Child of the Universe

Starred review from December 23, 2019
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.

January 15, 2020
A child "made up of stars" finds their place in the universe. "The universe conspired to make you," a father tells his child as they gaze out at the moon one night from the child's bed. As the father goes on to wax poetic about his love, the art takes readers on an intergalactic journey. Nebulae, galaxies, planets, and stars populate breathtaking, high-contrast double-page spreads that feature the curly-haired, brown-skinned child out in the universe. One spread depicts a silhouette of the child while the text reads, "The iron in your blood, the calcium in your bones, / are made up of stars that lived long ago." Another, wordless spread depicts the child at the center of a giant atom. Astrophysicist Jayawardhana's picture-book debut effectively and eloquently affirms the importance of a single life amid the vastness of the universe--a small lesson under the blanket of parental love. Though framed by the child's first-person narration, the story is primarily driven by the father's monologue. Colón's art, created in his signature scratched-colored pencil technique, revels in the details. The soft, cool tones of the Earth scenes provide a wow of a page turn as the colors explode with warmth in subsequent spreads. Gold foil stars speckle the cover. There's hardly room--or need--for white space in a book this grand and glorious. Out of this world. (author's note, bibliography) (Picture book. 4-8)

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Starred review from February 1, 2020

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

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2020
Grades K-2 In this debut picture book, scientist Jayawardhana brings home the fact that we are, quite literally, made of stardust. Framed by a young girl's father telling her she is made of the stars, the story takes a turn for the metaphysical as the girl reflects on how her traits mirror those of the universe. Her presence illuminates like the sun; her wavy hair undulates like the Milky Way. In addition to the metaphorical love of a father for his daughter, there is the science of it all. Iron in our blood comes from ancient stars; the atoms in our bodies spin in emulation of ringed Saturn. The simplicity of the text is brilliantly upheld by Col�n's spectacular colored-pencil illustrations. The wordless spreads are particularly compelling for their swaths and curlicues of rich colors depicting cosmic wonders such as solar flares, atomic structures, and ocean waves?all coexisting naturally on the pages. Extensive back matter by the author explains the science behind our cosmic composition.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)