Sasaki, Chris

Personal

Male. Hobbies and other interests: Sports, photography, drawing, writing, music, camping.

Addresses

Home and office—Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Career

Author. McLaughlin Planetarium, former senior producer and photographer; ICE Integrated Communications and Entertainment, Inc., former writer and creative director.

Writings

The Constellations: The Stars and Stories, illustrated by Joe Boddy, Sterling Publishing (New York, NY) 2002.

Detective Notebook: Secret Agent Codes, illustrated by Jeff Sinclair, Sterling Publishing (New York, NY), 2004.

(Reteller) Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, illustrated by Lucy Corvino, Sterling Publishing (New York, NY), 2005.

Constellations: A Glow-in-the-Dark Guide to the Night Sky, illustrated by Alan Flinn, Sterling Publishing (New York, NY), 2006.

(Reteller) H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, illustrated by Jamel Akib, Sterling Publishing (New York, NY), 2007.

(Reteller) H.G. Wells, The Time Machine, illustrated by Troy Howell, Sterling Publishing (New York, NY), 2008.

Contributor of science articles to various magazines.

Sidelights

Chris Sasaki creates children's books that allow readers to explore the realms of astronomy. Sasaki's first publication, The Constellations: The Stars and Stories, includes eighty-eighty entries that describe and illustrate all of the constellations of the night sky. Descriptions detail the mythology behind each star pattern, instruct young readers on where and when to view each constellation, and include diagrams showing star locations. The book also includes additional resources, such as trivia, star charts, and a glossary. Gillian Engberg in her review of The Constellations for Booklist, remarked that Sasaki's book "demystifies stargazing." Sasaki's entries are "short and lively," Engberg added, noting that they are "written in relaxed, teen-friendly language." School Library Journal reviewer Linda Wadleigh commented that Sasaki's comprehensive volume will "serve the needs of those interested in astronomy."

Constellations: A Glow-in-the-Dark Guide to the Night Sky is Sasaki's companion title to The Constellations. Like its predecessor, Sasaki's second volume includes descriptions of constellations alongside images in which glow-in-the-dark stars are created with special ink. Constellations includes descriptions of eleven well-known constellations that contain elements of storytelling by including a discussion of the mythology connected to each constellation. A Kirkus Reviews critic noted that Constellations condenses the information found in Sasaki's first book. School Library Journal contributor Linda Wadleigh maintained that Constellations serves as a straightforward "introduction to the night sky."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of The Constellations: The Stars and Stories, p. 1062.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2006, review of Constellations: A Glow-in-the-Dark Guide to the Night Sky, p. 523.

School Library Journal, July, 2003, Linda Wadleigh, review of The Constellations, p. 149; October, 2005, Rita Soltan, review of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, p. 156; August, 2006, Linda Wadleigh, review of Constellations, p. 111.

Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2003, review of The Constellations, p. 336.