Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I Know Exactly What You Are

Title: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I Know Exactly What You Are
Author: Julia Kregenow, PhD
Illustrator: Carmen Saldana
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Jabberwocky
Copyright: September 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1492670063
Age Range: 4-8 years
Reading Level: Not evaluated yet
Cost: $12.32
Pages: 40

SUMMARY: Astrophysicist, Julia Kregenow, rewrites the classic tune "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" exploring exactly what stars are.  You can sing this title or just read it. With rhyming lines like "Smallest ones burn cool and slow, still too hot to visit, though. Red stars dominate by far twinkle, twinkle, little star" you learn little star facts.  The title would draw in both picture book fans as well as budding astronomers.  With shows like Ready Jet Go! on PBS, which sing all about outer space, this title fits right in.

CRITIQUE: Twinkle Twinkle does use more advanced vocabulary like Rorschach test and atmospheric turbulence that could go over the heads of younger readers, which the book was recommended for.  This is the main drawback of the title.  Even so, the title doesn't shy away from scientific information and is more than just an advanced "Twinkle Twinkle" song.  I was originally drawn to this title because of the cover then when you open the book you are provided with Hubble like illustrations that draw you out into space. Large print on the pages and extensive background make this more than a cutesy picture book and could be used as an introduction into a space/astronomy unit for elementary students or recommended to space loving youth.

"Nourishing fare for young stargazers who really, truly do 'wonder what you are.'" - Kirkus

FEATURES INCLUDED: At the end of the book there is "A Little More about What Stars Are" section.  The author answers the following questions: What is a star? What is a constellation? What causes twinkling? What makes stars shine? What is a black hole? What is a neutron star? What is our Sun? What is a binary? What is a galaxy?  Did you know blue stars were bigger than red stars, and our sun is actually considered a small star?  Learn this and more at the end of the story. It would have been nice if web links were provided at the end, but maybe the author wants children to explore on their own.

EXAMPLES:

Here the illustrator sets the story up with two budding astronomers using a telescope and reading an astronomy book.  You see both a boy and girl who "know exactly what a star is."

The illustrator says they combined watercolor, pencil, and collage with digital painting and texturing.  The large white print stands out against the black.  It feels almost like looking at telescope photos.

At the end of the book the author provides definitions and extra information about stars and outer space.  The extra material also has corresponding illustrations.

COMPARISONS/RECOMMENDED READING:

For youth who get excited about space this may be the next book recommendation as it covers more than just stars.  You can explore planets, galaxies, black holes, and comets.  Little Kids First Big Book of Space is also recommended for youth ages 4-8 as with the title above.  I see this as a natural progression to dig deeper into the concepts covered in Twinkle Twinkle with a space encyclopedia of sorts.

It is actually difficult to find age appropriate books just about stars.  Many of the titles have the same issue as Twinkle Twinkle in that they appear to be written for younger children at times and yet use challenging vocabulary or concepts.  The other problem is that some titles are very dry and uninteresting.   The Magic School Bus Sees Stars  was recommended for ages 4-8 and could be compared to Twinkle Twinkle.  This title talks about the size of stars and takes a narrative approach to the information.  It does not use as high of vocabulary or get into as many details as Twinkle Twinkle.  You could have children compare the information from both books to see what they really learned about stars.

Saturn Could Sail: and other fun facts explores quirky space facts.  This picture books would make a fun companion book for a space themed story time.  Both titles have the same target age range (4-8) and rely heavily on the illustrations.  The title is part of the "Did You Know?" series.





SUGGESTED USES: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I Know Exactly What You Are would be a fun addition to your STEM story time or an introductory title to your outer space/astronomy unit.  Young children can relate to the song and enjoy the illustrations, while elementary children could appreciate the facts at the end.  Here is a sample Star Lesson Plan. First and fifth grades typically explore outer space in school.  The following Next Generation Science Standards are the most closely related standards to this title:

1-ESS1-1.  Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.

5-ESS1-1.  Support an argument that the apparent brightness of the sun and stars is due to their relative distance from Earth