Saturday, May 4, 2024

Comet Chaser by Pamela S. Turner and Vivien Mildenberge - ADVISABLE

Comet Chaser: The True Cinderella Story of Caroline Herschel by Pamela S. Turner, illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger
. PICTURE BOOK NON-FICTION, BIOGRAPHY Chronicle Books, 2024. $20. 9781452145433 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO SOME 

Though her mother wanted Caroline to stay home in Germany forever and be free drudge labor, her brother William, a musician and amateur astronomer, rescued her by inviting her to his home in England. Together the two fostered their love for mathematics and astronomy and went on the both being salaried by the King of England as professional astronomers. 

Caroline Herschel is a VIP in the world of astronomy - the first woman recognized for her contributions. She left behind 100's of discoveries, including the rings of Uranus and catalogs of celestial objects. Unfortunately, the text is long, the book is long (52 pages), and the illustrations are muddied colored and fell out of focus - so many drawbacks for such an important and interesting woman. I could forgive the length, if the illustrations were better quality. While I will add it to my collection, it will need to be hand sold to science or history teachers as part of a collection of picture books. Caroline is German. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

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