Grade 4-8-Beginning with an exciting introduction to the 16th century in Poland and Copernicus as the savior of the town of Olsztyn from the Teutonic Knights, this series entry offers a good discussion of the scientist's youth and the important people who influenced him and the direction of his life. His revolutionary idea of a heliocentric universe is discussed in the context of the theories that were held at the time and the astronomers whose work he studied. This is a highly readable book that presents a good balance between the biographical information needed to understand Copernicus as a man and the scientific explanations necessary to understand his work. Also helpful to that end are four simple activities on retrograde motion, the solar system, parallax, and an astrolabe.
