The Sun: Our Nearest Star

This book is filled with lots of different ideas about the sun. It covers areas such as what the sun is, what the sun is made of and how hot it is, the distance between Earth and the sun, and even goes into what the Earth would be like if there was no sun. This would be a great book to read to give a general overview of the sun or can be read in parts so that further investigation can happen.

• Author: Franklyn M. Branley
• Illustrator: Edward Miller
• Year Published: 2002
• ISBN: 0-06-028534-6

Science Topics

• Space Science

Minimum Suggested Grade Level

• Kindergarten

Maximum Suggested Grade Level

• 5th Grade

Summary

Describes the sun and how it provides the light and energy which allow plant and animal life to exist on Earth.

Evaluation

• Appropriateness: High
• Authority: Medium
• Accuracy: Medium
• Liteary Artistry: High
• Appearance: High

Questions

Does the book foster development of processes?

This book is filled with lots of different ideas about the sun. It covers areas such as what the sun is, what the sun is made of and how hot it is, the distance between Earth and the sun, and even goes into what the Earth would be like if there was no sun. This would be a great book to read to give a general overview of the sun or can be read in parts so that further investigation can happen.

Does the book provide an opportunity for children to ask and answer their own questions?

I believe this book could serve better if the teacher was asking questions. We could have them infer what could happen. For example "How do you think it would effect Earth is there was no sun?" They could ask these questions on their own but the book would eventually give them the answer so it would be better if the teacher asked before hand and had a discussion with all the students.

Does the book encourage children to think for themselves?

They could think more into detail about the things that we read in the book. They could bring in their prior knowledge about the sun and use this book to confirm what they know or use it as a learning tool. I think having the teacher present things that they could think about would work better because it just goes over basic facts rather then going into depth a little more.

Is the science topic addressed in ways that are appropriate to the lesson?

Yes. This book could be used as an introduction into learning more about sun. The ideas in this book are very easy to understand and could even be broken down so that we could go more in depth with the different sections. The illustrations in the book are also really helpful and easy to understand.

Is the content based on sound scientific principles? Is it accurate?

This book provides many different accurate concepts. It touches on many different ideas that are connected to the sun. It talks about the sun in general and even brings in the concept of solar energy and how it this process happens.

Does the book distinguish between fact and fiction?

This book is factual rather then fiction. There isn't any fiction aspect because the book is basically stating facts regarding the sun throughout the entire thing.

Are the illustrations clear and accurate?

The illustration are very clear and accurate. There are concepts such as size comparison between Earth and the sun and distance between the Earth. For the younger audience such big numbers could be hard to fully understand so the illustrations in the book become a helpful resource.

Is the book written at the level of your students?

For the younger students I believe this book would have to be broken apart so that they are able to understand each idea. There could be some vocabulary that is unknown to them so it would make this book difficult to understand. Depending on what grade level you use this for determines what could be done with it.

Is there a multicultural component? Is it free from stereotyping?

This is something that all humans on Earth could relate to, as everyone is affected by the sun. There is really no stereotyping in this book as well.

Is the book free from gender bias?

The book generalizes us with the term "we" so i think it is free from gender bias. There are two female characters in the story but they are just there to illustrate difficult concepts.

Does the book show the close association between science and other disciplines?

The book is more focused on the sun and the science related so i don't really see and association with other subjects. At the end of the book there are a few experiments that could be done so i would say that this book is strictly science.

Does the book present a positive attitude toward science and technology?

Yes. This book is filled with lots of information regarding the sun and even includes some experiments to do! I believe that this would keep the students with a positive attitude because this topic could turn into something that is engaging and hands-on.