Friday 11 October 2013

ReadItDaddy's Book of the Week - Week Ending 11th October 2013 - "Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space" by Dr Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman (Flying Eye Books)



Prof Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space

Written by Dominic Walliman

Illustrated by Ben Newman

Published by Flying Eye

Flying Eye, we've got to talk. If this carries on, people will say we're in love...!

Once again the fabulous publisher of innovative children's book titles nails our Book of the Week slot, with a book that could almost have been custom made for us. We've previously made no secret of our space geekery. We've previously told you how much we love books that mix together cool characters with a good dose of facts and figures about our favourite subject. We've also probably told you how we love wonderful retro artwork that instantly makes a book feel like it absolutely has to have a place on your shelf, in your hands, and tucked under your pillow at night.

(Can you tell we love this book yet? Can you?)

Take a trip in the Professor's awesome flying saucer!
Professor Astro Cat is our guide on a journey around the stratosphere. Starting with the big bang, and bringing us right up to the present day with the fantastic Mars Rover, "Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space" is utterly chock full of the most wondrous illustrations, suffused with facts and figures that are kid-friendly but don't attempt to dumb things down.

We find out how the sun erupted into being, how the solar system formed, and why poor Pluto (or Polluto as Charlotte calls it) is no longer classed as a planet.

Awesome animal characters help the Professor explain the intricacies of space

The book came with some fabulous art cards (including a wonderful diagram of the Apollo Missions space suit - which you'll also find in the book), gorgeous Prof Astro Cat wrapping paper (which I've pinched and hidden away!) and a tote bag which I've been proudly toting around as our main book-carrying bag. Really though the galaxy-spanning star of the show is the book which truly does make space-curious youngsters even more curious to find out more about the inky black void our little blue planet floats around in.

Charlotte's best bit: Reading the book with Grandad, who loves all things spacey himself!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Perfectly pitched, beautifully written, wonderfully illustrated. Feel like this is becoming our mantra when describing Flying Eye books but if you're looking for a range of titles to stuff into a stocking - or the perfect book for would-be astronauts, you need look no further than this gorgeous gorgeous book

(Kindly sent to us for review by Bounce Marketing / Flying Eye Books)