(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Brendan Kearney. This attractive oversize book is all about Earth: "how it was formed, what shaped it, and how it came to be full of living things." Organized into sections of earth, air, fire, and water, each topic gets one jam-packed spread with cartoony illustrations (and occasionally photos). Although inevitably rather scattershot, the volume's accessible text and interesting content should please browsers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Jam-packed facts about topics such as space travel, the solar system, and the question of extraterrestrial planetary life are arranged as a training manual for potential explorers. Presented in dizzying layouts with multiple texts, lists, and illustrations, the content jumps around--from descriptions of rockets and astronaut training to bodies in the solar system to geological features on planets. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Nishant Choksi. Brake uses a question-and-answer format to cover a wide range of astronomy topics, split into chapters on the formation of the universe, stars, the nature of time, and space exploration and alien life. Eye-pleasingly goofy cartoons placed on colorful construction paper–like pages don't make the dense explanations any easier to understand, but the volume may whet science-minded readers' appetites. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford