Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time: What the Hubble Telescope Saw

by Elaine Scott

Have you ever wished you could travel back in time? Or visit a galaxy light-years away? Or see a star being born? The Hubble telescope has allowed scientists to do just that. The Hubble’s dazzling images have transformed astronomy, shedding light on the deepest mysteries of the cosmos, sparking new discoveries and turning speculation into fact. Its gaze has helped astronomers find new galaxies, look back in time almost to the Big Bang, and verify the existence of dark energy, the mysterious force that is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. Through the eye of the Hubble, Elaine Scott skillfully guides readers along the evolution of our universe, investigating a question that was once unanswerable: “Where did we come from?”

Genres: Science, Astronomy, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Space, Science Nature

72 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2010

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous book, using the stunning Hubble photos, and what a great expression of excitement this book conveys about it's subject! It is a relatively small book but covers the topic very well.

[Libby Waterford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in an effort to answer my four-year-old's question: "What's after space?" As the author points out in this well-written book, just because we don't know the answers to our questions yet doesn't meant the answers aren't out there. I learned a ton, even though this book is nearly ten years old and I'm sure there is more up-to-date info about the Hubble telescope's mission since then. The big ideas of cosmology are outlined in an extremely engaging and understandable manner. I never cared about space as a kid, but having two sons has gotten me really into it!

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The photographs in this book are nothing short of spectacular. I was awed and amazed, and although it is a kids' book, I learned a ton. Just incredible.

[Kylie]

“Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time: What the Hubble Telescope Saw” by Elaine Scott is a fascinating book for fourth graders. This book is very factual and targeted for advanced readers. The book begins by explaining the telescope and who invented it and then moves onto explaining other instruments used in space. From there the author moves onto talking about the first astronaut launch. Many facts are given and this book is extremely insightful on historical events. The author explained how the crew used their instruments and what research they found from black holes, to stars being created, and finally how the planets were made.

I think this books audience is for advance readers in fourth grade or higher. The brain of a fourth grader is developing rapidly but it takes a lot of development for a child to understand the book. Fourth graders can apply what they already know in history to this book by understanding new points the author makes.

Scott, E. (2011). Space, stars, and the beginning of time: what the Hubble telescope saw. Boston [Mass.: Clarion Books.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photography alone is enough to make this book noteworthy, however, Scott's attention to the topic, from the context surrounding the first spyglass to revealing the age of the universe, makes this an engaging read. Granted, you'll want to note the need for an errata regarding the first chapter due to a death date error for Keppler (she has him dying 29 years too soon and it disrupts the chronology of the history of the telescope. - Use it as an example of critical reading and how to check across texts for facts). It's a very minor error that most probably won't notice and does not take away from the clean design, great images, pullout information and readable text. The Recipe for a Planet is fanciful but perfectly placed in the topic of how planets form. It's a great book to "book talk" to kids to encourage them to learn more on this topic - great pictures, ways to provide engagement and try reading out the Planet Recipe, it was well- received!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated tribute to the Hubble Space Telescope, focusing (sorry) on its history and what we have discovered about the universe with its help. The author has a great track record with books about space and I enjoyed this as a sort of overview of some of the hot topics in astronomy these days...but there are some troubling flubs: a significant misfrint of "billion" where she should have written "million," a (stunning!) photo of the Carina Nebula that purports to show a "gas jet" (but I sure don't see one), and a repeated claim that Galileo thought planetary orbits were circles until Kepler came along and proved them to be elliptical---but the chronology doesn't work because so far as I've been able to tell Kepler published that proof years before Galileo even looked through his telescope or wrote anything about orbits.

[Ofilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

These kinds of books always leave me in awe and make my brain hurt slightly with theories of the ever expanding universe. This one is no exception. Well written so that you never feel like you are in the middle of a long boring science lecture, this book presents all the information in an accessible interesting way. The photos that the Hubble has taken are unbelievable. The discoveries made thanks to those photos are equally staggering. The amount of work it takes to keep this thing running and to fix problems when they arise seem completely implausible. And yet, here is photographic evidence to prove it's immense contribution to science. An interesting informative book.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief yet satisfying history of the Hubble Telescope. My favorite aspect of this book is that even though the language is plain and easy to understand, nothing is dumbed down. The concepts are complex yet worded in a way that makes them accessible to any layman. For one, the "planet recipe" was mind-blowingly simple, easy to understand and more fun than any explanation in any textbook I ever had in school, loved it.

[Maggi Rohde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best thing about this amazing book: it is full of references to A Wrinkle in Time. It's engaging, beautifully designed and full of references to notable figures from the last couple hundred years of astronomical research. The prose flows as effortlessly as any Hoose or Freedman offering. The photos, of course, are spectacular all by themselves. A masterful achievement.

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The complete history of the Hubble Telescope, "the people's telescope, and the history of astronomy in general. This book includes amazing photographs taken from the Hubble. A great research resource or guide for stargazers and future astronauts.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book; beautifully written. While explaining the scientific process in easy to understand language it opens our eyes and mind to space, stars, and the beginning of time. For 9-12 year olds.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mix of Hubble information and beautiful pictures taken from the Hubble Telescope.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it weren't for first rate children's books, I wouldn't understand a lot of things. This one is perfect in it's explanation of the Hubble Telescope and what it means to earth.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Granted, I'm a bit of a space nerd, but this book was great! It's the first I would recommend to someone if they wanted a general overview of current space exploration.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much I didn't know! But a lot I already knew thanks to mr. Kaiser!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous Hubble images coupled with thoughtful, easy to understand explanations of space, stars, planets, telescopes, and you've got a winner!

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author explains in clear language the use and discoveries of the Hubble Telescope, emphasizing that there is much more to come. Gr. 5 $ up.

[Ann]

Notable Children's Books, 2012 (ALA)

[stillme · Rating 3 out of 5]

ALSC Notable 2012