Vacation Guide to the Solar System

When I was in middle school, I spent many hours playing the computer game Where in Space is Carmen San Diego, and I voraciously memorized trivia about the planets and moons of our solar system (as well as the mythologies they were named after). This book - a stylish, beautifully designed fictional travel guide to the solar system - brought back fond memories of that game. This book is gorgeous and has some fun information in it. I definitely learned some new facts and got inspired by the crazy variety of environments that revolve around our sun.

My big complaint with this book is that it shares a shortcoming with a lot of “ain't it cool” science books and TV shows: it shares a lot of interesting facts about the solar system without really explaining why (what scientific forces or concepts explain these phenomena) or how we know about them. I suppose I'm asking for a drier, less approachable book, but I found the level of explanation lacking and want to look up more.

Oh, also - this book has amazing NASA images, but I wish they had included more. These were some of the best parts of the book!