Dot to Dot in the Sky - Stories of the Planets

Reviewed: August 16, 2005
By: Joan Marie Galat / illustrations by Lorna Bennett
Publisher: Whitecap Books
64 pages, $16.95

This little book combines two subjects that have been linked for thousands for years: astronomy and mythology.

Our nine planets each take their names from either Greek or Roman names of the gods, assuming that we want to use Gaia as the name for the Earth.

Just what they're going to call the tenth planet everyone is talking about this week is anyone's guess, but there are lots of gods and goddesses left over.

Galat has chosen to tell stories about each of the gods associated with the planets as the main text of the book, while presenting factual information in coloured sidebars.

I think the title is a little misleading here, as it might lead one to expect a book about the constellations, which are mentioned only peripherally here. That's a minor quibble, however.

The stories are well told, the illustrations are catchy, and the science is informatively presented.

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