Pluto: A Dwarf Planet(Early Bird Astronomy)

A lively and informative look at the dwarf planet Pluto, from its discovery to the recent controversy over its status as a planet. The book describes Pluto's place in the solar system, its moons, its orbit, what we know of its physical features, and the difficulties scientists encounter in studying this mysterious body.

About the Author :
Gregory L. Vogt is a senior project manager with the center for educational outreach at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. His duties focus on space biomedicine, teacher training, and work with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Vogt began his career as an eighth grade science teacher and later joined the NASA Aerospace Education Services Program. He established the Teaching from Space office at the NASA Johnson Space Center. He is a former science museum director. Vogt is an educational consultant and the author of many curriculum guides and more than 90 juvenile and adult science books.

Review :
.".".well written and beautifully illustrated... The photographs and illustrations should interest young readers to learn more and make use of the vast amount of material available on the internet." "Interest in space exploration is high among young people. Reading about astronomical objects is a good way to get them interested in science in general, motivating them to reach further to acquire both skills and content. The books in the Early Bird Astronomy series are just the right size for small hands, with great reading strategies and interesting topics. Pluto features an attractive cover and is full of colorful pictures. The illustrations support content that is included in many curricula. This book includes a good discussion of plutoids and the 200 or more objects found in the Kuiper's Belt. It also describes the search for more plutoids there and in the Oort cloud. The book opens with as section called 'Be a Word Detective.' This encourages readers to find words in the remaining chapters - a little game to start the reading. In addition to being good for classroom use, this would be a good book for a parent to share with a young reader. As the series notes, 'when you share a book with a child, you show that reading is important.' The note to adults about how to make best use of the book, lists of books and websites with more information on the topic, the glossary, and the index will be valuable to teachers and other mentors. This would be a popular addition to the school library or for classroom use." --NSTA "These stimulating volumes each cover one planet's internal and external structures, major moons (if any), and significant visits by space probes; Pluto also includes mentions of three other recently designated or discovered dwarf planets. The books in this series open with lists of words to look out for in the narrative, include picture captions that restate information in the accompanying text or even ask questions about it, and close with multimedia resource lists, as well as suggestions for adults on good ways to share and discuss books. Fleisher offers some uncommon information, noting for example that Venus's day is longer than its year. The books are enhanced with mixes of space art and photography that has been reproduced with special attention to image sharpness and color clarity." --School Library Journal