Dot to Dot in the Sky: Stories of the Zodiac

Author: Joan Marie Galat
Illustrator: Lorna Bennett
Publisher: Whitecap Books
Series: Dot to Dot in the Sky
Juvenile nonfiction
ISBN-10: 1552858057
ISBN-13: 978-1552858059
Pages: 68

Thematic links: mythology, astronomy, Greek | Roman history, measuring distance, optics, light spectrum, electromagnetic waves.

Excerpt

Since ancient times, people have looked up at the night sky and imagined they could see pictures in groups of stars, called constellations. More than four thousand years ago, the Babylonians divided part of the sky into the 12 constellations of the zodiac to show where the Sun, Moon and planets appear to travel when seen from Earth. The Greeks spread these symbols to many other cultures.

BACK COVER COMMENTS

“As a Sagittarian, was I predestined to coach university archery and to be launched like an arrow into the sky? Mythology and astronomy will always connect ancient lives to ours and Dot to Dot in the Sky (Stories of the Zodiac) is a remarkable story of how and why.” —Roberta Bondar, scientist, physician, astronaut, photographer

“This book makes sense of the constellations of the zodiac and explains their significance in terms of both astronomy and astrology … The author describes the yearly journey of the sun, moon, and planets through these groupings of stars in an informative and interesting way.” —James Foster, PhD, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA

“Love, hate, jealousy, revenge—these are the basic elements of the original soup opera of the sky that plays out every night above our heads. Joan Marie Galat tell the colourful tales of mythological creatures seen among the stars by ancient skywatchers and adds the modern drama of exploding supernovae and alien planets found within the same constellations today. This stargazers’ companion brings the night sky to life with the full story of your zodiac sign.” —Bob MacDonald, Host of CBC Radio’s “Quirks & Quarks” 

REVIEWS 

“Scientists use the constellations of the zodiac in mapping the skies. The author provides the reader with a simple way to get started using the constellation chart by using the Big Dipper. Also, she gives a simple trick to find latitude and thus the handle of the LittleDipper and from there, Virgo, the first of the signs of the zodiac that comprise the body of the book. Each sign is given a colourful illustration, a star map and directions to finding the constellation, a sidebar with space notes and a myth associated with the zodiac’s sign. This is the fourth book in the Dot to Dot series.” —The Association of Book Publishers of BC.

“The zodiac is an imaginary path in the sky divided into 12 constellations where the Sun,Moon and planets appear to travel. Readers learn the ancient stories associated with the zodiac signs and explore the science behind the constellations that bear their names.” —The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens