The Boy Whose Head Was Filled with Stars: A Life of Edwin Hubble

(Hardback)

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Age range 6 to 9

A beautiful picture book about the astronomer Edwin Hubble that invites children to ponder How many stars are in the sky How did the universe begin Where diid it come from

This is the story of Edwin Hubble, a boy fascinated by the stars who surmounted many hurdles to follow his dreams of becoming an astronomer. Using the insights of great mathematicians and endlessly observing the sky, he succeeded in confirming two things that altered human life forever: that there are more galaxies than our own, and that the universe is always expanding. Hubble's message to us is to find peace in the vastness of the mystery surrounding us, and to be curious. "We do now know why we are born into the world," he said, "but we can try to find out what sort of world it is."

Reviews

A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids of 2021
A Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) Loveliest Childrens Book of 2021
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of 2022, of Outstanding Merit
An Air & Space Magazine Best Children's Book of 2021
A EUREKA! Nonfiction Children's Book Honor Award Winner (California Reading Association)
Nominated for a 2023Beehive Award for Children's Informational Books(Children's Literature Association of Utah)

"Marinov and Marcero pair up to create this visually striking biography of astronomer Edwin Hubble, whose insatiable curiosity led to groundbreaking discoveries about the cosmos in the early 20th century. Straightforward storytelling details young Hubbles early obsession with the sky throughout his Missouri childhood and first career as a teacher and basketball coach, then his transition into astronomy, while mixed-media illustrations evoke the immenseness of the universe in compositions, including an impressive gatefold, that emphasize star-studded skies. Paneled vignettes pace the story, while diagrams and maps extend the narrative and illustrate astrophysical phenomena (e.g., a lunar eclipse). Back matter, including author and illustrator notes and a brief biography, further explains Hubbles major contributions to astronomyhelping show the universes sprawling size and adding evidence to the theory that its expandingconcluding a book that should spark the imagination of young sky-watchers while introducing the scientist for whom a modern space telescope is named. " STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

"This biography of astronomer Edwin Hubble, once a boy looking up at the night sky, is a tribute to his lifes work and the joys of staying curious...After his fathers death, he followed his dreams, worked at Mount Wilson Observatory, studied galaxies, and proved both that the universe is much bigger than was previously thoughtdepicted in a striking double gatefoldand that it is expanding. The spreads featuring sprawling night skies dotted with stars are especially beguiling. And the books lovely pacing affords ample space to pay tribute to the sense of wonder that guided Hubble throughout his life, the repeated refrain being a set of three questions, printed in silver type, that haunted him: How many stars are in the sky How did the universe begin Where did it come from The portion of the book about his discovery that the Andromeda Nebula is a separate galaxy gives credit where its due, paying tribute to Henrietta Swan Leavitt, an astronomer whose work came before Hubbles. The storys concluding direct address to readers'Look.Look up at the stars'is genuinely inspiring. Lively and wondrousreaders will be star-struck." STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus

The cyclical nature of many scientific phenomena provides writers with ready-made narrative structures, but a human life story can be tricky to handle in a picture book: What to include, what to leave out when you have so few words and pages In The Boy Whose Head Was Filled With Stars, Isabelle Marinov and Deborah Marcero get it just right. Edwin Hubble is a colossal figure in astronomy. His research proved that the Milky Way is just one among an infinite number of galaxies. Hes difficult to summarize. Beginning with the words 'Edwin was a curious boy,' Marinov succeeds in distilling Hubbles life to the essence of youthful curiosity, bringing readers back time and again to the three key questions to which he sought answers: 'How many stars are in the sky How did the universe begin Where did it come from' (themselves typeset in a glimmering silver foil). Marceros tender illustrations remind readers on every page that the experience of looking at a dark, starry sky shaped Edwins life. New York Times

Author Isabelle Marinov and artist Deborah Marcero pay tender homage to Hubbles life and legacy in The Boy Whose Head Was Filled with Starsa splendid addition to the finest picture-book biographies of revolutionary minds Hubble identifies previously unseen stars within Andromeda and, drawing on Leavitts technique for calculating their distance, suddenly realizes that they were much, much father than previously thoughtso far that they could not be within the Milky Way. Which meant that there were other galaxies in the universe beyond our owna staggering revision of the limits of knowledge. At this point in the story, in a classic Enchanted Lion touch of thoughtful loveliness and delight, a gatefold expands into a paper spacetime of colorful swirling galaxies, rendering our Milky Way no more than a small dot in an unimaginably vast universe. The story continues with an elegant primer on Hubbles Law and its humbling, thrilling implications about the universe and our place in it. Maria Popova, The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings)

As a child in Missouri, Edwin Hubble would sit alone outside at night looking up at the stars, and wonder: How many stars are in the sky How did the universe begin Where did it come from In 1897, on his eighth birthday, Edwin received a wonderful gift: a telescope built by his grandfather It wasnt until 1914, after his fathers death, that Edwin returned to astronomy, eventually making astonishing discoveries: He would identify that the Andromeda nebula was a separate galaxy, and later, he would discover that the universe was expanding. In 1990, in honor of these discoveries and more, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit. Maceros impressive illustrations emphasize the vastness of space; back matterincluding author and illustrator notesintroduce young sky-watchers to young Edwin and the questions that beguiled him. Air & Space Magazine

Author Bio

Isabelle Marinov speaks four languages fluently, but for a reason that defies her, English is her preferred language for prose. She likes to write across genres and has always been fascinated by physics and astronomy, but since her brain wasnt wired for those, she studied law instead. The Boy Whose Head Was Filled With Stars marks Isabelles picture book debut. You can visit her at www.isabellemarinov.com and follow her on Instagram @isabelle.marinov.

Deborah Marcero is the author and illustrator of In A Jar (Putnam) and My Heart Is A Compass (LBYR). Deborah has always loved photographing starry night skies, but by painting the stars through the discoveries of Edwin Hubble, the universe became much more vast than it was before for her, too. You can find more of Deborahs books and drawings at deborahmarcero.com or follow her on Twitter or Instagram @deborahmarcero.