The Mysteries of the Universe

DK Children £20  HB

Do judge a book by its cover; this one is as gorgeous as it looks. Not only that, it contains the full glory of the cosmos in a language that’s simple and engaging enough for an eight year-old.

Although The Mysteries of the Universe is aimed at children, it really is a treat for all ages. Visually stunning, with a fabulous selection of space photos, artworks and illustrations, it is also all-encompassing in its astronomy.

We start our adventure gazing at the sky on Earth, and from here the book sweeps seamlessly outwards: to the Moon, the inner and outer planets, right to the Oort Cloud, with everything in between. From there the Universe unfolds: we see nebulae, black holes and star-forming nurseries. We leave the Milky Way and whizz past the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, Stephan’s Quintet; past spiral, elliptical and lenticular galaxies and far back to the distant early Universe.

While easy to dip into, this book does not skimp on science or detail; difficult ideas are delivered in a form that young readers will understand. Neutron stars are the “zombies of interstellar space”, so dense that a “sandgrain-sized fleck” will weigh as much as 1,500 jumbo jets. Kids are introduced to our Local Group of galaxies, the Hubble Deep Field and the cosmic microwave background – concepts that adults may find mind-bending.

Its delightful presentation – gold trim and golden comet tails, full-page NASA photos – are catnip to curious kids. I can’t remember my own two bickering over the post-review ownership of a book before.

While life on Earth may be challenging, this book goes a long way to inspiring the next generation and showing them just how big and wonderful the world of astronomy can be.