Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space (This Is a Reissue of a Previous Edition) has much in the way of scientific facts which are seriously presented but are paired with very cartoon illustrations. The text in Dominic Walliman’s book is long, dense, and not for all readers. The serious tone of the wording would work for a more serious reader/learner, but the cartoon art might turn them off. Of course, the student might be drawn to the cartoons and that will keep their attention with the text. And of course, for some the two pairings will be the only way to go.
In other words, this can be a complicated recommendation.
The facts are straightforward. Professor Astro Cat is the expert in everything (or at least it seems that way). This time we will learn about space. With busy pages, but things do flow so you can take your time and compartmentalize things, there is a lot going on. It is not a book you can rush through. And unless you are a modern reader used to the computer screen reading, I do not recommend reading it online. I prefer hardcopies anyway, but this time it would have been 100% better.
Ben Newman’s illustrations are an acquired taste. You can judge the illustrations by the cover. They are bold, colorful, oddly detailed, and frankly a bit odd. A blue cat? The professor the only one in a spacesuit and the others have tails hanging out unprotected. In other words, you might have to take things with a “Okay, they are what they are, and I need to just move to the next point when it is time” attitude.
It would be best for the classroom setting, but an individual child looking for a slightly older introduction could do it.
