Next best thing to a live workshop

This book is the next best thing to an actual live workshop about eclipses. It's a story told by a 12 year old child about wisdom learned from eclipse chasing grandparents. It has how to set... See More

This book is the next best thing to an actual live workshop about eclipses. It's a story told by a 12 year old child about wisdom learned from eclipse chasing grandparents. It has how to set up a Sun-Earth-Moon model at home with a tennis ball as model Moon and a lamp as model Sun (with the family dog named Sirius lying under the table where the lamp is). This right off the bat can explain why we see phases of the Moon as well as why eclipses happen and the difference between partial, annular, and total solar eclipses. It can show how the Moon's shadow covers a path only a few dozens of miles wide. It also explains why lunar eclipses happen and why they can be seen much more frequently than total solar eclipses. Grandpa shows how two hula hoops can show why eclipses don't happen every month. Since most children won't be able to go to the path of totality, especially important is how to view partial eclipse stages using special eclipse filter "glasses", pinhole projection, or projecting an image of the Sun onto a white paper on a clipboard from binoculars on a tripod. My one criticism is that reactions of people watching the eclipse is only described as that they "oohed and aahed". In my experience, at the moment of totality, people go completely nuts (or bananas), including me.

Great resource for learning about eclipses

“When the Sun goes Dark” is a the perfect book for this age level to support learning about eclipses and lunar phases. Rather than a presentation of dry facts, extensive astronomy content is... See More

“When the Sun goes Dark” is a the perfect book for this age level to support learning about eclipses and lunar phases. Rather than a presentation of dry facts, extensive astronomy content is developed for the reader through the narration of a character in a story as she learns about astronomy through conversations with her grandparents and younger brother. Not only does the story explain the astronomy of eclipses and phases of the moon, but it does so as the characters engage with several activities that help them learn about these topics. These activities are perfect for use by parents and children in the home or teachers and students in a school classroom. The illustrations helpfully demonstrate both the concepts being communicated and the materials needed to engage with these activities. I could see teachers using this to guide instruction by reading through a few pages then trying out the activities described in the book. Further, the children in the story bring up some of the common questions and challenges learners often have with these topics allowing the narrative to explain these issues for the reader. Finally, one of the real strengths of this book is how well it helps the reader, again through both the narrative and the illustrations, understand the complex spatial reasoning required to explain these phenomena. Excellent resource to add to your science library!

When the Sun Goes Dark

When the Sun Goes Dark is a story told through the eyes of a 12 year old. It is an easy read with a realistic, engaging story line of grandparents explaining eclipses and other scientifi... See More

When the Sun Goes Dark is a story told through the eyes of a 12 year old. It is an easy read with a realistic, engaging story line of grandparents explaining eclipses and other scientific phenomena to their grandchildren. This book is of particular interest to me as a grandparent as my grandson is 12 years old and he and his siblings will have this book as a continued reference for explanations of phases of the moon, what exactly happens during a solar eclipse and an example of how elements were discovered by looking at the Sun’s corona. I would highly recommend this book to all ages. This book will assist teachers and parents in explaining why we have eclipses (not only solar but lunar, too) while also explaining simple concepts such as what is a month. The illustrations that support the text are superb. The timing of this book by Authors Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz, two highly respected astronomy educators, prepares all ages for the solar eclipse that will be seen across the United States in August 2017.

Nothing "Dark" about this BRILLIANT book

I can't imagine a better book for youngsters who want to understand the Earth-Moon system AND who are preparing for the All-American Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017. Authors Fraknoi and Sch... See More

I can't imagine a better book for youngsters who want to understand the Earth-Moon system AND who are preparing for the All-American Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017. Authors Fraknoi and Schatz explain, through lucid family talk and simple diagrams, what causes an eclipse. Kids will be able to follow-long easily — conducting experiments, themselves, with table lamps and balls. The authors decorate their explanations with bits of modern fun — from the word "eclipse" not being confused with "e-clips," to dogs wearing eclipse glasses for eye safety. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

A new kind of science book for kids

When the Sun Goes Dark is an entirely new kind of science book for kids. Like others we’ve seen over the years for the upper elementary and middle school ages, it’s a beautifully illustrated... See More

When the Sun Goes Dark is an entirely new kind of science book for kids. Like others we’ve seen over the years for the upper elementary and middle school ages, it’s a beautifully illustrated story that communicates important science ideas—in this case the reasons for moon phases and eclipses of the sun and moon. What makes this one special is that it does much more than teach a few important concepts. First, by illustrating the reasons for moon phases and eclipses, it helps kids correct a common misconception that the crescent moon phase is caused by Earth’s shadow falling on the moon. Second, it goes beyond simple explanations to illustrate, in a clear and logical way, why we don’t see eclipses every month, and why we’re much less likely to see a solar eclipse than a lunar eclipse. And third, the timing of this publication couldn’t be better, since it provides practical and safe ways to observe the first total solar eclipse in decades to be seen across a large swath of the United States —coming up August 21 of this year!

Bad science

The drawing on the cover does not accurately show what a solar eclipse looks like.