Exploring Black Holes

This book takes a look at black holes--one of the amazing aspects of space and space exploration. Through a combination of pictures and drawings, readers can learn about space topics in this bright, high-interest volume that is part of the Searchlight series. The books in this series are divided into chapters that help readers understand the topic as a whole. The table of contents guides students to the topics they will explore, and key words are defined in the glossary. The captions used with the illustrations help build content and pose questions that will pique readers' imaginations. The images are both current and global in significance. The varied text features such as diagrams, graphs, and charts are a real plus, presenting information in a variety of ways. Each volume contains a bibliography of current books and websites that students can explore if they want more information. Black holes are the focus of this book, which helps students begin to understand complexities of our current understanding of black hole theory. They will learn about gravity and what might happen if they were pulled into a black hole. (Think spaghetti!) In students' hands, this book can spark the imagination and lead to further exploration. --NSTA --Website If you have primary students who can't seem to read enough about the universe and the future of humans in space, this series may be just what they need. Each title examines a different aspect of outer space, and illustrations are clearly marked to let the reader know if it is a real photo or an artist's rendition. Each page has a question or caption relating to the information found on the page. The information provided is clear, concise, easy to understand, and would provide a foundation for any young space scientist's education. --Library Media Connection --Journal Each of the four books reviewed from this six-book series is written in simple language, illustrated nicely, and intended for youngsters perhaps beginning in fourth through sixth grade. Each topic is handled as thoroughly as possible within the limited number of pages, which include a glossary, a reading list and an index. Moreover, the information presented is factually correct, avoiding any misconceptions. Every page includes a well-chosen illustration or photograph along with an attached note that reiterates or clarifies the text, or raises anticipatory or review questions. When depicting scientists, an effort was made to include both genders and many ethnic groups. The literature and websites might require some parental or teacher assistance to be most helpful. Together, the books could form a solid but expensive basis for a unit on Astronomy or Space Science. Individually, they address the individual topics well. --Science Books & Films --Journal Keeping specific terms to a minimum, these titles cover their topics in broad strokes and crank up the general interest level with a relatively large photo or (more often) a dramatic artist's rendition on every page. There is significant overlap between International Space Station and Space Robots, and the effort to simplify mystifies more than it informs, as in Dangers in Space where 'the largest space rock [which] is about the size of Texas, ' remains unidentified. Still, readers will come away with new knowledge, such as how scientists observe the behavior of other stars to infer the presence of exoplanets. Space Travel is current enough to note the end of the Space Shuttle program. --School Library Journal, Series Made Simple --Journal