Pluto's Secret: An Icy World's Tale of Discovery

by Margaret Weitekamp, David DeVorkin, Diane Kidd (Illustrator)

Overview

People, children especially, have been baffled, bewildered, and even outraged by the fact that Pluto is no longer called a planet. Through whimsical artwork and an entertaining dialogue format, Pluto’s Secret explains the true story of this distant world. Providing a history of the small, icy world from its discovery and naming to its recent reclassification, this book presents a fascinating look at how scientists organize and classify our solar system as they gain new insights into how it works and what types of things exist within it. The book includes a glossary and bibliography.

Praise for Pluto's Secret
"Pairing a lighthearted narrative in a hand-lettered–style typeface with informally drawn cartoon illustrations, this lively tale of astronomical revelations begins with the search for Planet X.”
—Kirkus Reviews

"This picture book offers a fresh, positive perspective on Pluto, showing that its change of status is not a demotion but a correction."
—Booklist

"Light-hearted imagining of a gregarious Pluto.”
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Fun reading… The book provides a factual history of our faraway 'dwarf,' and on its companion icy worlds, and on the discovery of Kuiper-like bands around other stars."
—School Library Journal

Award
New York Public Library’s annual Children’s Books list: 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2013
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419704239
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/12/2013
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	770L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Margaret A. Weitekamp, PhD, curates the National Air and Space Museum’s Social and Cultural Dimensions of Spaceflight collection. She lives in Burke, Virginia.


David DeVorkin, PhD, is Senior Curator, History of Astronomy and the Space Sciences, at the Museum. He lives in Kensington, Maryland.


Diane Kidd is an award-winning illustrator of children’s books and is Early Childhood Manager at the Museum. She lives in Takoma Park, Maryland.


The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, maintains the largest collection of historic air- and spacecraft in the world, including the plane Chicago and a copy of First Lieutenant Leslie Arnold’s journal.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 2–4—Published in association with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, this whimsical look at what once was the smallest planet is more serious than the colorful cartoon illustrations and the text of Plutonian thoughts might lead readers to believe. The ninth planet from its discovery in 1930 to its demotion in 2006, Pluto has been revealing more of its "secrets" as technology improved, and is now considered a "dwarf planet" in the Kuiper belt. The informal text covers such events as the naming of this new object ("'Yuck!' thought the little world" at most of the suggestions). This chattiness makes for fun reading ("I'm not worried. Whatever you call me, I'm fine out here," said Pluto), but deftly imparts scientific knowledge about deep space investigation, the process of change due to new data, and the cooperative effort of astronomers to formalize such changes on a global level. The book provides a factual history of our faraway "dwarf," and on its companion icy worlds, and on the discovery of Kuiper-like bands around other stars. A more straightforward history of Pluto's discovery complete with some black-and-white photos, a who's who of people and astronomical objects, and suggested further readings and websites are appended. A "Note from the Museum" describes the convention and process whereby Pluto received its new designation. A lighthearted and informative presentation.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

Is it a planet? A dwarf planet? What's up with that mysterious body that, even in our best telescopes, floats tantalizingly at the edge of visibility? Pairing a lighthearted narrative in a hand-lettered–style typeface with informally drawn cartoon illustrations, this lively tale of astronomical revelations begins with the search for "Planet X." It then sweeps past Pluto's first sighting by Clyde Tombaugh and its naming by 11-year-old Venetia Burney to the later discovery of more icy worlds--both in our solar system's Kuiper belt and orbiting other stars. Meanwhile, sailing along with a smug expression, the mottled orange planetoid is "busy dancing with its moons. / Cha-cha / Cha-cha-cha" and Kuiper buddies as it waits for Earth's astronomers to realize at last that it's different from the other planets ("BINGO!") and needs a new classification. Ceres inexplicably rates no entry in the gallery of dwarf planets, and the closing glossary isn't exactly stellar ("World: Any object in space"), but fans of Basher's postmodern science surveys will feel right at home with the buoyant mix of personification and hard fact. A rare chance to shine for the former ninth planet. (photos and additional detail, "Note from the Museum," suggested reading, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews