I bought Stella Caldwell's Legends of the Stars: Myths of the Night Sky hoping to pique my children's interests in mythology, astrology and astronomy, all subjects that fascinated me as a child (and continue to interest me as an adult). I'm not sure it worked for them, but even so I enjoyed reading through the slender book, which provides brief explanations of the stories behind some of the major constellations in the sky.

Predictably, Caldwell's book focuses mostly on familiar constellations linked to Greek and Roman mythology, as well as the 12 star signs popularized by the daily horoscope, although it does delve occasionally into other cultures' views of the various images in the stars.

Each summary is quite short, usually just a few sentences -- enough to explain in the most basic terms why each figure was immortalized in the stars. The book is heavily illustrated, with the most interesting images being the layout of the stars themselves in each constellation being discussed, often superimposed on a more artistic interpretation of the figure.

Although not of much use to anyone who already has a working knowledge of mythology, Legends of the Stars is a nice introduction to a topic that could lead to a lifetime of reading or a passion for the cosmos.