Reviewed by Sandra Holmes
Assistant Professor of Science Education
Mars is one in a series of 10 books written by Robin Kerrod, a prolific author, astronomer, and Fellow of England’s Royal Astronomical Society. These books provide a level of content that is unique for the elementary level. Seven chapters of text are enhanced with a glossary, an index, and surface-feature photos. This book is appropriate for independent readers in grades three through six, and little background is necessary to enjoy the book. The book’s strongest feature is its easy-to-read layout. Little boxes identified as "Star Points," which are single sentences of historical facts, are a nice touch. For instance, the color of Mars is butterscotch--not reddish-orange as previously thought. False correction of coloring that was done on earlier space photos has recently been corrected so we can see the actual color of Mars. The book presents the possibility of evidence of bacterial life on Mars, although this is still a debated topic.
Students will be interested to read that a Martian day is called a sol and equals 61 minutes and 33 seconds of Earth time. The discussion of Martian ice caps, differences in summer and winter temperature, and physical structure of Mars will fascinate students. It is amazing to think a geologic structure 10 times larger than the Grand Canyon exists on a planet half the diameter of Earth. The Star Point fact puts this information in context, saying that if Valles Marineris were part of the United States, it would stretch from New York City to Los Angeles!
The text provides an overview and reasoning for the Martian landscape as presented in Channel Scablands of Mars by Vic Baker in an age-appropriate form. Schiaparelli’s observations of the Martian canals are mentioned; however, the text fails to say his work was misinterpreted in translation. Just as the features on Venus are named after women, students will be fascinated to learn that many features on Mars are named after cartoon characters.
The text is free of gender, class, cultural, and racial bias and incorporates language and explanations with analogies appropriate for intermediate-age students. Because the field of astronomy is changing so quickly, teachers will want to supplement this basic text with the latest information from NASA. This book will make an excellent reference resource or text for independent reading. The explanations are appropriate and make sense.
Review posted on 5/15/2001
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