The Stars

A Fantastic book on the stars and constellations. The author has created a great instructional book and nice go to reference. The author here takes a different approach to teaching. He doesn't bog you down by teaching about the solar system etc first. He goes immediately into teaching how to recognize the different constellations right away. He has a unique easier to remember method of teaching these. In the book the lines connecting the stars have been redrawn do that the picture looks much more like the name of the constellation. For example - the bear - looks like a bear - which makes the constellation much easier to identify in the night sky. The shape easily comes to mind, you can imagine the picture. Keep in mind he doesn't change any positions of the stars themselves - just the lines connecting them. The stars are kept in their true exact positions. Lots of quality diagrams are given. The text is written very well - interesting and easy to understand language. The book itself is fairly large - the pages are about 8 inches by 11 inches so the diagrams are a good size. I have a couple other books on the stars - this is the best. This is a real find for anyone interested in learning about the stars, constellations and night sky.

This is, indeed, an outstanding book. It is written in a simple, clear manner. And I really find the explanations to be both entertaining for kids and accurately descriptive for amateur astronomers. The graphics are excellent. Some other reviewers have suggested that the book isn't for adults or astronomers. Amazon's summary indicates that it is written for 9-12 year olds. Frankly, I think that it might be written at a level for individuals with greater than a 7th grade reading level. I think that its excellent introductory material for when you shift gears to a lesser known area, such as astronomy. Overall, this is excellent, I recommend it, and I give it an "A".

At 45 years old I was not able to pick out any constellations other than Cassiopeia and the big dipper asterism. After attending the Bryce Canyon astronomy session one night I became determined to learn all the constellations. This book was by far the most compelling and interesting and allowed me to see the constellations very quickly and identity the major stars within them as well. With this knowledge I'm finding I can quickly translate the chicken scratch meaningless lines drawn the traditional way and I can still identify the major stars and planets. I give a 5-star rating to this book and I'm buying it for my pre-teen nephews who are interested in astronomy at the moment but can't identify with the ridiculous traditional lines either. The fact that this is still the best selling book on constellation identification is indicative of it's usefulness - all these positive comments are truly a testament as well.

The author of this book is actually the author of the "Curious George" stories, which most of us grew up on (and illustrated along with his wife). If anyone is interested in how, in 1940, they got to America from Europe during WWII, and saved Curious George from the Nazis as well as themselves, is really a fascinating story...but I digress. :) What few people know is H.A. Rey studied Natural Science and loved Astronomy. Back in the 1930's he would draw pictures of constellations, which eventually brought him to writing about stars and drawing them. Whether you are a child, or even an adult interested in stars, you will find this book absolutely delightful as well as a very easy read. Here he agains draws lines between stars of constellations to make pictures that are so meaningful, you will actually remember them! This is a book that should be on everyone's bookshelf is you have any interest in star gazing. If my review was helpful, please click on "helpful" (or "yes") below. Thank you.

Fun way of learning more about the stars! Informative, and explained in a way that almost all ages can understand.

I am very, very new to star gazing--as much as I love it, Chicago's light pollution makes it tough. Dark-sky areas within convenient driving distance from the city are also hard to find. Even though the mechanics of the universe fascinates me, most of that is way over my head....literally! I really just want to walk outside, look up into the sky, and identify constellations. I think if I can do that, little by little I'll be able to learn about those constellations, their origins, etc. Fortunately, I do have reliable resources. One, the Chicago Astronomical Society very graciously runs free, public events from spring through autumn, where veteran astronomers help people like me learn about the Heavens. Two, my husband and I own a pretty good telescope that lets us see detail and keeps us motivated to search for more interesting objects. Three, I have a couple of good, basic astronomy books: NIGHT WATCH, and now this, THE STARS. THE STARS seems very simplistic, and it's written by the author of the "Curious George" series, but it is definitely not a kids' book. It never gets too technical, but Rey does go into a bit of depth in the later chapters. To start out with, though, he sketches out the major constellations and gives the observer some great landmarks. How is this "a new way to see the stars"? Well, a constellation, as a "picture in the sky", can seem pretty abstract to the average person. Sure, the Big Dipper looks like a big dipper. But does an image of a herdsman spring to mind when the components of Bootes are pointed out? Not for me....until I got this book. Now it's starting to make sense. It's like when you go outside and more and more stars become visible as your eyes adjust--suddenly you say, "NOW I see it!" Very fun. I like this book because it immediately gives you a foundation on which to continually improve your skills. The illustrations are great...there are no deep-space photos, but there are lots of engaging drawings that totally show that this book was published in the 1950's. This says a lot about the person Rey was. If you read about his life, and his narrow escape from the Nazis, it really speaks to his character that he would go on to give the world tools to keep learning, and that at heart he seemed to be a very optimistic person. "The Stars" is indispensable, for me, and I have used it on every clear night since I got it. Don't let its apparent simplicity fool you. There is an elegance in this little volume.

The best introductory guide to the stars and constellations, bar none! It has numerous features which makes learning the constellations much easier and more fun. Here are a few examples: (1) H.A. Rey has done a great service by redrawing the constellations (using the same stars) so that they *actually* look like the figure they represent. This is in contrast to so many other constellation drawings (by others) that bear no resemblance at all to the figure they supposedly represent. They come in two varieties: either they are lifelike representations with no correlation at all between the figure and the individual stars or they are stick figures that look more like abstract art! (2) Rather than deluging you with lots of irrelevant facts, H.A. Rey has chosen some very pertinent, interesting facts and anecdotes to share about the stars and the constellations. These are the kind of facts that are fun to share with others when you introduce them to the constellations! (3) H.A. Rey has very wisely left the more detailed and technical explanations for discussion later in the book. He starts off by telling you just the basics that you need to start stargazing right away! (4) On the Calendar Chart pages you will see two star charts on facing pages. On the left you'll see just the stars and on the right you'll see the stars with the connecting lines to show the constellations. Going back and forth between the pages is a great way to start to memorize the celestial patterns so that when you get outside it will be easier to pick them out!

I love this book! I can't recommend it highly enough. The illustrations are so much better than other star books I've seen because they're simple and they make sense. If the constellation is a bear, he draws it in a way that looks like a bear. He writes it in a way that if you just want to dive in and start finding constellations, you can. If you want to know more of the hows and why's behind them, he gives that too. I think this is a GREAT book for parents and grandparents to use with their children to learn about the beautiful night time sky together. I also think it's great for adults who haven't ever learned learned the constellations, but would like to. It's very doable. I just love it.

El libro está muy bien desarrollado Se puede empezar a leer por el final: Parte 4, página 108, de esta manera es más fácil situarse en el contexto de la astronomía Es muy didáctico.

Exceptional. I never really found constellation charts helpful as the "drawings" usually just surround the stars in question. What a difference this book has made! The author takes the very same constellations with the very same stars but "connects the dots" (literally) in a very helpful manner. So that Gemini actually DOES look like twins and Ursa Major actually DOES look like a bear. After spending just a small amount of time with this book I am now able to pick out some constellations while walking my dog at night, without even really trying to find them. The author also explains astronomical concepts in plain language, in an equally helpful way. I purchased this book for my teenage son, who is interested in astronomy. We are both equally delighted with this book. Many thanks to the author of Curious George! (Who knew?!)

I can heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in astronomy. It isn't an easy subject to grasp. Here, Rey makes it comparatively simple. If you've ever looked at the night sky, only been able to find the Dipper and felt confused and a touch saddened, then this book is for you. There's no doubt about it, Rey knew his science. However, he was considerate enough to only bring that in later after he had explained how to find his reworked constellations. Instead of looking up at the sky and seeing a geometric mess, Rey teaches you how to see Leo as a Lion and Gemini as two stick figures. And that's not all. He can show you how to tell the time using the stars, something I never thought I'd be able to learn I'm not very good at writing reviews so it's difficult to do Rey's work justice. Perhaps it's enough for me to say that this book has made me an amateur astronomer instead of a helpless stargazer.

Very nice book. Got it for my son but I wanted it for a long time.

Il s'agit d'un cadeau pour mon père qui l'a adoré! un guide simple pour celui qui veut se lancer en astronomie.