I like stargazing. Nothing makes me more aware of my place in the universe than exploring a clear, dark sky.¹One of the nice things about fall is that you don’t have to stay up as late before it gets dark. Just remember to dress warm.

The best first book for learning about the night sky and how to find and identify stars is The Stars by H. A Rey.²That’s right, the same guy who wrote the Curious George books. Rey makes learning the stars easy. He uses English names³For example, Great Bear instead of Ursa Major. for the constellations and he draws the connecting lines in the star charts so the constellations look like their names. You’ll learn a few brighter stars and how to use them as a roadmap to find others.

Yes, The Stars is appropriate for kids and you could use your kids as an excuse to get this book.⁴Like you did when you got the Lego set when your kids were newly born. Even if you don’t have kids, this is a great first stars book for you. I love mine!

Do you have a favorite first astronomy or science book?

• 1
  One of the nice things about fall is that you don’t have to stay up as late before it gets dark. Just remember to dress warm.
• 2
  That’s right, the same guy who wrote the Curious George books.
• 3
  For example, Great Bear instead of Ursa Major.
• 4
  Like you did when you got the Lego set when your kids were newly born.