SCHOLASTIC FIRST ENCYCLOPEDIA: ALL ABOUT SPACE covers all the basic questions a young child may have about the solar system and space travel. This book begins by guiding children to each of the planets in the solar system with the help of photographs, illustrations, and easy-to-understand text. Comets, asteroids, and meteors are also discussed. Next, children will learn about the different people that study outer space. Not only will kids find out who these people are, but they will also learn about the different techniques and tools they use to practice their trades. The final section of the book is devoted to space travel. Here, kids get an introduction to what it takes to send astronauts into space and what goes on once they are out there.

Gr 2-5Taking up an unusually wide range of topics for a book of this length and reading level, Becklake provides single-spread discussions of several aspects of space travel and exploration, as well as the sun and planets, stars, constellations, and telescopes. Crisp, color photos; simple, if mechanical-looking computer-generated art; and painted schematics appear throughout. Supplemented by systematic captions and labels for the illustrations, plus frequent boxed-out observations or asides, the simply phrased text is clear and matter-of-fact. The level of detail is such that readers do not get One small step, or even Neil Armstrongs name, and see just one of the two Martian moons, but the upcoming (or would that be upgoing?) International Space Station gets a mention, as does velcro and other space-program spin-offs. The lengthy glossary and detailed index will help young inquirers, as will frequent cross-references to related spreads both in this and the series five previous volumes (all Scholastic). This book is a quick scan, adequate for elementary reference needs, though marred by the absence of a bibliography or list of Web sites.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　John Peters, New York Public Library

length: (cm)26.9 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)21.9