Space, Time, Rhythm and Rhyme

Russell Stannard, author of the hugely successful 'Uncle Albert' series, has done more than anyone else to popularize science and make it something that is fun and readable. Here, he takes us on a guided tour of the Universe. But this is no ordinary introduction to astronomy and cosmology. The explanations are inspired by a wonderfully varied collection of poems from poets such as Spike Milligan, Ted Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Roger McGough, Matthew Sweeney and Benjamin Zephaniah, as well as from children themselves. Russell Stannard weaves a brilliant narrative between the poems so that we learn about such phenomena as shooting stars, black holes, the Solar System, and space travel, while the poets never let us lose sight of the mystery and awe that captured our curiosity in the first place. The anthology is a wonderful bridge between the more accessible world of the imagination and the often terrifyingly austere world of science, aimed at readers between the ages of 8 and 12.