Our family receives more materials for review than we sometimes know what to do with. Oftentimes, we'll just skim the pages to get a general idea of the curriculum's general usability and quality. If it makes the basic grade, it's good to go. If it's superior, sometimes we'll even adopt it into our own homeschooling program. We found something superior. It's a beautiful book on astronomy from a totally Christian perspective, called Signs & Seasons: Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy, by Jay Ryan, and our family is so impressed with it. Why? Because we're learning! And we're on the edge of our chair doing so.

The author quotes ancient sources throughout the entire manuscript, tying in centuries of knowledge and understanding. For most people today, the sky has lost its appeal. It's gone flat. Our culture has no time, no desire to study astronomy the way scholars have throughout the ages. What happened? Where have the deep thinkers gone? Astronomy is fascinating; it opens up new worlds--literally! It explains time and dates, light, seasons, and dimension. One important aspect of this book is that it puts to rest the various "pagan influences" in astronomy. It incorporates biblical explanations and sends old superstitions packing.

We love this book and use it in our own homeschool. Yes, our kids are getting the best possible astronomy class with Jay Ryan's book (and all of the included graphics). But something else just as wonderful has happened as a result: we as the parents are finally learning about this little-studied science on a deeper level for the first time. Don't skip astronomy, and don't just gloss over it either. Avoid the dumbed-down curriculums. Signs & Seasons delivers. Highly recommended!

Product review by Paul and Gena Suarez, Publishers, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, February 2007