Asimov's new book on Venus [Venus, Near Neighbor of the Sun] is in much the same vein as his earlier works on Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. They are all compendia of the latest information on the planets. Unannounced in the title is the fact that almost 40% of this book deals with topics other than Venus, namely Mercury, asteroids and comets. It would have been more honest to have included this information in the title or on the cover. If nothing else, Asimov is thorough, providing us with just about every conceivable bit of information on our planetary neighbors. In fact, one wonders if children are really curious about the apparent diameter of the sun as viewed from Venus …, the oblateness of the planets …, and the separation of the planet's orbital foci…. These are probably of more interest to older students and those with strong interest in planetary astronomy.

But Asimov does write beautifully. Even when he is discussing the most esoteric aspects of his subject, the reader is carried along by his prose. The book is of doubtful interest to the great majority of elementary children, but probably useful at the junior high and older levels.