I Wonder About Worlds: Discovering Planets and Exoplanets

Via straightforward scientific writing counterbalanced with warm, dreamlike illustrations, the pair behind A Star Explodes re-teams for an exploration of planets both known and unencountered. A light-brown-skinned child in a red hoodie narrates, ready for a night of stargazing in a meadow. “I wonder, wonder about worlds,” they intone while viewing the sky. Subsequent pages see the figure consulting both the heavens and a guidebook while considering planet types found in Earth’s solar system. Alongside storytelling prose, smaller type more dryly describes specific planet types: terrestrial, with rocky surfaces, and frequently visible to the naked eye; farther-out gas giants seen through telescopes; and ice giants visible only using deep-space probes. As the child reclines on a blanket, their shining eyes reflect the stars, and the curve of the horizon highlights Earth’s own planetary nature. Finally, to explore exoplanets in galaxies beyond, they pilot a spaceship alongside a fox, finding lava and water realms, and more (“Is there life on one of these worlds?... Only time and careful study will tell”). The protagonist finally heads home to their own sun and moon “and all the people I love,” adding close-to-home warmth to this accessible introductory survey. More information about solar system planets concludes. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)