Child of the Universe

Accompanying inspirational words from astrophysicist Jayawardhana (Neutrino Hunters for adults), luminous illustrations by Colón (Counting the Stars) imagine a magnificent journey through the cosmos. "My father says I am made of stars," a girl with dark curly hair says. The two sit on her bed together, gazing at the full moon. "The universe conspired to make you," he tells her. A page turn later, the view widens to show the sun radiating golden heat like tongues of flame; opposite, the girl radiates energy, too, visualized as a golden aura: "You light up the world beyond this room." Throughout, warm, rhyming affirmation blends with scientific fact: "The iron in your blood, the calcium in your bones, are made up of stars that lived long ago." The girl's body is shown as a void filled with whirling galaxies; later, she walks weightlessly across an expanse of space and earth, leaving oscillating waves in her wake. In contrast to picture books that promote STEM to girls by showing them engaged in scientific activities, Colón represents the child as the actual embodiment of elemental science: a figure in white gown and with streaming hair who is at home in--and made up of--the farthest reaches of the universe. Ages 3-7. (Mar.)

PreS-Gr 4--This beguiling bedtime tale at once explores a child's place in the universe and in a loving parent's heart. Acclaimed astrophysicist Jayawardhana's lyrical text underscores the intersection of science and wonder, the intimate and the expansive, the familiar and the unknown. Gazing out the window at bedtime, a girl's father tells her that she is made of stars: "The universe conspired to make you.../Just like the sun gives shine to the moon, /you light up the world beyond this room." Colón's eye-dazzling mixed-media paintings majestically convey the grand ideas, effortlessly pivoting from depictions of celestial skyscapes to close-up images of a nightgown-garbed girl with flowing black curls and twinkling eyes. One spread shows a midnight-blue silhouette of the child--her body filled with bright-hued renditions of the long-ago stars that now make up the "iron in your blood, the calcium in your bones"--set against an abstract background that could be viewed as microscopic body cells or a broad image of a sun. Worlds seem to coalesce and collide ("Your atoms spin like Saturn's rings./You are a part of everything"), as stylized atoms dance above the girl in a dreamy planetary panorama, appear like tiny henna tattoos on her arm, or become giant-sized enough for her to float through. All of these astral wanderings and wonderings are brought home with a cozy conclusion, as the girl's father tucks her into bed beneath a smiling moon. VERDICT This lovely picture book can spark interest in scientific exploration, create awareness of our connection to the cosmos, and encourage dreamers to embark on their own journeys of imagination.--Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs

"There's hardly room—or need—for white space in a book this grand and glorious. Out of this world." - Kirkus, starred review

"A magnificent journey through the cosmos." -Publishers Weekly, starred review