ReadItDaddy's First Picture Book of the Week - Week Ending 19th October 2018: "Planetarium (Welcome to the Museum)" by Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell (Big Picture Press)

Our first Picture Book of the Week this week performs an impossible feat, cramming the entire universe into a book...
Good job it's a HUGE book then. Professor Raman Prinja has been our 'go-to' for fantastic space books over the last few years of blogging and now he curates a truly beautiful collection of amazing artefacts on a universal scale. It's "Planetarium - Welcome to the Museum"

With the fantastic colour-and-etch style art of Chris Wormell (whose artwork adorns the billion selling "Book of Dust" by Philip Pullman, no less) we're taken on a truly stratospheric journey to examine all the amazing wonders on our own home planet, and out in the inky blackness of space.

Ever wondered what a Black Hole is? What it does, and the incredible destructive forces that suck in any object unfortunate enough to pass its event horizon?

Ever wondered how the first pioneers of space began to explore our galaxy, not with spaceships and rockets but with the humble telescope?

Black Holes. Not an ideal tourist destination.

Professor Prinja explains things in fantastic detail, but in language us mere earthbound mortals can easily understand.

Chris's illustrations add a true touch of class to this collection, as they have in previous "Welcome to the Museum" titles - which are always a really stunningly presented treat.

Planets outside our galaxy, but fascinating to study. Exoplanets!

It's a fantastic book both as a reference for space-going school projects, but also for a thoroughly absorbing read at home too - and we always love the Big Picture Press releases that are designed for sprawling out on the floor with.

The earliest space pioneers. Earth-bound but still discovering the most amazing things about our universe.

This book is absolutely perfect for kids and adults who are interested in all aspects of space exploration, a truly brilliant showcase non-fiction book that perfectly demonstrates how to make a subject both exciting and engaging.

C's best bit: Learning more about Black Holes (something of a fave space subject with her).

Daddy's favourite bit: Breathtakingly brilliant facts about space and our universe, and some truly stunning illustrations make this an absolute must-have of a book.

"Planetarium (Welcome to the Museum)" by Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell is out now, published by Big Picture Press (kindly supplied for review).