As always, Christina Balit’s illustrations are breathtaking. A book about stars and how they inspired our ancestors greatest stories. A poetic way to learn about constellations. ( )

British physicist Jacqueline Mitton and illustrator Christina Balit team up in this gorgeous picture-book examination of the constellations. Profiling nineteen stellar groupings - eight from the northern sky, eleven from the southern - the book gives a brief description of the location of each, and of the animal they are said to resemble. The decorative endpapers show a star map of the northern and southern skies...

One of a number of picture-books about celestial bodies from Mitton and Balit - other titles include Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations, The Planet Gods: Myths and Facts About the Solar System and Zodiac: Celestial Circle of the Sun - Zoo In the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations was first published in 1998, and appears to have been their first collaboration. I recall looking through it, when it first came out, and, having long been an admirer of Balit's artwork, am glad to have reread it today. The illustrations here are absolutely gorgeous! I would have liked it if there had been more information about the mythological underpinnings of some of these constellation names, or more stories about them, but I still think it makes a good introduction to the general idea of constellations for younger children. For my own part, I have always had some trouble seeing the actual animals, when looking at constellations in the sky, but I still enjoy the idea that others have found such a creative way to identify them. I'd love, at some point, to see some kind of global comparative work, listing the constellation names and configurations from different cultures, over time. Recommended to young sky watchers and star lovers. ( )

This is a fantastic book about constellations. The illustrations are beautiful and descriptive, detailing each starry animal with bright color and metallic stars. The animals are studded with where the stars fall on the animal, connecting it to the way constellations look. In the beginning and end of the book, a picture of the Northern sky and the Southern sky are provided. This is a useful and illustrative reference that students can use to find the constellation in the night sky. I like this book because of the illustrations and how the author describes each animal in the constellation. I would use it for a study or unit about space. I would read it during a read aloud and have students identify it in the picture of the northern or southern sky. It would make the study of space richer, because constellations are mentioned in a lot of poetry and literature as well as being a scientific topic. ( )

It is a good information book about animal constellations because it used pictures and words to illustrate the shapes and the related stories very vividly and in details, which can arouse readers' interest on astronomy or constellations. It is suitable for all ages. ( )

Genre: informational
Differen kinds of animals have totally different features and play different roles in the world.
I will recommend it to lower elementary. ( )