Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space

by Dominic Walliman, Ben Newman (Illustrator)

Overview

Professor Astro Cat is the smartest cat in the alley. He's got a degree in just about every discipline under the sun!

Speaking of the sun, he happens to be specialist on that too, and Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space will tell you everything that there could be to know about our star, our planet, our solar system, our galaxy, and our universe. The professor's made sure of that; he's a fastidious little feline!

Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space also explores topics such as gravity, extraterrestrial life, time, and many other fascinating subjects that will take you and your children on a journey to the very frontiers of space!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838749873
Publisher:	Flying Eye Books Ltd.
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Series:	Professor Astro Cat
Edition description:	This is a reissue of a previous edition.
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	378,824
Product dimensions:	11.69(w) x 11.69(h) x 0.51(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Dr. Dominic Walliman received a PhD in quantum device physics from Birmingham University in 2010 where he spent several years teaching physics to undergraduates and previously obtained a physics BSc and an MSc in computer science. He has also spread the joys of physics to the wider world, taking part in a series of talks in schools and demonstrations at festivals as well as tutoring A-level physics students.

Ben Newman is an award-winning illustrator (Royal Television Society Award for Best Branding and Opening Credits Sequence). Previous clients include Penguin, the BBC, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the New York Times, amongst many others. He is a long-standing contributor to Nobrow and is the author of two books, The Bento Bestiary and Ouroboros, under the same imprint.

Editorial Reviews

"A big, bold book geared for humans ages 7–11 (or anyone up to approximately 78 years north of those ages), Frontiers of Space welcomes readers into its pages with gorgeous retro-inspired artwork and keeps them there by describing the wonders of the universe and the science underlying them. […] Whether you’re a cat connoisseur, a dog devotee, a hamster partisan, or an iguana booster, you’re apt to agree that the affable, amusing, and—yes—wonderfully nerdy Professor Astro Cat makes a fine companion for the budding scientist."
—American Scientist


"Cute characters (such as the titular Professor Astro Cat and his assistant Astro Mouse) give a humorous, conversational tone to this nonfiction book's information about space, our solar system, and changing space exploration technology. Like the text, the book's browsable layout encourages readers to keep exploring. Overall, a great book to nurture interest in and wonder at the infinite possibilities of space."
—The Horn Book

"Conducted by a cat in a retro-futuristic space suit, this tour of the solar system and beyond earns style points for both its illustrations and its selection of "Factoroids."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Both modern in its scientific spirit and with a sensibility modeled after the delightful mid-century children’s books from the Golden Age of space exploration, it tickles young readers — as well as their space-enchanted parents — into precisely that "palpable zest to make contact with the cosmos."
—Brain Pickings

"A hugely charming book packed with knowledge and humor to make learning about space fun."
—Cool Hunting

"Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space charms the reader immediately. Newman’s clean, modernist illustrations have a strong retro-futuristic bent that suggest the golden age of science fiction pulp magazines ,while Walliman provides lucid prose to help Professor Astro Cat explain topics such as the birth of stars, the speed of light, the solar system and the history of space exploration. […] The book is a delight of design in its own right. […] Children will want to make many return voyages with Professor Astro Cat, but so will the generations before them who still fondly look to the stars for inspiration."
—Wink Books

‘Finally! A spectacularly made publication to teach kids about space in an exciting, funny and breathtakingly beautiful way. Illustrator Ben Newman has collaborated with his scientific friend Dr.Dominic Walliman to create this truly astounding publication to be enjoyed by adults and children alike. I genuinely learned more about science and space from flicking through this book than I did in my entire school career. So go buy it!’
—It's Nice That

"The book combines scientific rigor (on a level appropriate for younger readers) with delightful imagery. Every page offers a wealth of details. […] The illustrations are busy in the best way: clearly connected to the text, but with all sorts of small flourishes and surprises built in. This is the kind of book that a grade-school age budding scientist can spend hours with. I wish I’d had a book like this when I was younger, but even now, when I’m well into my fifties, I’m absolutely captivated by it. […] This is a perfect book for gift-giving and for opening up the universe (literally, the universe) for younger readers."
—What If Knits

From the Publisher

2013-11-02
Conducted by a cat in a retro-futuristic space suit, this tour of the solar system and beyond earns style points for both its illustrations and its selection of "Factoroids." Diverging from the straight-line course such tours usually take, Professor Astro Cat begins with the Big Bang and the subsequent formation of stars and galaxies. In single-topic spreads, he then sails past the sun to present the Earth and moon, space travel from Apollo to the International Space Station, and the other planets in succession with their major moons and distinctive features. Going beyond the solar system, he explores constellations and telescopes and finally speculates in free-wheeling fashion about alien life and our future travels to other worlds. In blocky, mid-last-century–style cartoon pictures printed on rough paper, Astro Cat and his mouse sidekick point and comment as the smiling sun, cutaway views of spacecraft and satellites, heavenly bodies of many sorts and (toward the end) googly-eyed aliens sail past. Though claims that gas giants have a "surface" and that astronauts wear "armour to protect against flying space rocks" are, at best, misleading (and the text could have stood another round of copy editing), Astro Cat's digestible bursts of information are generally accurate--and well-salted with memorable notes about, for instance, diamonds on Uranus or how dirty laundry on the water-poor ISS is consigned to fiery destruction in the atmosphere. A lively jaunt over well-traveled territory. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews