Journey Around the Sun: The Story of Halley's Comet

by James Gladstone, Yaara Eshet (Illustrator)

Overview

Halley’s Comet tells its own history in this unique STEM book


Halley’s Comet, visible from Earth only once every 75 years, tells its own story in this unique informational picture book. With each return of the comet, the book highlights human life at that time, and how science has advanced toward a greater understanding of our universe.


Told in minimal, poetic text paired with detailed captions for context, the book begins with sightings in ancient civilizations, where for centuries, the comet was a mystery recorded in art and writing. From Edmond Halley’s successful prediction of the comet’s return in 1758, through the advent of technologies like cameras and eventually a spacecraft that photographed its ice core, Halley’s Comet tells an inspiring and wide-reaching story of scientific advancement and cultural history.


The book closes by inviting readers to wonder what our world might look like the next time Halley’s Comet is visible from earth, expected in 2061. What will the comet “see,” next time it passes by on its journey?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771473712
Publisher:	Owlkids Books
Publication date:	03/15/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	765,937
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 12.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD960L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

JAMES GLADSTONE is an author of picture books for children, including When Planet Earth Was New, Earthrise, and Turtle Pond, which won the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction. James’ latest book, Journey Around the Sun, follows Halley’s Comet on its travels through the ages. James lives in Toronto, Ontario.

YAARA ESHET is an artist and illustrator who was born in Israel and studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. In addition to her illustrations for daily newspapers, magazines, and literary publications, Yaara has illustrated over 30 books for children, youth, and adults. Yaara lives in Toronto with her family and cats.

Editorial Reviews

06/21/2021

Relayed from the first-person perspective of Halley’s Comet, the first comet “whose orbital return was correctly predicted,” this picture book by Gladstone surveys humankind’s history of witnessing the comet over thousands of years. Gladstone employs a removed, almost ominous tone for the comet’s voice (“I have seen your past.// And I will see your future, the next time I take that sunlight journey”). Historical observations feature in a smaller font beneath the comet’s observations: one tripartite page shows three iterations of the comet as a paragraph beneath reads, “In 1607, Flemish astronomer Gottfried Wendelin... wrote that the comet looked like a flaming sword.” Eshet contributes fine-lined watercolor art, giving inky skies a wonderful depth while juxtaposing a historically inflected art style with comic-style panels. An intriguing picture book primer on “the most famous comet.” Back matter includes an author’s note, a brief overview of comets, and sources. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"An ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book science collections for young readers ages 4-8."

Midwest Book Review

"Gladstone not only provides readers with a 'personal' account of the comet and lots of fascinating historical and scientific information but he also asks us to think about our relationship to the stars and, ultimately, the universe."

The Globe and Mail

"A smart, meditative introduction to the astronomical phenomenon."

Foreword Reviews

"A fun and beautifully illustrated introduction to Halley’s Comet."

Canadian Review of Materials

"It’s rare to come across an informational picture book that offers the perfect mix of fact and wonder. But [Journey Around the Sun] is one such gem: a cosmic road trip sure to delight any reader who has ever looked up toward the heavens in awe."

Quill & Quire - STARRED REVIEW

"This attractive informational picture book will provoke curiosity and wonder about our amazing universe and its history."

Canadian Children's Book News

"Listening to Halley's Comet tell its own story is an ingenious way to introduce the comet that has been viewed from Earth over many hundreds of years ... Captivating and informative, this wonderful book will find fans of all ages."

From the Publisher

"Halley’s Comet speaks to readers, recounting the various ways that people throughout history have understood the celestial object. Gladstone and Eshet take us from the time of Aristotle to the space age — with many stops in between."

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

"Via striking photographs and a conversational text, Eszterhas gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at her job... an engaging introduction to an unusual line of work."

The Horn Book

★ 2021-01-13
From cave families to space families, humans have been intrigued by Halley’s comet.

With narration in a large type, the comet tells its story as it is viewed from Earth through many centuries. In a smaller font, historical sightings are recounted. Early ones include Greeks in 466 B.C.E. and Arabs in 989 C.E. Chinese, Babylonians, Italians, and Germans have recorded and painted it. The comet has been variously described as “hairy” or “bushy” or “a great sword of flame.” It was stitched into the Bayeux Tapestry. And in 1705, Sir Edmond Halley wrote a treatise predicting its return. Today, space probes allow humankind to study it in the greatest detail. The voice of the comet as narrator is scientific, noting that it is “neither good nor bad—a part of nature.” The text is accompanied by full-page paintings that capture the beautiful vastness of the sky along with panels that portray the intensity and fascination of the scientists, artists, and ordinary folk whose eyes were drawn to the heavens. Some evoke medieval paintings in design and celestial blue color. Most eye-catching of all is the cover illustration, which is repeated at the end of the book. In it, a brown-skinned child, framed by a telescopic lens, is dressed in a futuristically intriguing hooded onesie as they gaze intently at the heavens. A dreamer? A scientist? Why not both.

Astronomy: factual, historical, and inspirational. (author’s note, sources) (Informational picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews