Icarus at the Edge of Time

I bought this book for my 5 year old son. I heard an NPR interview with the author Brian Green(who mostly writes books for grown-ups about string theory, etc. I share his passion for science and science education. I was a little worried that it would be too babyish since it's listed as a "board-book". Don't be fooled...it is appropriate for about a 5-10 year old age group (maybe even a bit older would appreciate it). It is very beautiful inside and the text is pretty "grown-up". The images are of various nebulae and galaxies, many of which are thought to contain black holes. The story is about a futuristic journey to a far-away planet being undertaken by several generations of families. One of the ships inhabitants is a 14 year-old boy who wants to explore beyond his limited surroundings. He leaves ship on a run-about to go explore a black hole and the consequences illustrate the science of black holes. My son likes it a lot. I've been having to read it again and again for several days, now. He's asking great questions about black holes, galaxies and gravity. Most of which, I can't answer (I'm a biologist), so we are looking up lots of cool stuff online. Anyway, I highly recommend this book- it's gorgeous and thought provoking.

A simply amazing introduction to astronomy that will be enjoyed by adults as well as children. The gorgeous illustrations are all actual images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope! In brief, the story is a retelling of the Greek myth of Icarus, the boy who ignored his father's warning to fly low, and flew so close to the sun that his wings melted and he crashed. This modern Icarus has a happier, less lethal, outcome when he gets too close to a black hole, but he still has to deal with the irreparable consequences of his adventure.Children will enjoy the adventure story, while adults can ponder the deeper meaning of individuation and the quest for knowledge, and the price to be paid for both. Plus, this story offers one of the most user friendly examples of time dilation and Einstein's General Theory of Relativity that I've ever seen. If your kids ask you physics questions for which you have no answer, Wikipedia is a great resource. "Icarus at the Edge of Time" is so good that I actually looked up time dilation, even though I've managed to avoid physics for over 50 years. I'm definitely keeping this one for any grandchildren I may have someday. This is going to be my next book club recommendation!

of an old, old myth cosmos style. Worth the read, and something to talk about with kids.

Great book! Beautiful pictures. Sturdy. Great story, if kinda sad.

Gift to grandson

Good reading for youngsters interested in space. Great for a curious child, or adult.

I ordered this book for my nephew who is seven and he really loves it! We have a shared interest in astronomy so it is great to find such a wonderful story to illustrate the beauty and possibilities of science.Truly a wonderful book with beautiful photos and a great story.I have read several of Brian Greene's books and have always enjoyed as an adult.

This is a great book for children and for adults. The story is perfect for children and the picture are AMAZING! I keep it on my coffee table and people love to look through it to see all the amazing photos used.

I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this book, and I took a chance - but I'm glad I did. It's a futuristic re-telling of an old myth and that's something that could easily have been mis-handled; but I think Greene has done a fine job (apart from one appearance of the non-word "anymore", which always bugs me, though it probably shouldn't... maybe I'm just a reactionary old fogey).The book has a distinctive style, featuring pictures from the Hubble space telescope, and I think it's the kind of thing that could become a familiar treasure on a child's bookshelf. The story retains the elements of tragedy from the original myth but cleverly salvages hope, in a way which, incidentally, should appeal to any Transhumanist readers.

I read this with my 7 year old son. He loved it and has read it again himself.

Very poor condition of the book. Was supposed to be a brand new book. But had pages which were damaged and seemed to have been used previously.

I love it, because it raises a single question - what is time?

If you expect this book to be on string theory or particle physics, don't waste you're time, it's a large kids book with thick pages and cannot be more than 15, it tells a simple story about a boy on a spaceship, it wasn't what I were expecting. There were no product or book discription on amazon so think twice before making the same mistake that I'd made.