<Franklyn Branley has died this month. I'm ashamed to say it's just come to my attention.

Mr. Branley, along with Seymour Simon, Anne Rockwell, and Gail Gibbons, has written accessible and attractive books about science for the very young, and for the not-so-young whose knowledge of science is sketchy but whose intelligence and curiosity were excited by the questions science poses. His texts are easy to read and understand, but never condescending.

Parents I know whose children ask questions about how the world works have been grateful for Mr. Branley's work: his books can be shared with a child while teaching the adult reader more nuanced ways of understanding the world and explaining it to children. They are periodically reprinted with new art by noted illustrators to appeal to the aesthetics of the next generation, but the texts speak so clearly to children that they have remained substantially unaltered, except where timely discoveries require revision.

I have included below the entry for Mr. Branley from the Maine Writers page of the Waterboro (ME) Public Library's website, with a complete bibliography. Caution: The list is long.

Franklyn Mansfield Branley (5 June 1915 - 5 May 2002)
Franklyn Branley, who wrote or co-wrote over 120 science books for children, was born in New Rochelle, N.Y. He attended New Paltz Normal School in New Paltz, N.Y. (now SUNY at New Paltz) and also received degrees in education from New York University and Teachers College at Columbia University. He lived from 1998-2002 in the Thornton Oaks retirement community in Brunswick, Maine. An obituary is available through the New York Times, 9 May 2002.



Branley was an astronomer by training, at one time serving as chairman of the Hayden Planetarium (NYC). He also taught science, from grades K through college, in New York schools, and it was while he was teaching at New Jersey's State Teachers College in 1960 that he began introducing area kindergartners to the basics of science, writing Mickey's Magnet ( ), Rusty Rings A Bell ( ), and Timmy and the Tin Can Telephone ( ) to both provide information and capture the imaginations of his young learners. These books led to his immensely popular (and still reprinted) "Let's-Read- and-Find-Out Science series for very young readers (ages 4-9).

Branley's books -- including the Let's Read and Find Out series, the Mysteries series, the Experiments series, the Book For You series, and the Planets series -- include those listed below.

Science: Seven and Eight (1945; illus. Scarlett Blanton)

-Experiments in Science (1947/55; with Nelson F. Beeler; illus. Ruth Beck)

-Experiments with Electricity (1949; with Nelson F. Beeler; illus. A.W. Revell)

-More Experiments in Science (1950; with Nelson F. Beeler)

-Experiments with Airplane Instruments (1953; with Nelson F. Beeler; illus. Leopold London)

-Experiments with Atomics (1954/65; with Nelson F. Beeler; illus. A.W. Revell)

-Experiments in the Principles of Space Travel (1955/73; illus. Jeanyee Wong)

-Mars (1955; illus. Anne Marie Jauss)

-Mickey's Magnet (1956; with Eleanor K. Vaughan; illus. Crockett Johnson)

-Rusty Rings A Bell (1957; with Eleanor K. Vaughan; illus. Paul Galdone)

-Solar Energy (1957/75; illus. John Teppich)

-Experiments with A Microscope (1957; with Nelson F. Beeler; illus. Anne Marie Jauss)

-Experiments with Light (1957; with Nelson F. Beeler; illus. Anne Marie Jauss)

-Exploring By Satellite: The Story of Project Vanguard (1957; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-Book of Satellites For You (1958; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Nine Planets (1958/71/78; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-Timmy and the Tin Can Telephone (1959; with Eleanor K. Vaughan; illus. Paul Galdone)

-Experiments in Sky Watching (1959/67; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-A Book of Moon Rockets For You (1959/64/70; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Moon: Earth's Natural Satellite (1960/72; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-Moon Seems To Change (1960 - illus. Helen Borten; 1987/90 - illus. Barbara and Ed Emberley)

-Big Tracks, Little Tracks (1960; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Guide to Outer Space (1960; illus. George Geygan)

-What Makes Day and Night (1961 - illus. Helen Borten; 1986/91 - illus. Arthur Dorros)

-Rockets and Satellites (1961 - illus. Bill Sokol; 1970 - illus. Al Nagy; 1987/91 - illus. Giulio Maestro)

-Book of Planets For You (1961/66; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Sun, Our Nearest Star (1961 - illus. Helen Borten; 1988/97 - illus. Don Madden)

-Exploring By Astronaut: The Story of Project Mercury (1961; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-Air Is All Around You (1962 - illus. Robert Galster; 1986/87/90 - illus. Holly Keller)

-Big Dipper (1962 - illus. Ed Emberley; 1991/99 - illus. Molly Coxe)

-Mars: Planet Number Four (1962/66; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-Rain and Hail (1963 - illus. Helen Borten; 1983 - illus. Harriett Barton; published as

-Down Comes the Rain in 1997/99, illus. James Graham Hale)

-Book of Astronauts For You (1963; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-What the Moon Is Like (1963 - illus. Bobri[?]; 1973; 1986/87/2000 - illus. True Kelley)

-Snow is Falling (1963 - illus. Helen Stone; 1986/99/2000 - illus. Holly Keller)

-Exploration of the Moon (1963/64/66)

-Apollo and the Moon (1964)

-Sun: Star Number One (1964 - illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-Flash, Crash, Rumble and Roll (1964 - illus. Ed Emberley; 1985/87/90? - illus. Barbara and Ed Emberley; 1999 - illus. True Kelley)

-Book of the Milky Way Galaxy For You (1965)

-The Christmas Sky (1966 - illus. Blair Lent; 1990/91/92 - illus. Stephen Fieser)

-Earth: Planet Number Three (1966; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-North, South, East and West (1966; illus. Robert Galster)

-Book of Stars For You (1967; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Floating and Sinking (1967 - illus. Robert Galster; 1997 - illus. Lisa Thiesing)

-High Sounds, Low Sounds (1967/75; illus. Paul Galdone)

-A Book of Mars For You (1968/75; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Milky Way: Galaxy Number One (1969; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-Mystery of Stonehenge (1969; illus. Victor G. Ambrus)

-Book of Venus For You (1969; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Man In Space To the Moon (1970; illus. Louis S. Glanzman)

-Book of Outer Space For You (1970; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Gravity Is A Mystery (1970/86/87; illus. Don Madden)

-Moon: Jack and Jill and Other Legends (1971; illus. Jane Teiko Oka)

-Oxygen Keeps You Alive (1971; illus. Don Madden)

-Book of Satellites For You (1971; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Pieces of Another World: The Story of Moon Rocks (1972; illus. Herbert Danksa)

-Think Metric! (1972; illus. Graham Booth)

-Weight and Weightlessness (1972; illus. Graham Booth)

-Beginning of the Earth (1972/88; illus. Giulio Maestro)

-A Book of Flying Saucers For You (1973; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Great Moon Hoax (1973; illus. Richard E. Brown)

-Eclipse: Darkness in Daytime (1973/88; illus. Donald Crews)

-Comets, Meteoroids, and Asteroids: Mavericks of the Solar System (1974; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-Sunshine Makes the Seasons (1974 - illus. Shelley Freshman; 1985/86/87/88/89 - illus. Giulio Maestro)

-Shakes, Quakes, and Shifts: Earth Tectonics (1975; illus. Daniel Maffia)

-End of the World (1974; illus. David Palladini)

-Roots Are Food Finders (1975; illus. Joseph Low)

-A Book of Planet Earth For You (1975; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Astronomy (1975; with Mark R. Chartrand III; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-Measure With Metric (1975; Loretta Lustig)

-Energy for the 21st Century (1975; illus. Henry Roth)

-Light and Darkness (1975; illus. Reynold Ruffins)

-Black Holes, White Dwarfs, and Superstars (1976; illus. Helmut K. Wimmer)

-How Little and How Much: A Book About Scales (1976; illus. Byron Barton)

-Color: From Rainbows to Lasers (1978; illus. Henry Roth)

-Electromagnetic Spectrum: Key to the Universe (1979/80; illus. Leonard D. Dank)

-Columbia and Beyond: The Story of the Space Shuttle (1979)

-Age of Aquarius: You and Astrology (1979; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Sun Dogs and Shooting Stars: A

-Skywatcher's Calendar (1980; illus. True Kelley)

-Feast Or Famine? The Energy Future (1980; illus. Henry Roth)

-Jupiter: King of the Gods, Giant of the Planets (1981; illus. Leonard D. Dank)

-The Sky is Full of Stars (1981/83/87/99; illus. Felicia Bond)

-The Planets In Our Solar System (1981/83/87 - illus. Don Madden; 1998/99 - illus. Kevin O'Malley)

-Space Colony: Frontier of the 21st Century (1982; illus. Leonard D. Dank)

-Dinosaurs, Asteroids, and Superstars: Why the Dinosaurs Disappeared (1982; illus. Jean Zallinger)

-Water For the World (1982; illus. True Kelley)

-Halley, Comet 1986 (1983; illus. Sally J. Bensusen)

-Saturn: The Spectacular Planet (1983/89; illus. Leonard Kessler)

-Comets (1984/87; illus. Giulio Maestro)

-Shivers and Goosebumps: How We Keep Warm (1984; illus. True Kelley)

-Mysteries of the Universe (1984; illus. Sally J. Bensusen)

-Is There Life In Outer Space? (1984/86 - illus. Don Madden; 1999 - illus. Edward Miller)

-Hurricane Watch (1985/87; illus. Giulio Maestro)

-Space Telescope (1985; illus. Giulio Maestro)

-Volcanoes (1985/86/87/99; illus. Marc Simont)

-Mysteries of Outer Space (1985; illus. Sally J. Bensusen)

-From Sputnik to Space Shuttles: Into the New Space Age (1986/89)

-Journey Into A Black Hole (1986/87; illus. Marc Simont)

-Mysteries of the Satellites (1986; illus. Sally J. Bensusen)

-It's Raining Cats and Dogs: All Kind of Weather And Why We Have It (1987; illus. True Kelley; for ages 9-12)

-Mysteries of Life on Earth and Beyond (1987; illus. Sally J. Bensusen)

-Star Guide (1987; illus. Ellen Eagle)

-Mysteries of the Planets (1988; illus. Sally J. Bensusen)

-Uranus: The Seventh Planet (1988; illus. Yvonne Buchanan)

-Tornado Alert (1988/90; illus. Giulio Maestro)

-Mysteries of Planet Earth (1989; illus. Sally J. Bensusen)

-Shooting Stars (1989/91; illus. Holly Keller)

-What Happened to the Dinosaurs? (1989/91/97/99; illus. Marc Simont)

-Superstar: The Supernova of 1987 (1990; illus. True Kelley)

-Astronomy Set 1 (1990; 5-volume set)

-Earthquakes (1990/94/99; illus. Richard Rosenblum)

-Germs Make Me Sick (1991; with Melvin Berger; illus. Marylin Hafner)

-Neptune: Voyager's Final Target (1992)

-Keeping Time (1993; illus. Jill Weber)

-The Sun and the Solar System (1996/97; illus. Arthur R. Upgren)

-What Makes A Magnet? (1996; illus. True Kelley)

-Day Light, Night Light: Where Light
Comes From (1998/99; illus. Stacey Schuett)

-Floating In Space (1998/99; illus. True Kelley)

-International Space Station (2000; illus. True Kelley)



He will be missed.

Regards--
Mary Anne