Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos

Gr 1–3—The video version of Stephanie Roth Sisson's excellent picture book biography is enhanced with grand orchestral music by Scotty Huff. It conveys the majesty of the universe and then becomes quieter to underline intimate moments in Carl Sagan's life. Expressive narration by Peter Berkrot mirrors the growing wonder the young Sagan felt as his curiosity about stars and space grew. (A child's voice expresses his "Wowie!" exclamations.) The animation of the lovely and colorful illustrations is simple but adequate enough to move the production beyond a static series of pictures from the book. Movement of eyebrows and eyes conveys emotions, people walk and move their arms, and space probes and satellites move through the galaxy and beyond. There are lots of jumping-off points for classroom studies. Viewers are likely to be curious about the spacecrafts that were sent to take photos of the planets and about the Voyager probes and their recordings. Students may also want to see some of the Cosmos television episodes to learn more about the solar system, Sagan himself, or about the science fiction stories that interested him and helped shape his educational journey.