Awards

Reviews

“. . . This book’s title gives readers a hint of the lyrical, literary method used to explain the roll, tilt, blow, spin, sparkle, and whirl of the objects found in our solar system. But don’t let the book’s simple style fool you as to the depth of its content. The brilliant pictures and well-chosen words describe the uniqueness of each planet. . . . The illustrator got her idea from a group of elementary art students in Florida. No wonder it appeals to elementary children who love to study the planets! This creative book can be read during any class time, but is especially wonderful for music and science class, particularly if the science teacher can’t carry a tune.”

— NSTA Recommends (Nat. Science Teacher’s Assoc.) (June 2008)

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Modeled on “Over in the Meadow,” as were her Over in the Ocean (2004) and Over in the Jungle (2007, both Dawn), Berkes’s rhymed tour of the solar system is framed as a dialogue between Mother Sun and her satellites. The verses introduce very basic concepts along with each planet: “‘Tilt,’ said the Mother /’I tilt,’ said Three./So it tilted on its axis/And the seasons came to be.” Pluto and its fellow dwarf planets, along with some of the solar system’s smaller residents, also rate mention. The information is accurate, if not always well phrased (“Saturn really ‘blows’”) and is backed up at the end with two full spreads of additional planetary facts, plus further re-sources and pages of suggested classroom activities. Mason’s big, spattered, swirling starscapes were created with melted crayon and add loads of visual appeal to this astronomical primer.

— School Library Journal – John Peters, New York Public Library (June 2008)