Nonfiction Book Reviews

"Hubble: The Mirror on the Universe" by Robin Kerrod and Carole Stott

Hubble: The Mirror on the Universe by Robin Kerrod and Carole Stott is the ultimate coffee table book about space. The front cover is eye-catching and beautiful, and even better, the photos inside are too.  This is the kind of book that makes me love writing nonfiction book reviews.

Before we launched telescopes into space, the sky we saw was twinkling stars against a black background. Through the haze of our atmosphere, it was difficult to see much more detail than that. But with the Hubble telescope in the sky, taking pictures and allowing us to see the intricate universe that lays beyond, our knowledge of the universe has expanded exponentially.  Hubble showcases the best of those photos.

What I loved about Hubble: The Mirror on the Universe, however, is that the authors didn’t content themselves with merely printing the high quality, beautiful photos coming from Hubble and calling it good. Instead, Kerrod and Stott use a lot of text to explain what is happening in the photos and why, and after reading the book, I felt as if I had just worked my way through a college class on astronomy.

Unlike The Planets, I don’t think that this book would be wholly appropriate for younger grades because there is too much text in it for most kids. But if you are homeschooling or teaching children in, say, fifth grade or higher, I think that they would really enjoy the book. They may not understand everything, but they’d understand enough.

What really makes this book stand out in my mind is that Hubble: Mirror on the Universe is a flat-out gorgeous book! Check out this two-page spread:

Two page spread from the inside of "Hubble: Mirror on the Universe"

Is that not amazing? It makes my little geeky heart go pitter-patter with delight.

I fell in love with this book from page one. I honestly cannot think of a single thing to critique about it. If you collect books about space and astronomy, then this is a must have for your collection.

A rare 5 out of 5 stars for Hubble: The Mirror on the Universe.

PS Speaking of learning about astronomy, I just found a fantastic website on the Hubble telescope. There is a section on the photos from Hubble, answering the question, “Is that what the cosmos really look like if we were to fly out there in a spaceship, or have the photos been enhanced?” The answer may surprise you – be sure to check it out. I certainly learned a lot that I didn’t know before.