What is it?

Mary Lou’s New Telescope books are available free of charge to IYA Partners (RASC Centres, FAAQ Clubs, University Liaisons, Science Centres, and CASCA Liaisons) who have registered events on the Events Database (see fact sheet, “How to Register Your Events on the IYA Website”)

This full colour children’s booklet (available in English and French), was written by Don Kelly and illustrated by Michael McEwing. It tells the story of a young girl captivated by astronomy. Her interest is rewarded with a special birthday present of a new telescope. At first she is discouraged by difficulties encountered from streetlights while trying to use her telescope in the city.  However, once she sees the night sky at her grandparents’ farm, she is exhilarated. Mary Lou is motivated to social action to address the light pollution problem in her city.

Who is it for?

This beautiful book will appeal to children in grades one to six.

How do I use it?

The book is appropriate for activities with children in the age group, including visits to schools, after school programs, Brownie and Cub troops, etc.

Read the book to the children and show them the pictures. Lead a discussion on light pollution. Ask them to think of examples of light pollution. Discuss the benefits of “good” lighting (e.g. safety, pointed down at sidewalks, etc) versus the drawbacks of “bad” lighting (e.g. wasteful, obscures the night sky, points or leaks upwards, affects animals’ sleep patterns, etc). Ask who has seen lots of stars in the night sky. Where was it? How did it make them feel? Discuss how the sky would have looked different to a child 100 years ago and 500 years ago.

Consider giving each child a copy of the book to take home, or at least leave a few copies with the school or group. Invite them to discuss the issue of light pollution with their friends and families. Invite them to attend other IYA events.

Give them AstroCards so that they will be able to visit the website to find out about the universe, about other IYA events. Make sure they know that they can use the registration number on the AstroCards to send their name into space (see fact Sheet: AstroCards)

How do I order copies of the book?

Mary Lou’s New Telescope books are available free of charge to IYA Partners (RASC Centres, FAAQ Clubs, University Liaisons, Science Centres, and CASCA Liaisons) who have registered events on the Events Database (see fact sheet, “How to Register Your Events on the IYA Website”)

1.    If you are an FAAQ club or Quebec organization, please refer to the FAAQ version of this Fact Sheet, which contains information specific to Québec.

2.    Register your event/s on the website www.astronomy2009.ca  (Need help? See Fact Sheet: How to Register Your Events on the IYA Website)

3.    After registering your event/s, send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it requesting Star Finders, with your full mailing address. Include the name/s and date/s of your event/s so that we can cross reference. If you have more than 5 events registered, simply tell us how many there are and the location.

We are still working out the logistical details on how to order Mary Lou’s New Telescope booklets subsequent to the first shipment – we will revise this document when these details are known.

4.    After your event, have your designated person go back to the website and report the numbers of people who attended.

Reporting attendance is MANDATORY for 2 reasons:

•    Keeping track of numbers will help us to measure the success of IYA and to report to funders. Our ability to do so accurately will attract funders.

•    You will not be able to order new materials until you have reported on your registered events.

Note: you can also download the booklet from www.rasc.ca/mlnt and print your own copies.