You Are Stardust - by Elin Kelsey (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This award-winning picture book reintroduces children to their innate relationship with the world around them

You Are Stardust begins with the idea that every tiny atom in our bodies came from a star that exploded long before we were born. From its opening pages, the book suggests that we are intimately connected to the natural world: it compares the way we learn to speak to the way baby birds learn to sing, and the growth of human bodies to the growth of forests. Grounded in science, this extraordinary and whimsical picture book reveals natural ties that are often sensed yet seldom explained and provides opportunities for children to use their imaginations and wonder about some big ideas.

Soyeon Kim's incredible diorama art enhances the poetic text, and her creative process is explored in full in the final spreads of the book, which features comments from the artist. Young readers will want to pore over each page of this book, exploring the detailed artwork and pondering the message of the text, excited to find out just how connected to the Earth they really are.

Review Quotes

... a cartoon dream come to life, with a heavy sprinkling of Sagan on top--Joe Hanson, PhD "It's Okay to Be Smart"

... a stunning exploration of the universe-- "Parents' Choice Award, Recommended Book"

You Are Stardust is a poetic and helpful children's picture book that celebrates the bonds that unite us with the entire universe.-- "Spirituality & Practice"

"A remarkable achievement."

-- "Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW"

"An exquisite picture-book that instills that profound sense of connection with the natural world. Underpinning the narrative is a bold sense of optimism -- a refreshing antidote to the fear-appeal strategy plaguing most environmental messages today...a thoughtful, beautiful piece of early science education presented by two women, the most heartening such example since Lauren Redniss's Radioactive."

--Maria Popova "Brain Pickings"

"As the worlds of science and illustration continue to show, sometimes non-traditional forms of illustration - the whimsical, the mysterious, the abstract - are the best ways to draw in a new audience to scientific ideas...[You Are Stardust] transcends typical illustration and leaves room for children and adults alike to ponder the wonderful facts it presents."

--Glendon Mellow "Scientific American"

"In You are Stardust, Elin Kelsey works magic. This lyrical book effortlessly connects kids to their timeless origins, and the natural world, while teaching them science too. Soyeon Kim's playful illustrations will allow children's imaginations to run wild, even as they will hang on the book's every word. Bravo!"

--Juliet Eilperin

"This is a book that reveals both the relationships and parallels between humans and the planet they live on, something children think about a lot...and it does so in a clear and compelling way...Don't miss this one, which begs to be shared intimately with children. Gather together, be still, and learn how we are stardust."

--Julie Danielson "Kirkus Book Blog Network"

"An exceptional collaboration."-- "ForeWord Reviews"

"Each single and double-page spread in the book is a sumptuous feast for the eyes. ...Kelsey's storytelling prowess works to tantalize the imagination."-- "Ekostories"

"Fodder for both sides of the brain, You Are Stardust helps the young ones identify design within the chaos and realize that science and art are sometimes very much the same thing."
--Stacey Pavlick "Spectrum Culture"

"Like the child pictured, who turns cartwheels on an overturned tree, readers, too, will join in this joyful ceremony of the cycle of life."--Jennifer M Brown "Shelf Awareness for Readers"

"Readers learn interesting facts about themselves and are urged to make parallels to the planet at large. Meanwhile paper cutouts of children travel from page to page in the mixed-media dioramas, illustrating the text's assertions in a fantastical way...each one provides much to consider and absorb."--Julie Roach "School Library Journal"

"These oddball leaps at marrying the natural world with typical kid-thoughts are evocative...[and] Kim's way of literally tying us to nature is as abstract, and as intriguing, as Kelsey's."-- "Booklist"

A breathtaking picture book written for children, with a message meant for everyone...I'm pretty sure I held my breath the entire first time I read this book. The illustrations, the text...It's all sensational.-- "Sturdy for Common Things"

A surreal but intriguing work of art in words and visual...not to be overlooked for those seeking something special.-- "The Midwest Book Review"

As an educator, this picture book is what I like to call a 'thinking book.' It is the type of multi-leveled narrative that, over time, draws you in and prompts more questions than gives answers. For parents and teachers, it is the best kind of book to share with children of all ages because it sparks meaningful conversation.--Nancy Rawlinson "Canadian Children's Book News"

Kelsey is gifted with the ability to write for children as sensitive and thinking beings...an excellent addition to any home, school or public library.-- "CM Magazine: Canadian Review of Materials"

Kelsey's style is simple but not condescending, and there are enough 'wow' facts here to satisfy more cynical readers...and each turn of the page provides a whimsical new scene to explore.-- "Quill & Quire"

Owlkids Books presents a magical new resource for children, families, educators, and librarians. If there is one science related book in your home, this one should be it!--Cara Potapshyn Meyers "Motherhood Later ... Than Sooner"

Perfectly balanced with quiet, thoughtful words and spellbinding, detailed dioramas. It is a book to be shared with awe and wonder between child and adult, and will be made even better each time it is read...Don't miss this astonishing book!--Sally Bender "Sal's Fiction Addiction"

The book does a tremendous job at presenting the big picture cycle of life and our place in it.-- "Center for Northern Woodlands Education"

The mixed-media illustrations by Soyeon Kim, like the text, imbue reality with a dream-like quality.--Amy Kraft "Media Macaroni"

There is a lot to wonder about for a child, and Kelsey's simple but striking narrative is both poetry and science lesson, answering questions and raising many more for a young reader to wonder about -- the stuff of science and philosophy that all humans ponder, the mystery of it all. This little book can be the first to open up such wide thoughts.-- "Books for Kids"

This book is STUNNING...It will inspire you and your children to get outside and explore the incredible creation all around you.-- "YA & Kids Books Central"

This lyrical book effortlessly connects kids to their timeless origins and the natural world, while teaching them science as well.-- "Parent Reading Guide 2013"