I have a fun book to share with you! It's called Ricky's Dream Trip through the Solar System, by William Stevenson.
It's a fun book! I like that it is so friendly to kids, like talking with your Grampa. You learn a LOT about the solar system and it's a very cool book. The illustrations are collaged - so you see the REAL planets, and cut out artwork (like Ricky and Pop Pop in a space ship). It's a fun way to travel!
I wrote to Dr. Stevenson and asked him about his book! Here's his letter back:
Dear L,
I'll do my best to answer your wonderful questions:
WE: How did you think of making this book?
WS: I did not plan on writing a book that would be published. I wrote a story
just for my grandson to show that I loved him and to stimulate his
imagination and interest in science. The first thing that I did was to
write a story on my computer in large letters and designed my own book using
pictures from the NASA.gov web site and Google. Then I punched holes in the pages, put each page in plastic and placed everything in a loose leaf
binder. Ricky's photograph was on the cover. A lot of friends saw the
story and encouraged me to publish it so other children would benefit from
it.
WE: Why didn't you include Pluto?
WS: The reason I didn't include Pluto had to do with a ruling made by the
Science community. They said that Pluto really didn't qualify as a planet
and reduced it to a DWARF planet. I wanted to make a point and show we were up to date. I joke with people that before this Goofy was a Great Dane.
Now he is a Chihuahua Are you laughing? hahahaha
WE: Was it fun to make the collages that illustrate this book?
WS: The art work was done by a very professional company, Fireman Creative. The name has nothing to do with fires. Paul Fireman is the owner. I am a writer and not an artist. Everyone agrees that they did a beautiful job.
WE: What is your favorite planet?
WS: My favorite planet is Earth, for Heaven's sake. (Are you laughing at my
pun?)
WE: What is your next book about?
WS: The next book is 'Ricky's Dream Trip to Colonial America.' We go back in time to July 1, 1776. That is the day in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia that the Continental Congress debates whether or not to sign Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. Even though the meeting is held in secrecy, Ricky becomes part of the debate.
WE: Anything else you'd like to share with us?
WS: My goal is to show people how to 'teach through the eyes of a child'
instead of teaching children through the eyes of adults. If you have any
other questions, please contact me. My email address is
ntcstevenson[at]msn.com. I'd love to hear from you again. Tell your friends
and teachers that they can purchase the book through offthebookshelf.com.
Love, Pop Pop
WE: Thank you so much! I love this book - it's so much fun to read. I can't wait for your next book!
Note: We received a review copy of Ricky's Dream Trip through the Solar System - thank you!