The Children’s Book Review | November 23, 2018
Cassandra and the Night Sky
Written by Amy Jackson
Illustrated by Donna Paredes
Age Range: 5-12
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Bright Sky Press
ISBN: 9781942945406
What to expect: Astronomy, stars, constellations
Cassandra and the Night Sky is an interesting take on the tales of constellations in the night sky. In a world where an evil King has stolen the stars, a Kingdom lives nighttime in complete darkness except for the light of the moon. Spoiled princess Cassandra, who had every toy imaginable, has heard tales of stars that used to be shining brightly in the sky. For her ninth birthday, her nurse gave her a plain, broken teapot. Disappointed, Princess Cassandra gives the gift to the daughter of a servant. But one day they discover together that the teapot is filled with the starry night sky of ancient lore. They release the trapped stars, only to find that the King set a trap of a nasty scorpion inside of the teapot. But with the help of Cygnus, her pet swan, Princess Cassandra puts the sky to right.
The end of the story shows the real names and illustrations of the constellations Cassiopeia, Cygnus, the Teapot and the Scorpion. Children will delight in this tale of constellations, and it will make their telescope viewing adventures with the starry night sky that much more exciting. The illustrations by Donna Paredes are crafted with colored pencil and are richly saturated and bright. Author Amy Jackson uses her extensive background in the sciences and in teaching to bring this truly unique and exciting story concept to life. A fun read for the whole family, especially before a star-viewing party.
Available Here
About the Author
Amy is the founder and director of Starry Sky Austin. Growing up in Houston with NASA in her backyard, Her lifelong dream was to become an astronaut. After graduating from UH with a Bachelors of Physics she attended Rice University and graduated with a Master of Science in Teaching. Amay has taught at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and in private and public school. A mother of 3, she has spent the past 8 years following her passion by inspiring Austin and the surrounding communities with hands-on astronomy classes through Starry Sky Austin. Most recently, she traveled to Guatemala to do astronomy outreach with kids and families from coffee Finca La Merced. Amy is currently employed as an astronomy educator at Travis County Milton Reimers Ranch Observatory.Though never formally trained as an artist, Donna enjoyed her artistic talent from an early age. Donna has as explored drawing, painting, charcoal sketching, and now colored pencils-she loves them all! A licensed R.N., and Amy’s mother, Donna lives in Houston, Texas.
Cassandra and the Night Sky, by Amy Jackson, was reviewed by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like Cassandra and the Night Sky by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Astronomy Books, Books About The Night, and Picture Book.
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