very neat and informative. I liked this book a lot and I could it see getting students interested in astronomy and outer-space.
May 6, 2018
Very informative science book. Talks about a ray of space topics such as; black holes, gravity, stars, and much more and how they all intertwine. Pictures are both professional and cartoon but it fits well with the book. In the back in comes with a glossary, which is really helpful!
January 9, 2024
My daughter is a middle school librarian and sometimes shares interesting middle school level books with me. This was fabulous! A good read for any age to learn the basic details, science, and history of research about the astronomical phenomenon known as a black hole.
October 8, 2018
This was a cute, quick read. Definitely one that I would share with my nieces and nephews if it can pass the “astrophysicist uncle test”
December 31, 2018
For anyone interested in Space and black holes, this is the book to read! It's full of fabulous information and illustrations to educate and amaze.
May 10, 2019
Enjoyed this on audio.
June 3, 2019
Interestingly educational. Learned more about black holes than I thought I needed to know
August 25, 2019
This is a kids book, and I still had to slow it way down so I could understand 😅
April 4, 2020
A good intro for an older child or even an adult.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews