Solar System Forecast (Arbordale Collection) - Hardcover

Kelly Kizer Whitt has been an admirer of the universe since childhood. From the dark skies of her hometown of Sauk City, Wisconsin, she would gaze at the stars and wonder what was beyond them. Kelly majored in English and studied Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After college she spent three years in Nashville with her husband, Jeremy, before moving to the Milwaukee area. In 1998 she landed her dream job at Astronomy magazine, where she worked as copy editor, photo editor, and assistant editor. Kelly wrote the terrestrial planets section of The Collins Illustrated Encyclopedia of Space, published in 2001. She writes about space for the websites Suite101.com and AstronomyToday.com. She also has a weekly stargazing blog for the Sierra Club online. Besides writing about space, Kelly published a romance novel on Kindle in 2011 titled The Gathering Storm. Kelly's hobbies include visiting the national parks, creating crossword puzzles, and reading. Kelly lives in Sussex, Wisconsin, with Jeremy, her son Kaden, her daughter Lucy, and their cat Perseus, named for the constellation.

Gr 3-4-Describing planetary conditions using a familiar weather-report format, this narrative romps its way through the solar system. Starting with the Sun-"active today, with dark sunspots scattered across the surface like polka dots"-the reports cover conditions on each planet and their effect on science-fiction travelers and commuters. Earth is decsribed as "the Goldilocks planet: not too hot, not too cold, its nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere-based climate is just right!" The illustrations amplify the humorous text-one year on Uranus lasts 84 Earth years, and its seasons change about every 21 of our years. The calendar on the bulletin board shows the years 2007 through 2027 crossed off for Spring Break. A Morton Salt-like girl with umbrella and dog illustrates the 100 percent chance of methane-rain on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Every page is fun to read, and every illustration invites readers in for a close examination, especially the grinning green weather guy. The "For Creative Minds" section summarizes and compares scientific data about each planet in a more down-to-earth, serious tone. Fun and informative.-Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.