Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet, by Buzz Aldrin and Marianne J. Dyson
Published by National Geographic Kids in 2015
Age level: 8-12 years; Grade level: 3-7; Lexile level: 900
Summary: Welcome to Mars is book written by former astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Marianne J. Dyson, a physicist and a former NASA flight controller. The book details how it would be if humans built a colony on Mars and lived there. The book describes every step in detail, from the very beginning of the solar system, different space crafts throughout the years, the history of Mars, and even growing food on Mars. Spread throughout the book are different activities for the readers to engage in, such as finding Mars in the sky without a telescope, comparing the sizes of Earth and Mars, and building a mock-up of what a house on Mars might look like.
My thoughts: There is a lot of information in this book. A lot. It is perfect for young readers who love science and space, and will draw in the STEM crowd. Every page has either a photo or illustration (or both), and there are numerous factoids spread throughout as well. However I feel it might be a little overwhelming for younger readers at times, especially those who just want to read about Mars itself. The activities offer a fun way to break up the text, however, and they would all be great for a school classroom, or at home. I feel there is nothing left uncovered in this book, which makes it a great resource. Everything from the terrain, to the Mars Rovers, and even The War of the Worlds book by H.G. Wells is discussed in depth. This probably could have been split into two separate books, with the history of Mars being one, and the 'what-if' scenario of actually living on the planet another. There is just so much information that it can be a lot to take in at once, especially with all of the visuals, graphs, and charts on every page. I am not trying to underestimate young readers, but I found it overwhelming at times, and I am an adult!
Of note: The end of this book has numerous resources for further study, including books and websites. Some of these are Buzz Aldrin's official website, the NASA website, and more. Here are just some:
Buzz Aldrin Official Website: http://buzzaldrin.com/
NASA Kids' Club: https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html
National Geographic video about the Mars Rovers: https://youtu.be/7zpojhD4hpI
I completely agree with you! This book has a lot going on, so to read it from cover to cover was overwhelming! For readers who like to skim and read short bits here and there throughout a book, they might enjoy it more.
ReplyDeleteI also realized after I read the book that the National Geographic Channel now has a series about living on Mars. I feel like this book is meant to be some type of advertising/extension of this series. Not that it is necessarily a bad thing, but I think I like my nonfiction to be free from bias and influence and I am a little skeptical about the one-side nature of the book.
Aldrin states near the beginning that he is going to convince us that we should colonize Mars, so I am interested in alternate views that we shouldn't. Overall, I feel that with the show, magazines, and this book all coming out about Mars, there is a push by NASA to promote spending in this area.
I probably won't promote this book too strongly, unless a patron is really interested in space.
Stephanie