Stars! Stars! Stars!

Based on the 2002 picture book by Bob Barner, the cutout- and collage-style-animated Stars! Stars! Stars!, narrated by Gavin Bozza and backed by a fine musical score from Joel Goodman, takes youngsters on a colorful journey through outer space to see faraway planets and stars and learn about other celestial phenomena. Opening with a rhymed overview as a boy and his dog gaze up into the evening sky (and see “the Big Dipper holding a scoop of night”), the program continues with a “Meet the Planets” segment in which fascinating facts are shared about our solar system (Jupiter is so big that all of the other planets could fit inside it; Saturn is not very dense and would float in water; Neptune experiences 1,500 mph winds, etc.), before moving outward to “Meet the Universe,” with its comets, meteors, shooting stars, etc. Deftly balancing entertainment and education, this ALSC Notable Children's Video for 2006 serves up a fun introduction for budding amateur astronomers, while also featuring a lot of curriculum-related information and relevant vocabulary, making it suitable for both general audiences and classroom use. Highly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)