"A joyful and dazzling exploration of our universe" Booklist\nStargazers rejoice at this beautiful, accessible and fascinating story about our incredible night sky, with stunning pictures from the Hubble telescope!\nThere is so much for Ada to do while visiting her grandparents on an island in Maine, but no amount of beachcombing and kayaking during the day can take the place of looking at the bright and beautiful stars at night. She can hardly wait for the sun to set, but will a thick fog spoil her stargazing plans?\nPhotographs taken from the Hubble telescope are seamlessly layered with charming illustrations to beautifully bring to life this enchanting story of a curious child and her caring grandfather, who share a love for our incredible night sky and the mysteries it holds.\n"A joyful and dazzling exploration of our universe" Booklist, starred review\n“An insanely gorgeous and thought-provoking book” Books Up North\n"Luminous" The Bookseller\n"Young readers will delight in seeing our universe’s interconnectedness, and, later, when Ada’s family dashes outside to spin in starlight, they will recognize the inextricable bonds among loved ones… Astonishing artwork shines." Kirkus Reviews, starred review\n"Chapman [artwork] draws power from glowing light sources, creating night skies that glitter and seawater that sparkles." Publishers Weekly, starred review

Ada and the Galaxies

Children's Books

Lightman, Alan

Pastuchiv, Olga

Literature & Fiction

MIT Kids Press

An accessible and visually arresting picture book about the smallest known and most mysterious particle of matter, for the youngest scientific minds.\nI am one of the most mysterious particles in the universe. 
I’m tiny and light, and I can pass right through you. 
In fact, trillions of me fly through your body every second. 
I’m … a NEUTRINO!\nBefore you finish reading this sentence, trillions upon trillions of neutrinos will have passed through your body. Not sure what a neutrino is? This dazzling picture book from a renowned cosmologist introduces young readers to the smallest bits of matter known to exist. And they exist everywhere! Filled with fascinating, full-bleed illustrations that swirl and splash the cosmos to life, this incredible STEM title shows us the wonders of our universe, encouraging children and future Nobel Prize-winners to dream of their own groundbreaking discoveries.

I'm a Neutrino: Tiny Particles in a Big Universe (Meet the Universe)

Vavagiakis, Dr. Eve M.

Science, Nature & How It Works

Stargazers rejoice! In his first book for children, renowned physicist Alan Lightman and collaborators, with help from the Hubble telescope, light up the night sky. New York Times best-selling author Alan Lightman, in collaboration with Olga Pastuchiv, brings galaxies close in a stunning picture-book tribute to the interconnectedness of the natural world. Layering photographs taken from the Hubble telescope into charming and expressive art, illustrator Susanna Chapman zooms in on one child's experiences: Ada knows that the best place for star-gazing is on the island in Maine where she vacations with her grandparents. By day, she tracks osprey in the trees, paddles a kayak, and hunts for shells. But she's most in her element when the sun goes down and the stars blink to life. Will the fog this year foil her plans, or will her grandfather find a way to shine a spotlight on the vast puzzle of the universe . . . until the weather turns?

Detector Dogs, Dynamite Dolphins, and More Animals with Super Sensory Powers (Extraordinary Animals)

Meet incredible animals with all kinds of highly developed senses and learn about the jobs they do in this book full of amazing facts, cool science, and activities.\nFly alongside a photo-delivery pigeon, discover a honeybee’s electric secrets, and sail the high seas with a poop-sniffing dog detective on a mission to save endangered killer whales. All of these animals use their super senses, from echolocation to electroreception, to help human coworkers tackle real-world problems like pollution and global warming. Each chapter introduces a different animal, such as Cynthia, the pipe-fixing ferret, and Rosita, a goat who helps prevent wildfires. With bright and entertaining text alongside colorful photos and illustrations, this book examines how each animal’s behavior and biology makes it perfectly suited for the job it does. At the end of each chapter, curious young scientists are invited to explore their own human senses through fun guided experiments.

Giaimo, Cara

Couch, Christina

Animals

An accessible and visually arresting picture book about one of the universe's most mysterious particles for the youngest scientific minds\nBefore you finish reading this sentence, trillions upon trillions of neutrinos will have passed through your body. Not sure what a neutrino is? Get an up-close-and-personal introduction in this dazzling picture book from MIT Kids Press, told in lilting rhyme from the neutrino’s point of view and filled with mind-bending, full-bleed illustrations that swirl and splash the cosmos to life. Some of the smallest bits of matter known to exist—and they exist everywhere—neutrinos are inspiring cutting-edge and Nobel Prize–winning research. Here, playful text and watercolor illustrations blended with photographs distill the concept of these mysterious particles down to its essence. “Know Your Neutrinos” end notes provide context for each spread, amplifying the science and making complex astrophysics and physics concepts approachable. This indispensable STEM title urges children to dream of contributing their own discoveries.\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 1–5—This book tackles a huge topic about the tiny particles that zoom all around us. Neutrinos are mysterious particles that have been around since the beginning of time. The narrator, a neutrino, unravels some of the secrets these specks hold. Neutrino describes how they are similar to electrons, but without an electrical charge. In addition to science content, the math concept of exponents is mentioned when Neutrino explains how light the particles are. The text is straightforward, allowing young readers to start to grasp a difficult scientific concept. However, some of the vocabulary is challenging. Vavagiakis includes a noteworthy appendix with additional information about neutrinos, including links to several additional resources for further exploration. The illustrations are awash with beautiful blues, oranges, and other hues; the illustrator creates whimsical neutrinos that bounce from page to page. It's an ambitious science topic simplified to a level many will be able to handle. VERDICT If your shelves are in need of particle science this might be a nice addition, although the concept is very abstract and will probably need further explanation by additional sources.—Erin Olsen

I'm a Black Hole (Meet the Universe)

Vavagiakis, Eve M.

Renowned physicist Alan Lightman, author of Ada and the Galaxies, turns his focus to light waves in a second story for children. There's only one gift Isabel wants for her sixth birthday: a way to see invisible things. She can hardly think of anything else! Finally, the day of her party arrives. Unwrapping a big box, Isabel finds a surprise inside--a glass prism--and a dazzling world of previously invisible color emerges, lighting up the room around her. What else could be out there, waiting for her eyes to discover? In simple, engaging language, complemented by luminous artwork from best-selling illustrator Ramona Kaulitzki, author and physicist Alan Lightman unveils the hidden world of light waves--the ones you can see and the ones you can't. Back matter delves briefly into the subject of wavelengths, radio waves, and X-rays for readers curious to know more.

Isabel and the Invisible World

Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them

Crowder, Melanie

BENEDICT, MEGAN

Santiago Saw Things Differently: Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Artist, Doctor, Father of Neuroscience

Iverson, Christine

Biographies

Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us

Robeson, Teresa

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