Recommended Reading: 2024 Eclipse
The following books are recommended by School of Education librarian Pam Voyles and are available in Baylor's Learning Resources Center or online from Amazon.
A Few Beautiful Minutes: Experiencing a Solar Eclipse, by Kate Allen Fox
Grade level: Preschool-3rd grade
Reading age: 4-8 years
Summary: "Sky gazers experience a total solar eclipse in this descriptive picture book about the wonders of this phenomenon."A Few Beautiful Minutes: Experiencing a Solar Eclipse
by Kate Allen Fox
Grade level: Preschool-3rd grade
Reading age: 4-8 years
Summary: "Sky gazers experience a total solar eclipse in this descriptive picture book about the wonders of this phenomenon."
Eclipse, by Andy Rash
Grade level: Preschool-3rd grade
Reading age: 4-8 years
Summary: "After hearing about the total solar eclipse happening in two months, a boy makes a plan with his father to go see it. They drive to the perfect campsite, not wanting to miss the couple of minutes when the sun will be completely hidden by the moon. When the moment happens, being together makes it even more special. Based on a trip that author-illustrator Andy Rash took with his son to see the eclipse in August 2017, Eclipse is a heartfelt and playfully illustrated ode to seeking out unique adventures and savoring the most special moments with the people you love. The book features maps of eclipses' paths and scientific back matter about eclipses."
ECLIPSE: Experience Awe in the Path of Totality, by Bryan Brewer
Summary: “This generously illustrated book—which includes the Foreword to the First Edition by Frank Herbert, author of Dune—provides the foundation for an amazing experience of total awe on the day of the eclipse. Over the centuries, observers have described the delicate solar corona, visible only during a total solar eclipse, as a sublime and otherworldly sight. This critically acclaimed book takes you on a grand, full-color pictorial tour of the history and science of eclipses, including how eclipses have influenced culture through the ages, the sagas of scientists who traveled the globe to see totality, simple secrets of how eclipses occur, and complete observation guides."
Eclipse: History. Science. Awe., by Bryan Brewer
Summary: “Bryan Brewer’s enduring classic – now updated with maps and details for the 2017 event – takes you on a grand, full-color pictorial tour of the history and science of eclipses. Discover how these rare and dramatic celestial events have influenced culture throughout the ages, from Stonehenge and ancient Egypt to Shakespeare and Mark Twain. Follow the sagas of scientists who traveled the globe to glimpse precious minutes of totality to study our solar system. Learn the simple secrets of how eclipses occur, and why they continue to rivet the human imagination.”
Eclipse: How the 1919 Solar Eclipse Proved Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity Moment in Science, by Darcy Pattison and Peter Willis
Lexile reading level: 830L
Summary: “British astronomer Arthur Stanley Eddington photographed the 1919 solar eclipse to prove Einstein's theory of general relativity by demonstrating that the sun's gravity could pull and bend light. The eclipse would allow them to photograph the stars before and during the solar eclipse. If the star’s position moved, then it was evidence that that light had bent. Eddington and his team traveled from England to the island of Principe, just off the African coast, to photograph the eclipse.”
Eclipses, by Martha E. H. Rustad
Lexile reading level: 440L
Grade level: 1-2
Reading age: 4-8 years
Summary: “There's more to an eclipse than meets the eye! Simple text introduces readers to solar and lunar eclipses. Includes information about why eclipses occur, how often they occur, and how young readers can find more information so they can experience an eclipse themselves.”
The Solar Eclipse is Coming, by Laurie Lunsford
Reading age: 3-7 years
Summary: “This children's book is about the wonders of creation. It highlights many of the wonderful things that happen in the sky and on the earth, in the day and in the night.
This story also educates children about the total solar eclipse that will be occurring on April 8, 2024. This wondrous sight will travel a “path of totality” through Texas and up through Maine.”
Something Is Covering the Sun! Solar Eclipse Explained, published by Baby Professor
Summary: “In this book, your child will learn about solar eclipse and why it is a natural phenomenon. Through this knowledge, your child should be able to destroy rumors of supernatural reasons for solar eclipse. This book has been created with a third grader in mind; therefore, the chosen language as well as images complement a third grader's expected reading level.”
Totality! An Eclipse Guide to Rhyme and Science, by Jeffrey Bennett
Grade level: 4-7
Reading age: 9-12 years
Summary: “Tens of millions of people came out to view the 2017 total solar eclipse, the first in the US in nearly four decades. Now we are approaching an even more exciting, back-to-back pair of US eclipses: an annular eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023 and a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. You won't want to miss them, and there's no better way to prepare than to use the free app "Totality by Big Kid Science" (expected to be downloaded and used by millions) and this new book written by the creator of that app. Totality! features a unique combination of rhyme and science that makes it suitable for a wide range of ages. The rhyme has been pedagogically constructed to serve as a mnemonic device for the underlying science explained with illustration and "Big Kid Box" sidebars.”
Totality: The Great North American Eclipse of 2024, by Mark Littmann
Summary: “A complete guide to solar eclipses for the general public with detailed coverage of the 2024 total eclipses over the U.S. It shows how, when, and where to see the coming total solar eclipses, how to photograph and video record them, and how to do so safely.”
Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story, by Jayne Sandburg
Reading age: 5-8 years
Summary: "The proud but forgetful center of our solar system is anxious about the upcoming total solar eclipse. Will Earthlings get hurt looking at it? What will they think when Sun's dependable light suddenly vanishes in the middle of the day? How could Moon betray their stellar friendship? Sun tries to calm its nerves with the help of Comet Delivery and sends letters to Earth and Moon. When totality finally arrives and Moon completely hides Sun from millions of Earthlings in its shadow, no one is more surprised than Sun to find that Moon helped it shine in a totally different way."
Your Guide to the 2024 Solar Eclipse, by Michael Bakich
Summary: "Former Astronomy Magazine editor Michael Bakich gives readers all the information they need to get the most from the historic 2024 total eclipse of the sun across central North America."