STUART Atkinson has been fascinated by astronomy and space exploration all his life. One of his earliest memories is of being at junior school in Cockermouth and watching live television coverage of Moon-walking Apollo astronauts on the school's 'big TV.' Today, Stuart is a well-known and respected writer on all things astronomical and has just has his ninth book published, A Cat’s Guide To The Night Sky, a children’s astronomy book which marks the 30th anniversary of his first tome, Journey Into Space, published in 1988 by Puffin. Featuring a feline narrator, A Cat’s Guide was inspired during a trip to a star camp at Kielder Forest. It was late 2016, and Stuart took his cat, Peggy, a rescue cat who'd a tough life before being adopted by Stuart’s partner, Stella. While holding Peggy in his arms he noticed she was looking at the night sky, eyes darting from constellation to constellation. A classic 'light bulb moment followed as Stuart wondered if cats were as fascinated by the night sky as humans. Stuart's book is a fun guide to the night sky, which explains to young readers how to identify stars, planets and constellations all seen through the starry-eyed gaze of fabulous planetary puss, Felicity. As well as being a wonderfully informative and entertaining read, the book features many beautiful illustrations by accomplished artist Brendan Kearney. Published by Laurence King and available at Waterstones and all major booksellers.
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