As a child, I was fascinated by astronomy. I loved looking at the stars, watching the phases of the moon as they changed, and trying to identify which lights in the night sky were stars and which were planets. (I also liked trying to find the shapes in constellations, but -- even though I sometimes could find the correct pattern of stars -- I just couldn't see the animals, gods and heroes supposedly portrayed there.)

I wish I'd had a copy of Eliza Berkowitz's A Kid's Guide to Backyard Stargazing back then, because it would have been a big help to me. (Not so much for finding constellations -- that's not the purpose of this book -- but for general stargazing this would have been a godsend.)

This book is written in very basic language, and the text is sometimes repetitive. But that's perfect for the target audience, which is children aged 6 to 8 years old. Consequently, Berkowitz isn't getting too technical here, but she's laying the groundwork for what could be a lifelong interest in celestial studies.

The author is not, so far as I can tell, an expert in astronomy. Rather, she's practiced at presenting the basics of natural history to young readers. Her previous books include A Kid's Guide to Backyard Animals, A Kid's Guide to Backyard Trees, A Kid's Guide to Backyard Bugs and A Kid's Guide to Backyard Birds.

Even so, she provides valuable details on astronomy, including how to identify 28 celestial objects that usually can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere. That includes the sun and the moon (along with information on solar and lunar eclipses), all eight planets, prominent stars such as Polaris, Sirius, Arcturus, Vega, Capella and Rigel, important constellations such as Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Orion, Canis Major, Cassiopeia and The Northern Cross, and other celestial features such as the Milky Way and more distant galaxies, comets, meteoroids and meteorites. Berkowitz provides enough facts on each entry that readers will come away with some basic knowledge on the subject; for each planet, for example, she tells readers how far each is from the sun, what it looks like, what it's made of and what it's average temperature is. There are also bonus "fun facts" with each entry.

There's a handy glossary at the end to define unfamiliar terms for young readers, as well as a log where readers can keep track of what they see. And the book is small, easy to tuck into a pocket or backpack for handy access.

At just 96 pages, A Kid's Guide to Backyard Stargazing is not going to overwhelm a young reader. It's heavily illustrated as well, making it a fun and easy read. All in all, this is an extremely useful book and, while my own children are a little too old for it, I look forward to passing it on to someone I know who is the perfect age and will, I think, thoroughly enjoy exploring the sky.