Cosmic Wonder: Halley's Comet and Humankind
by Ashley Benham-Yazdani (Author) Ashley Benham-Yazdani (Illustrator)
First recorded traveling overhead in 240 BCE, Halley’s Comet returns every seventy-six years or so for a fresh glimpse of life on bountiful Earth. In a wondrous story told from the comet’s point of view, the creator of A Green Place to Be weaves scenes of Halley’s hurtling through space with views of Earth and its evolving flora and fauna below. Even as humans gaze up in search of the celestial wanderer—tracking the “broom star” in words and pictures—the comet gazes down, forming gentle conclusions. Each visit reveals how curious and creative humans transform the planet, contributing war and pollution but also a boundless capacity to love. What will the comet find when it passes again in 2061? Time stamps and thorough back matter ground a lyrical and luminously illustrated story in sound historical and scientific research. A kaleidoscope of biodiversity, locales, and peoples, Cosmic Wonder gracefully charts the highs and lows of human civilization through the eyes of a sympathetic watcher.
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Publishers Weekly
Beginning millennia ago and ending with a mention of 2061, Benham-Yazdani follows Earth and its denizens via the perspective of a returning Halley's Comet. Personifying third-person prose traces the comet's recurring visits to the planet, which occur "about every seventy-six Earth years"; over the course of its many fly-bys, it observes that "one kind of creature began to live differently." Images show humans of various backgrounds and skin tones changing over time--first looking up from brush, then leaving behind painted handprints on a rock face, developing settlements, engaging in times of war and peace, performing in a roofless theater, and then, in 1986, peering up from a beach that flanks a neon-lighted, polluted city. Mixed-media landscapes picture the bright, soft-edged comet shooting across an inky wash sky throughout this thought-provoking survey of human history that considers constant change leading up to "the future you help to create." Extensive back matter includes an author's note. Ages 3-7. (Oct.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
—Publishers Weekly A splendid reminder that past, present, and future are connected.
—Kirkus Reviews Children who want to know more about Halley's comet after they come across it. . . will find much to enjoy here.
—Booklist
JNF051040 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Astronomy
JNF025080 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Exploration & Discovery
Halley's comet
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