Pieces of Another World

Last August, I woke our girls about midway between midnight and dawn. They trailed sleepily into the car, and we began to drive under a star-filled sky. The annual meteor shower was supposed to peak between 2 and 5 a.m. and the weather conditions were perfect. The stars grew brighter as we left the city lights behind us, and after about an hour, we exited the freeway and drove down country roads, looking for a good vantage place to watch the night sky. At last, we found the right place.

We stopped the car, got out, lay back on the hood, and began our vigil. A bright streak flashed across the sky... another... and another, punctuated by excited cries. "There's one!" and "Look! Over there!"

When dawn began to brighten the eastern sky, we reluctantly picked ourselves up and began the hour-long drive back home, talking all the way about the wonders of the night sky, the stars, and the meteors. It's something I hope we'll do again, the next time conditions are right. These are the things memories are made of.

Pieces of Another World is a dreamy, colorful picture book that tells a similar story, of a father taking his daughter (in her pajamas) on a mystery drive. They stop for ice cream, they marvel at the sights of a deer and a fox in the night, but it's a meteor shower they've come to see...

The last four pages of the book contain information about meteors, meteoroids and meteorites, and related learning activities (meteor cookies, and preparing for a meteor-watching party). Additional teaching suggestions are available at the publisher's website.

Editor's Note: The peak period for viewing the Perseid meteor shower is between August 9 and 14.