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Books that explain the physical world through myths and legends
are a perfect accompaniment to Activity 1. Of course, certain
myths and legends can also be matched with other sessions of the
guide. For instance, legends about the moon or stars can be connected
to the class sessions on moon phases or constellations.
Many of the books here are not myths or legends. These can be
related to Activities 2 through 6, depending on their focus. How
to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World works well with
Activity 2. Stories that include eclipses of the moon or the sun
would fit well with Activity 4. Any book about the Big Dipper
enhances Activity 5, in which students learn how to use the Big
Dipper to tell time and to find the North Star. Books about other
constellations relate best to Activity 6.
Several books, such as those about comets or planets, are connected
more generally to the subject of astronomy. Such books can be
used to lead students from their investigations of the Earth,
Moon and stars to other elements of our Solar System.
Watch for any books that picture the Moon in the sky, even if
they are primary level books, and challenge older students to
evalute the astronomical accuracy of these
books.
Boat Ride With Lillian Two Blossom
Einstein Anderson Lights Up the Sky
Einstein Anderson Tells a Comet’s Tale
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Grandfather Twilight
The Heavenly Zoo, Legends and Tales of the
Stars
How Many Stars in the Sky?
How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the
World
In the Beginning: Creation Stories from
Around the World
The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar
System
Many Moons
Moon-Watch Summer
Nine O’Clock Lullaby
Planet of Exile
The Planet of Junior Brown
The Planets
Quillworker: A Cheyenne Legend
Sky Songs
Space Songs
Star Tales: North American Indian Stories
To Space and Back
The Truth about the Moon
The Way To Start a Day
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s
Ears
The Year of The Comet
Boat Ride With Lillian Two Blossom
by Patricia Polacco
Philomel/Putnam & Grosset, New York. 1988
Grades: K–4
A wise and mysterious Native American woman takes William
and Mabel on a boat ride, starting in Michigan and ranging through
the sky. Explanations for the rain, the wind, and the changing
nature of the sky refer to spirits such as the caribou or polar
bear, which are magically shown.
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Einstein Anderson Lights Up the Sky
by Seymour Simon; illustrated by Fred Winkowski
Viking Press, New York. 1982
Grades: 4–7
In “The World in His Hands,” Einstein punctures
his friend Stanley’s plan to build a scale model of the solar
system in his basement. He discusses the relative sizes of the
sun and the planets and the distances between them. In “The
Stars Like Grains of Sand,” Einstein enlightens his younger
brother Dennis about the star population.
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Einstein Anderson Tells a Comet’s
Tale
by Seymour Simon; illustrated by Fred Winkowski
Viking Press, New York. 1981
Grades: 4–7
In “Tale of the Comet” there is some very interesting
information about possible connections between comets, asteroids,
and dinosaurs. Even though the book was published in 1981, the
information is still accurate.
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Follow the Drinking Gourd
by Jeanette Winter
Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 1988
Grades: K–6
By following the hidden directions in the song “The Drinking
Gourd,” taught to them by an old sailor named Peg Leg Joe,
runaway slaves follow the stars along the Underground Railroad
and the connecting waterways to Canada and freedom. The “drinking
gourd,” another name for the Big Dipper, guided them north.
In Activities 5 and 6, students learn how to use the Big Dipper
to tell time and find the North Star.
Return to titles list.
Grandfather Twilight
by Barbara Berger
Philomel Books/Putnam & Grosset, New York. 1984
Grades: Preschool–2
At the end of the day, as he does each day, Grandfather Twilight
delivers the moon to the sky. The moon is a pearl that is removed
from a strand and grows in size with each step grandfather takes.
The story is portrayed simply, with few words and peaceful, yet
magical illustrations.
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The Heavenly Zoo, Legends and Tales
of the Stars
by Alison Lurie; illustrated by Monika Beisner
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York. 1979
Grades: 4–8
“Long before anyone knew that the stars were great burning
globes of gas many millions of miles from the earth and from one
another, men and women saw the sky filled with magical pictures
outlined with points of light. Some of these (16) tales are heroic,
some comic, some sad; but all are full of the wonder we still
feel when we look at the sky full of stars.” The illustrations
are striking, showing each beast, bird, or fish against the stars
that indicate its position.
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How Many Stars in the Sky?
by Lenny Hort; illustrated by James E. Ransome
Tambourine Books/William Morrow, New York. 1991
Grades: K–2
An African-American father and son set off on a journey of
discovery to count the stars in a summer night sky. As city dwellers,
they discover the obstacles to stargazing—city lights, for
example—and end up driving to the country.
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How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side
of the World
by Faith McNulty; illustrated by Marc Simont
HarperCollins, New York. 1990
Grades: K–8
A child takes an imaginary 8,000-mile journey through the
earth and discovers what’s inside. This activity connects
beautifully with Activity 2 of the GEMS guide, in which students
are asked to imagine what might happen if an obect could be dropped
through the center of the Earth to the other side.
Return to titles list.
In the Beginning:
Creation Stories from Around the World
by Virginia Hamilton; illustrated by Barry Moser
Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, San Diego. 1988
Grades: All
An illustrated collection of 25 legends that explain the creation
of the world, with commentary placing the myths geographically
and classifying them by type of myth tradition such as “world
parent,” “creation from nothing,” and “separation
of earth and sky.” Some of the selections are extracted from
larger works such as the Popol Vuh or the Icelandic Eddas. Excellent
connection with Activity 1 of the GEMS guide in which students
learn about the ways several ancient peoples modeled how the Sun
and Earth move.
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The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar
System
by Joanna Cole; illustrated by Bruce Degen
Scholastic, New York. 1990
Grades: K–6
Ms. Frizzle and her class leave the earth and visit the moon,
sun, and each planet in the Solar System, noting the temperature,
color, size, and unique features. Excellent literature connection
for students who want to extend their investigations on the Earth,
Moon and stars to a study of the Solar System.
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Many Moons
by James Thurber; illustrated by Louis Slobodkin
Harcourt, Brace & World, New York. 1943
Grades: K–5
This is the tale of a little princess who wanted the moon,
and how she got it. Neither the King, the Lord High Chamberlain,
the Royal Wizard, the Royal Mathematician, nor the Court Jester
were able to solve the problem—it took a 10-year-old princess
to figure it out. The story includes a debate about how far away
the moon is.
Return to titles list.
Moon-Watch Summer
by Lenore Blegvad; illustrated by Erik Blegvad
Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, San Diego. 1972
Out of print
Grades: 4–6
Adam’s eager anticipation of the Apollo landing and first
moon walk turns to sullen resentment when he learns that he and
his younger sister will be spending the summer on his grandmother’s
farm where there isn’t even a television set. Once there,
he is surprised when his grandmother confesses that she has always
been “a sort of ancient moon-worshiper” and is fascinated
by the Sea of Rainbows. He consoles himself with an old radio,
hearing with frustration reports of the good television transmission.
“Mission Control called it a ‘superb’ quality picture.”
The landing had been seen live in the United States, Japan, Western
Europe, and South America, but not in Grannie’s house. As
the summer progresses, he makes charts and drawings summarizing
the mission’s progress and learns to put his family responsibilities
before personal disappointments. Today’s students may find
it hard to imagine life without television, but will appreciate
the significance of the moon walk to Adam and to society at that
time.
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Nine O’Clock Lullaby
by Marilyn Singer; illustrated by Frane Lessac
HarperCollins, New York. 1991
Grades: Preschool–6
Children are transported through many lands showing what people
might be doing on different parts of the globe at the “same”
time. The pictures of the various cultures are fresh and lively,
from cooking on a “barbie” in Australia to conga drumming
and coconut candy in Puerto Rico. There’s a brief astronomical
explanation of time. This, and the idea that it is day on one
part of the earth while it is night on another can be modeled
for students at the beginning of Activity 3 of the GEMS guide,
and is the question they explore in Activity 1. This book could
be read aloud to students even as old as the sixth grade.
Return to titles list.
Planet of Exile
by Ursula LeGuin
Ace Books, New York. 1966
Grades: 6–Adult
Cooperation is the central theme of this thin but gripping
book about the clash of three cultures—two that have inhabited
a harsh planet for eons, and the one that has been exiled only
a few generations. Difficult seasonal conditions on the planet
are the result of how long it takes for the planet to revolve
once around its central star. Because one “year” is
equivalent to many Earth years, people only live through a very
small number of winters.
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The Planet of Junior Brown
by Virginia Hamilton
Macmillan Publishing, New York. 1971
Grades: 5–12
This unusual and moving book begins with three people (two
students who regularly cut eighth grade classes and a school custodian
who was formerly a teacher) in a secret room in a school basement
with a working model of the solar system. The model has one incredible
addition—a giant planet named for one of the students, Junior
Brown. How can the Earth’s orbit not be affected by this
giant planet? Is there a belt of asteroids that balances it all
out? How does this relate to equilateral triangles? From these
subjects, the universe of the book expands outward into the Manhattan
streets and inward into the hearts, minds, and friendship of the
two students who are both African-American. After the first chapter,
the solar system becomes more metaphor than scientific model,
until the end of the book when the real model must be dismantled
and the three must find a way to help Junior Brown and to affirm
their solidarity against all odds. Powerfully and poetically written,
this book humanizes the statistics about homelessness and the
educational crisis in a profound and unforgettable way.
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The Planets
edited by Byron Preiss
Bantam Books, New York. 1985
Grades: 8–Adult
This extremely rich, high-quality anthology pairs a nonfiction
essay with a fictional work about the earth, moon, each of the
planets, and asteroids and comets. Introductory essays are by
Issac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and others. The material is dazzlingly
illustrated with color photographs from the archives of NASA and
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and paintings by astronomical artists
such as the movie production designers of 2001 and Star Wars.
Return to titles list.
Quillworker: A Cheyenne Legend
adapted by Terri Cohlene; illustrated by Charles Reasoner
Watermill Press/Educational Reading Services, Mahwah, New Jersey.
1990
Grades: 2–5
This Cheyenne legend explains the origin of the Big Dipper.
Quillworker is an only child and an expert needle worker. Her
dreams direct her to make seven buckskin warrior outfits for her
mysterious new seven brothers. To escape the buffalo nation who
want to take Quillworker, they all ride a tree up into the sky
where they remain, with Quillworker as the brightest star in the
dipper. Good tie to Activity 5 of the GEMS guide in which students
learn about constellations and make star clocks.
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Sky Songs
by Myra Cohn Livingston; illustrated by Leonard E. Fisher
Holiday House, New York. 1984
Grades: 5–12
Fourteen poems about various aspects of the sky such as the
moon, clouds, stars, storms, and sunsets. Wonderful images portray
the planets as “wanderers of night,” shooting stars
are “bundled up in interstellar dust and bright icy jackets,”
and the morning sky is “earth’s astrodome, floodlit.”
Return to titles list.
Space Songs
by Myra Cohn Livingston; illustrated by Leonard E.
Fisher
Holiday House, New York. 1988
Grades: 5–12
Series of short poems about aspects of outer space including
the Milky Way, moon, sun, stars, planets, comets, meteorites,
asteroids, and satellites. The astronomy content is accurate.
The black background illustrations are dynamic and involving.
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Star Tales: North American Indian Stories
by Gretchen W. Mayo
Walker & Co., New York. 1987
Grades: 5–12
The nine legends in this collection explain observations of
the stars, moon, and night sky. Accompanying each tale is information
about the constellation or other heavenly observation and how
various tribes perceived it. In More Star Tales the same
author includes “The Never-Ending Bear Hunt” and seven
other tales.
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To Space and Back
by Sally Ride with Susan Okie
Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard/Morrow, New York. 1986
Grades: 4–7
This is a fascinating description of what it is like to travel
in space—to live, sleep, eat, and work in conditions unlike
anything we know on Earth, complete with colored photographs aboard
ship and in space. The astronauts conducted a number of scientific
experiments as they observed and photographed the stars, the Earth,
the planets, and galaxies. Working outside the shuttle, they feel
the warmth of the sun through their gloves, but cool off on the
dark side of Earth in the shade. This, and other descriptions,
could lead to a better understanding of the Earth’s shape
and gravity (Activity 2) as well as day/night and phases of the
moon.
Return to titles list.
The Truth about the Moon
by Clayton Bess; illustrated by Rosekrans Hoffman
Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 1983
Grades: K–4
An African boy is puzzled by the changing size of the moon
and asks for an explanation. His father says there is only one
moon and that the moon he saw last night is the same moon he will
see tomorrow. “It is growing, just as a child like you grows
to be a man like me. It starts small, just a silver sliver, and
every night grows bigger and bigger until it is as big as it can
be, a full circle. Then, just as a man grows smaller when he is
very old, so does the moon. Smaller and smaller until death.”
His mother explains that there is only one moon. “It is like
a woman. And you know how sometimes a woman will grow larger and
larger, more and more round?” The Chief tells a long tale
about the sun and the moon being married and how the moon lost
its heat.
Return to titles list.
The Way To Start a Day
by Byrd Baylor; illustrated by Peter Parnall
Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. 1973
Macmillan Publishing Co., New York. 1986
Grades: 3–7
The peoples of the world have celebrated the dawn in many
ways—with drum beats, ringing of bells, gifts of gold or
flowers. “The way to start the day is this: Go outside and
face the east and greet the sun with some kind of blessing or
chant or song that you made yourself and keep for early morning.”
Relates well to Activity 1 of the GEMS guide, which explores ideas
about the rising and setting of the Sun. A Caldecott honor book.
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Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears
retold by Verna Aardema; illustrated by Leo and Diane
Dillon
Dial Books, New York. 1975
Grades: K–6
This West African folk tale explains why mosquitoes buzz in
people’s ears, and how the owl’s call is what makes
the sun rise each morning! Considering ideas that explain why
the sun rises each morning is related to what students do in Activity
1 of the GEMS guide.
Return to titles list.
The Year of The Comet
by Roberta Wiegand
Bradbury Press, Scarsdale, New York. 1984
Out of print
Grades: 4–9
The first two chapters are specifically about Halley’s
Comet in 1910, the rumors about massive destruction that preceded
it, and its actual impact on a small Nebraska town. The second
chapter starts with an interesting narrative involving the theme
of scale, as the heroine Sarah puts herself, like Alice going
down the rabbit hole, inside a map of the United States to delve
into the detail of the buildings and streets of her small town.
For many students, it will be easy to continue reading of Sarah’s
other adventures as she gains a new maturity during “the
year of the comet.” Many touching and powerful passages;
a good sense of the universal scope of the comet and the real-life
complexity of human relations.
Return to titles list.
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