The Thing to Remember About Stargazing is to have fun. But there are other things you should do as well, and the book by Matt Forrest Esenwine tells everything about them. The poetic wonder filled story is contemporary with feeling and is emotional. There is the idea of awe that one should approach stargazing with, as the author tells us. Things flow, are soft, but strong, and fit the illustrations well.
I am not sure of what format Sonia Maria Luce Possentini used for the illustrations, but they are my favorite part of the book. Granted, sometimes they were a little awkward, looking like computer-generated items, or perhaps someone was not familiar with the subject (there is a dress from the back that was not working for my tastes). One image looked like it was a photograph that looked like it had been transferred into a painting. The majority capture the nighttime world perfectly regardless of the actual style to them. There is much in the way of darker colors such as black, blue and such, but even the brighter colors are used as well. There is both fantasy elements and realistic (a boy and his dog vs. dancing whales in the sky). We cover the magical (constellations) but also give the science facts (Orion the Hunter has stars farther from each other than they are from Earth).
Overall, this is a nice book for most ages. Due in October 2023 I read via an online reader copy, therefore, I am unsure of the final product. I am thinking that it would work well as an oversize board book as well as a traditional hardcover.
