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Summary: Beautiful, Thoughtful, Grows with the Child
Review: The wonderful thing about this book is that the reader can get more and more out of this book both with subsequent readings and with age. There is plain text to read and beautiful pictures to pore over. There is beautiful text to absorb a more advanced reader or an older child. Plus, the science, this history, and the politics are true.
Rating: 
Summary: Definately for older children
Review: This book is beautifully illustrated and written but was given to my daughter when she was 4 years old by an ambitious uncle and although she is quite interested in science, at age 5 it is still way over her head. I would have to agree with some of the other reviewers, I would recommend it for much older children interested in the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Historically very inaccurate!
Review: This book is extremely misguiding in it's representation ofGalileo's experiences especially as it relates to his dealings withthe Catholic Church. A truth seeker would not read "A Starry Messenger" to their children until they knew the truth! Then read the book to your children and explain the missing and misguided information to them - a lesson in critical reading!
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Artwork, Misleading History
Review: This children's book about Galileo has very beautiful illustrations, but the history leaves much to be desired. It's a perfect example though of how myths about the past take on a life of their own independent of historical evidence or historical context. Sis offers another variation on the "warfare" of science versus religion with Galileo representing the modern rational scientist (which he was not) and his opponents in the Church representing ignorant, dogmatic tradition. Of course the reality was much more complex, especially considering that Galileo did not have proof that the earth moved. This book shows why children are so often misinformed from an early age for the sake of telling a good story.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Artwork, Misleading History
Review: This children's book about Galileo has very beautiful illustrations, but the history leaves much to be desired. It's a perfect example though of how myths about the past take on a life of their own independent of historical evidence or historical context. Sis offers another variation on the "warfare" of science versus religion with Galileo representing the modern rational scientist (which he was not) and his opponents in the Church representing ignorant, dogmatic tradition. Of course the reality was much more complex, especially considering that Galileo did not have proof that the earth moved. This book shows why children are so often misinformed from an early age for the sake of telling a good story.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful biography of Galileo.
Review: This children's book is a brief biography of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), which also uses some of Galileo's own words. It is appealing to both children and adults. The text is a celebration of a life devoted to science and of courage in the face of adversity. There are few books of biographies of scientists written for children and this book helps fill that gap. The book was a 1997 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustrations in a book for children.
Rating:
Summary: Starry Messenger: A Must Read
Review: This is my favorite picture book! It truly is perfect in every way! Reads aloud well and is great to read over and over again! I attached a magnifying glass with a ribbon to some copies in my class, so kids can study the intricate details in the magnificent illustrations and the (extra) tiny writing along the pages! PERFECT!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect In Every Single Way!
Review: This is my favorite picture book! It truly is perfect in every way! Reads aloud well and is great to read over and over again! I attached a magnifying glass with a ribbon to some copies in my class, so kids can study the intricate details in the magnificent illustrations and the (extra) tiny writing along the pages! PERFECT!
Rating:
Summary: More Eye Candy than Biography
Review: While, as an artist, I appreciate artfully illustrated children's books (and this is one), I find myself swimming against the tide in evaluating Starry Messenger by Peter Sis. It doesn't really illuminate Galileo's life as much as use him as the launching point for an incredible artistic riff. While the illustrations are exquisite, they render the text (written on a very simple second grade level) almost superfluous. Indeed, half the text is in an almost unreadable "Handwriting" typeface, very small, sometimes twisted around. I kept wondering what second grader could even read the thing. The content of the readable text is, from my perspective anyway, very simplistic, something you would read aloud to a preschooler. And it doesn't tell much about Galileo. If you're looking for a good juvenile biography of Galileo, and not a coffee table book for children (or the Caldecott people!),I'd recommend Leonard Everett Fisher's much better written book on the same subject. Galileo deserves better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: A children's book about Galileo clearly for older readers
Review: Yes, "Starry Messenger" is one of those children's books that is going to be over the heads of most children, which is ironic given that it is about a man who wanted to understand the meaning of the stars. Certainly the life of Galileo Galilei is worthy of being taught to children, but Peter Sis has geared this one a bit too high, as I think these reviews clearly indicate. After all, few young readers will appreciate that the inclusion of quotations from Galileo's "Discoveries and Opinions of Gailelo," although they will be more inclined to spin the book around to read cursive lines of tiny print written in a spiral by Sis. Fortunately, most children have much better eyes than I do now a days. The chief charm of "Starry Messenger" for me is the artwork, which certain suggests both the Old World and Olden Days. Several of the illustrations remind me of Medieval and Renaissance artwork I have seen in the past. Again, I am not sure younger readers can really appreciate some of the details Sis puts into some of this illustrations, especially the three dealing with the his trial before the Pope's court. This is a shame because these are pretty powerful illustrations. Ideally, somewhere down the road kids who learn about Galileo and the example of his trial ("But it does move") will return to this book and better be able to appreciate it.
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