'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Friday 15 March 2019

Review: The Stuff of Stars

The Stuff of Stars is a collaboration between Newbery Honor winner Marion Dane Bauer and Caldecott Honor winner Ekua Holmes.

It takes a quote from scientist Carl Sagan and develops it into a verse format picture book.

The text is evocative and exploratory as it describes a theory of the creation of earth, and thus the birth of children and people everywhere.
'But one lucky planet,
a fragile blue ball we call Earth,
was neither too far
nor too near.'

Yet it is the illustrations -- made from hand-cut, digitally assembled marbled paper -- that captured my attention.

Starting with waves of purple, blue and black; moving to bursts of red, yellow and orange; and red butterflies, brown and green horses, and other shapes; the artwork is full of splatters and swirls of colour.

It is not until the final page that the words of the book title are found:
'You,
and me
loving you.
All of us
the stuff of stars.'
Whatever you believe in terms of creation of the earth, The Stuff of Stars is a book that can be appreciated for its celebration of life and its beauty.

Title: The Stuff of Stars
Author: Marion Dane Bauer
Illustrator: Ekua Holmes
Publisher: Candlewick, $27.99
Publication Date: September 2018
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780763678838
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture book