ALA Booklist (Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Drawing on Carl Sagan's famous quote, "We are made of star stuff," comes this picture-book introduction to the universe. Rhythmic, rhyming text begins with a look at the stars in our galaxy, most notably the sun, and then takes readers back in time before these stars anything isted. From here Carpenter describes the creation of the universe: "A mighty BOOM / a huge KERBANG / that scientists call THE BIG BANG!" Beautifully patterned and geometric illustrations accompany the rhymes as the author explains how, after the universe cooled, stars were born, the solar system formed, and planets grew. As the skies and oceans materialized, so, too, did animals that evolved from water to land. The text returns to the importance of the sun as it provides us light, warmth, and food, and how we are all made of the same stardust that shaped the sun. A concluding acrostic that spells out "THE SUN" lists related facts about our closest star. Pair with Ian Lendler's One Day a Dot (2018) to extend the wonder of the universe.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Rhyming text takes readers from the big bang through the creation of stars and planets and life on Earth, making the case that we're all made of stardust ("You're a star!"). The book accessibly covers a lot of ground and some very big ideas, accompanied by vibrant illustrations with bold colors and patterns. Concludes with "Sciencey Stuff" about our sun.

Kirkus Reviews

The universe in a nutshell: "A mighty BOOM / a huge KERRANG / that scientists call / THE BIG BANG!"Hernández's semi-abstract illustrations are the stars of the show—bold visual statements founded on big shapes, dramatic silhouettes or contrasts, and deep-space fields through which swim clouds of stylized stars. In later scenes our local star seems almost lambent as it shines down on earthly flora and fauna. Carter's metrics are less stellar, but his cosmology serves well enough as he takes young readers out to view the stars, then explains the explosive origins of space, time, and our very own sun, how planets formed, and how at last on Earth "life swam, crawled, flew." Channeling Carl Sagan, he concludes "We're from that star / that seems so far. / We're made of stardust, / yes, we are. / So, what are you? / YOU'RE A STAR!" He rounds off his poetic flight by laying out the sun's past and probable future in a list of factual "Sciencey Stuff" arranged as an acrostic. Three children, one white, two with different shades of brown skin, appear in the final scenes.The right "stuff" for young readers who have wondered about the stars and about their place in space. (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Bold, retro-style artwork by Hernández and big splashy type give the spreads that accompany these space poems the impact of posters. The introductory image shows angular plant life in silhouette against a dusky blue sky with text in bold white letters: -Down comes night/ and if cloud-free,/ look up, you-ll find the galaxy.- In the pages that follow, Hernández chooses stately ochre and red for pointed stars (-one hundred billion, maybe more-), makes the sun a great yellow ball with crisp rays that seem to radiate warmth, represents the Big Bang (-A mighty BOOM/ A huge KERRANG-) with streaks and random shapes that emanate from a red burst, and traces the march of evolution with crisp, graphic forms (-Then life swam, crawled, flew-). Carter-s lines may put some readers off (-We-re from that star/ that seems so far./ We-re made of stardust, /yes, we are.-), but others may welcome poetry that doesn-t sound fancy. Acrostic-style space facts close the book. Ages 3-7. (Nov.)

School Library Journal (Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

PreS-Gr 2 Budding scientists and stargazers will find plenty to enjoy in this lyrical introduction to the sun. The rhyming narrative poem is set in bold type, which partners well with the vibrant retro illustrations. Adults will recognize the artistic tribute to the Space Age, while children will enjoy the fresh and brilliant colors that pair perfectly with the text. While literary devices, such as similes, are used, as when stars are "lights like lanterns on a shore," the poem never loses its focus on scientific wonder. After a brief introduction to stars and the sun, readers are taken back in history when nothing existed until there was an explosionthe big bang. A beautiful spread illustrates the solar system before zooming down to Earth and simply describing that life began there, too, and how we are all made of stardust so each of us is a star. A section at the end spells out "The Sun" vertically, acrostic style, providing a sentence for each letter with extra information about the sun. VERDICT An excellent resource for STEM-related activities, science curricula, or children who are simply curious about the world around them. Rachel Zuffa, Racine Public Library, WI