Book Review: Stories in the Sky: Constellations by Kyle Brach and Illustrated by Lizzy Doyle

By Kaylie Seed

Ever since I was little, I have enjoyed staring up at the night sky, admiring the moon and stars with my dad. He would point out some of the constellations in the sky, and as I got older, I always remembered those moments together when I stared up at the night sky, searching for the constellations I grew up learning about.

Stories in the Sky: Constellations is a children’s book meant for ages 3-5, but parents will find this adorable board book aesthetically pleasing and interesting too. Written in a rhyming format, author Kyle Brach has taken a well-known topic and brought it down to a child’s level. Focusing on ten of the more well-known constellations, Brach includes a small story and a fun fact about each of the constellations. Some of these were new to me as I didn’t know all of the constellation origin stories. Brach also includes when the reader can find each constellation in the sky as some can only be seen during certain seasons in the Northern Hemisphere.

Along with the blurb and fun facts, illustrator Lizzy Doyle has included adorably vibrant illustrations of the groups of stars inside what they are meant to be. For example, Doyle has drawn a bear and inside of the bear shows the star groupings that make up the constellation Ursa Major. These illustrations are fun to look at and allow parents to help point out the star groupings in the sky at night that make up each constellation.

Learning about the stars is something that has been around as long as humans have been around, but it is a topic that never ceases to amaze each generation. Having books like Stories in the Sky: Constellations allows for the conversation about stars and space to continue on and inspire a love for our night sky.

Thank you, Simon and Schuster Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.