Overview

They're like major planets, but not quite. They circle around the sun. They're round. But they haven't cleared everything out of their path. Explore these unusual objects in this book about the dwarf planets.

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9781404839502

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Dwarf Planets: Pluto, Charon, Ceres and Eris by Nancy Loewen Pluto, that distant round thing out there past Neptune, formerly planet number 9, now number 10-maybe, or the un-planet- maybe. How you count 'em is still up in the air! Dwarf Planets: Pluto, Charon, Ceres, and Eris (Amazing Science (Picture Window)) is another of the kid's science books on our solar system I've read to get familiar with the recent changes in how we classify and view the objects in our solar system. It does a good job for early elementary school age kids. There is a big disagreement among scientists and astronomers on the status of whether Pluto qualifies as a planet and there seem to be good arguments on both sides. For young readers, 2nd to 4th grades, the author Nancy Loewen sidesteps most of the controversy, but does discuss the change in Pluto's status from planet to dwarf planet. In addition, she tells the stories of three additional dwarf planets that were welcomed into the ranks as dwarf planets as a result of the redefinition of a planet made in 2006. The writing is simple and short, taking up very little of each page. There are a 'fun facts' scattered through the book to provide additional information. At first, I didn't care much for the style of Jeff Yesh's illustrations, but looking at what he accomplishes with them, I came to find them very appropriate. He does an excellent job of illustrating the various points of the text, making concepts that might be confusing for a 2nd or 3rd grader very clear. Just go to Laurel Kornfeld's Pluto Blog to get a good pro-Pluto perspective. Laurel comented on my post on books about Pluto and the Solar System (and set me straight on a mistake I'd made). Laurel's post does a very good job of critiquing the 2006 re-definition of a planet, I think, but it's beyond young kids, I think. Or read Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson' The Pluto Files: the Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet for the un-planet perspective. Listening to a radio interview with him is what sent me down this trail in the first place. http: //senorparrot.com/blog/2009/03/03/dwarf-planets-pluto-charon-ceres-and-eris-by-nancy-loewen/-- Senor Parrot's Perch blog With its large square pages and poster-bright pictures, the Amazing Science: Planet series is designed to have maximum visual appeal for young space explorers. It largely succeeds, presenting quite a bit of information about each planet in nine double-page spreads (liberally sprinkled with Fun Facts boxes) that show sizes, composition, surfaces, orbits, rotations, and something about each planet's exploration. Readers are introduced to the four dwarf planets through a new definition of major planets (2006), which has led to the recent reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet. Through pictures and text, the book explains sluggish Pluto's orbit and rotation, its icy temperature, and its moon Charon, which is locked by gravity with Pluto. Kids will learn that Ceres (once thought to be an asteroid) and Eris (larger than Pluto) have also been designated dwarf planets; all are named from Greek or Roman mythology. Suggesting flat acrylic paintings, Yesh's illustrations are actually created with digital media. Though not realistic in style, their brilliant colors on dark backgrounds make them eye-catching, often glowing, and sometimes action-filled. Loewen suggests a simple science/language project that involves making up playful sentences to help memorize the order of the planets and dwarfs. Includes a glossary, a short bibliography of children's books about the dwarf planets, and a few more dwarf planet facts, such as tat a U.S. spacecraft will approach Pluto and Charon in 2015. This lively series should be fun for budding astronomers; who knows, it might inspire some planetary poetry or astronomical art.-- Children's Literature Comprehensive Database

Author Information

Nancy Loewen writes fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults. Recent awards include: 2012 Minnesota Book Awards finalist (The LAST Day of Kindergarten); 2011 Bank Street's Best Children's Books of the Year (Share a Scare: Writing Your Own Scary Story); 2011 Book of Note, Tri-State Young Adult Review Committee (Stubborn as a Mule and Other Silly Similes); and 2010 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers (Writer's Toolbox Series). She's also received awards from The American Library Association, the New York Public Library, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and the Society of School Librarians International. Nancy holds an MFA in creative writing from Hamline University, St. Paul. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two teenage children.

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