Out of this World

A cheerful and brisk introduction to space and the universe, full of gee-whiz facts and ‘would-you-believe-its’.  Text is regularly broken up by headings, and cartoon line drawings liven up the pages throughout.  Author Clive Gifford takes a matey tone, but his text is well pitched for the age group and there is plenty of good detail on living in space and the important business of eating, sleeping and going to the loo in a space suit or space station.  A chapter is included on stargazing, but apart from a handful of diagrams of constellations like the Big Dipper/Plough and Orion, there are no pictures that would help you navigate your way around the night sky.  For children who like the ‘Horrible History’ black-and-white only approach, this could fit the bill, but those who want to marvel over images of distant galaxies and star birth must turn to more colourful volumes.