Destination: MARS

Seymour Simon has written more than 150 award-winning science books about animals, anatomy, astronomy, earth science, and vehicles!This revised edition of Simon's book Mars (1987) includes new pictures from the Mars Orbiter Camera, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Pathfinder lander, all launched since the publication of the earlier volume. The text also reflects NASA missions that gathered information about Mars in the late 1990s. In the same handsome format as Simon's other books on the planets, this volume offers a timely update of knowledge and speculation about the red planet. Carolyn Phelan Named after the Roman god of war, Mars has fascinated people for thousands of years. Did you know that . . . A Martian year is 687 Earth days, almost twice as long as a year on Earth Mars"™s biggest valley, Valles Marineris, is four times as deep as the Grand Canyon! Scientists think that Mars, now rocky and barren, once had an ocean, rivers, and a thicker atmosphere The first robot ever to explore the surface of Mars is only about the size of a child"™s toy wagonReading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: HarperTrophy; Reprint edition (March 16, 2004) Language: English ISBN-10: 0060546387 ISBN-13: 978-0060546380 Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.8 x 0.2 inchesone parents review:This was a Christmas present for our 5 yr old who has recently discovered the thrill of our solar system. He reads it continually and has many of Seymour Simon's other books about our solar system. He loves them so much and has started sharing them with some of his friends. He constantly relates planetary trivia to me which shows me that he's not just looking at the pictures.This Mars book is written incredibly well. I'm amazed at how Seymour Simon can speak to a 5 yr old and adults. The artwork and photographs within the book are incredible. I love this and all of Mr. Simon's books we've seen so far. I highly recommend this as a reading tool for any kid that is interested in planets or space in general. If they love the book, they'll keep reading!